Against the backdrop of grave irregularities and corruption surfacing in many government departments and public sector units, Vigilance and Anti-Corruption Bureau (VACB) Director Jacob Thomas has sought measures to strengthen their internal Vigilance wings.
Speaking to The Hindu , he said that internal Vigilance wings were made mandatory following a government order of 1997. The wing was thus constituted in 88 State government departments and public sector undertakings. “Officials of the wing have wide-ranging powers — they can initiate recovery, disciplinary proceedings and even suggest changes in norms and policy to ensure accountability. Instances where cases have to be registered are sent to the VACB,” he said.
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Sadly, the most corrupt of officials are posted in the internal Vigilance wing of many departments and PSUs. “In 2014, I had recommended to the then government to make Vigilance clearance mandatory for posting and removing officials of the wing.
Adherence to this principle will in itself halve corruption since this will prevent appointment of tainted officials in the wing. It will also ensure that upright officials are protected from harassment and transfer. But the government has not considered the proposal so far,’’ Mr. Thomas said. He called upon the State government to set right the Vigilance mechanism since public funds were ending up in wrong hands and malpractices were becoming rampant.