By TIOL News Service

NEW DELHI, JULY 31, 2014: AS a measure of preventive vigilance and following the guidelines laid down by Ministry of Home Affairs, every year, CBI prepares the list of officers/officials of doubtful integrity. For this, CBI does not consult/coordinate with Central Vigilance Commission. More information sought for being secret in nature, cannot be disclosed in public interest.

In order to ensure timely investigation and better conviction rate, in so far as CBI is concerned, Government has taken various measures for improving the functioning of the CBI which includes modernization of CBI, improvement in training, infrastructure, improving conditions of work and employment of staff, rigorous monitoring of investigation by CBI & CVC, etc.

76 new Special CBI Anti Corruption Courts are functioning across the country to dispose of PC Act trial expeditiously. To improve the conviction rate, the Government has created additional posts of Public Prosecutors, training of Public Prosecutors, modernization of CFSL, etc.

Other steps taken in the recent past to effectively combat corruption include:-

(i) Enactment of Right to Information Act, 2005;

(ii) Enactment of Lokpal & Lokayuktas Act, 2013;

(iii) Issue of comprehensive instructions on transparency in tendering and contracting process by the CVC;

(iv) Issue of instructions by the CVC asking the organizations to adopt Integrity Pact in major Government procurement activities; State Governments have also been advised to adopt Integrity Pact in major procurements;

(v) Introduction of e-Governance and simplification of procedures and systems;

(vi) Issue of Citizen Charters;

(vii) Ratification of United Nations Convention Against Corruption (UNCAC) in 2011;

(viii) Placing of details of immovable property returns of All Members of the All India Services and other Group ‘A' officers of the Central Government in the public domain;

(ix) The Whistle-blowers Protection Act, 2011 (No. 17 of 2014);

Dr. Jitendra Singh MoS (PPG&P) gave this information in Lok Sabha yesterday in a written reply to a question by Shrimati Rama Devi and Shri Chandrakant Khaire.