The Central Vigilance Commission (CVC) has asked all government departments to sensitise people about whistleblowing to expose corruption and focus on internal activities during the vigilance awareness week beginning next month, according to an official order.
It has also suggested organising grievance redressal camps for citizens and customers by organisations having customer-oriented activities.
Besides, the organisations can also hold “awareness gram sabhas” for dissemination of awareness in gram panachayats to sensitise citizens on the ill effects of corruption, said the order issued on Wednesday.
According to past practice, public sector banks need to conduct “awareness gram sabhas” at the branch level in at least two gram panchayats, it highlighted.
The CVC has also suggested observing a special clearance campaign by government organisations during this and next month to clear all outstanding like “prosecution sanction” and “departmental inquiries”.
“The two months, September and October, 2021, may be observed as a ‘special clearance campaign’ to clear all outstanding further information cases, implementation of first stage and second stage advices, investigation and reports, factual reports, complaints (PIDPI), complaints (non-PIDPI), prosecution sanctions, departmental inquiries and comments awaited on CBI reports, in respect of all organizations and departments,: it said.
PIDPI or Public Interest Disclosure and Protection of Informers is also known as the whistleblower resolution.
The vigilance awareness week will be observed from October 26 to November 1, with the theme “Independent India @75: Self Reliance with Integrity”. The theme has been chosen to commemorate 75 years of the country’s independence on August 15, 2022.
The commission has desired to spread awareness and campaign about “complaints under PIDPI”, according to the order.
The term whistleblower is used for individual who expose corruption in government organisation.
“A drive may be undertaken to spread awareness regarding the provisions under the PIPDI resolution as well as all related information,” it said.
One of the two posters enclosed with the CVCs order read: “Is there corruption around you? Lodge a complaint under PIDPI. Your identity shall be kept confidential”.
The order has been sent to secretaries of all central government departments and chief secretaries of the states.
The posters mention details of the PIDPI or whistleblower resolution.
“Both posters should be placed together and should be translated to local languages, wherever required,: the CVC order said, adding that they can be displayed at all offices.
In continuation of activities taken up during vigilance awareness week, the CVC said that it “desires that all organisations focus on internal (housekeeping) activities”.
It has also come out with a format for organisations to share details of these activities under broad categories of land management, management of assets, preventive vigilance measures undertaken by CVOs, leveraging technology, updating rules, regulations and guidelines, and on system improvements undertaken.
“Observance of the vigilance awareness week is one of the tools used by the commission to bring together all stakeholders to collectively participate in the prevention of, and the fight against corruption and to raise public awareness regarding the existence, causes and gravity of and the threat posed by corruption,” the CVC said.
During this week, all organisations are encouraged to bring together all their employees, create awareness regarding common issues related to vigilance and create an atmosphere motivated towards weeding out corruption and unethical practices, the order said.
“Though punishment and penal actions delivered quickly are effective deterrents to corruption, the spirit behind the observation of vigilance awareness week is to sensitise the public against the menace of corruption,” it said.
All organisations should strive to drive home the idea that the fight against corruption is a collective fight involving everyone, the order said.
“It is therefore imperative that the public must be motivated to fight against corruption if India is to succeed in its goal towards achieving self-reliance with integrity,” it said.
