|
The CVC annual report 2010 reveals corruption in the country
The CVC's annual report for the year 2010 published on September 18, 2011 reveals that every third
official penalised for corruption in the country belongs to the railways.
Surprisingly, public sector banks like the Canara Bank, Vijaya Bank,
State Bank of India and the Punjab National Bank, besides the Delhi
Development Authority (DDA) and Municipal Corporation of Delhi (MCD),
which have high public interface, follow the railways in the CVC's roll call of dishonour.
The excise and customs department, which is perceived to be more corrupt
than a bank, comes behind the DDA and MCD in the CVC's corruption index.
Out of the 2,982 officers who faced action last year, as many as 911
belong to the railways. In fact, the corruption index in railways literally doubled from 2009 when 509 railway officers had faced the heat
for corruption on CVC's advice. Canara Bank, Vijaya Bank, SBI and PNB together saw 406 of their corrupt
officials punished in some way in 2010, the CVC report says.
Delhi's corruption-prone organisations such as DDA and MCD were next on
the ignominious list as CVC ensured 150 officials of DDA and 95 from MCD
had to pay for corruption. The excise and customs department saw as many
as 147 of its corrupt officials being brought to book. To make matters worse, the CVC report lists as many as 222 government
organisations or departments which are sitting on the CVC's advice for
over six months to act against a total of 2,346 corrupt officials.
Indian Railways leads the chart here too, with 321 of its officers not
seeing any action against them despite the CVC's advice given over six
months ago. Railways is followed by 305 officers of the Central Board of
Excise & Customs and 174 officers of the Central Board of Direct Taxes -
both under the Finance Ministry - who have also not been acted against
by their respective organisations for over six months despite the CVC's advice.
The CVC in fact made a record of sorts by translating nearly 56 per cent
of the complaints it received in 2010 into action against the corrupt.
This figure was just 42 per cent in 2009. In 2010 when the country was struck by major scams, CVC ensured that
nearly 3,000 corrupt government officers faced some action for corruption - a number which is the highest in CVC's history with a jump
of almost 20% from 2009. The disconcerting note in the report is that most of these public sector
organisations either do not punish the accused as recommended or let them off with light punishment.
The report concedes that such anticorruption measures are not proving
enough to quell the public anger and calls for stronger mechanisms to fight graft.
"Ineffectiveness of current anti-corruption efforts in containing
corruption affecting the common man has resulted in citizens losing
faith in the system and the institutional mechanisms available. In the
light of the Supreme Court decisions on the subject and the public
perception of the existing mechanisms for anticorruption measures, there
is a need for a quick review of the mechanism currently available and
strengthening of the same," the CVC report tersely notes.
The concerns of the CVC reflect in the kind of action taken against the
corrupt. As per the report, out of the 2,982 officers who were punished
in 2010, 262 are now being prosecuted in a court of law for corruption.
But only 99 others had to actually lose their jobs on account of being
removed from service or compulsorily retired.
All others were allowed to continue in service with 895 corrupt
officials facing reduction in their pay or pension, 1269 facing minor
penalties like postponing of increment or withholding of promotion and
457 officers only saw administrative action like a censure or a warning.
The CVC is also perturbed by government organisations diluting the
punishment advised by it for a corrupt official.
"The organisation's unwillingness to accept CVC's advice against some
officers is viewed as examples of a selective approach by the organisations in order to favour certain officers. During the year,
there were instances where the advice tendered by CVC were diluted
considerably," the CVC report says. It lists cases where CRPF, DDA and railways exonerated certain corrupt
officials when CVC had recommended major penalties.
The CVC also complains that its annual report to Parliament does not
reach its logical conclusion as there is little debate and discussion
for eliciting preventive and corrective actions required. "General
public apathy towards vigilance activities and a higher tolerance for
corruption in society emboldens the corrupt. Increasing complexity of
fraud and corruption poses new challenges," the CVC report says.
The CVC also complains about acute shortage of manpower. It has a sanctioned strength of 285 officers, but has to manage with only 252 as
the remaining vacancies remain to be filled up. Vacancies or not, the CVC report could come as a shot in the arm for
Anna Hazare and his team who doubt the government's sincerity in fighting graft. Sourc: INDIA TODAY GROUP
|
|
|
