GAD asked to issue detailed instructions by June 15
*Complaint boxes to be installed in all Govt offices
Mohinder Verma
JAMMU, June 11: Reiterating the commitment of the Government of Union Territory of Jammu and Kashmir towards zero-tolerance for corruption, Chief Secretary Dr Arun Kumar Mehta has issued directions for strict implementation of Central Vigilance Commission (CVC) guidelines at all the levels in the administration.
Official sources told EXCELSIOR that during the recent meeting of the Committee of Secretaries, the Chief Secretary stressed upon the commitment of the Government towards zero tolerance for corruption and emphasized the need to bring in systematic improvements and reforms for providing transparent and citizen friendly services to the public.
He told them that no stone should be left unturned to implement in letter and spirit the guidelines of the Central Vigilance Commission in the Union Territory of Jammu and Kashmir.
“A mechanism should also be put in place to effectively monitor strict compliance to the guidelines of the Commission which will go a long way in tackling the menace of corruption and ensure transparency in the functioning of the departments”, sources said quoting the directions of the Chief Secretary to all the Administrative Secretaries.
Dr Mehta further issued directions for displaying boards at all the offices highlighting zero tolerance for corruption and installation of complaint boxes in Head of Department (HoD) offices for receiving any complaint about the working of the offices. He has directed the General Administration Department to issue detailed instructions directing therein compliance by June 15, 2021 by all the departments.
As per the sources, the Central Vigilance Commission has issued numerous circulars regarding ‘improving vigilance administration—sensitizing the public about corruption’. According to these circulars, all the departments are required to prominently display a standard notice board in the reception area about the message of the Commission for not giving bribe to any official etc.
Besides the message of the Central Vigilance Commission on discouraging corruption, the notice board is required to have the designation, telephone/fax numbers and e-mail address of the Head of the Department and Departmental Vigilance Officer to facilitate the people in projecting the corrupt practices.
Pointing towards the direction regarding installation of complaint boxes, sources said, “a formal complaint is a piece of statement or information containing details about offences alleged to have been committed under the Prevention of Corruption Act or malpractice/misconducts under Conduct Rules”.
As per the CVC guidelines, the Departmental Vigilance Officers (DVOs) are required to devise and adopt such methods, as considered appropriate and fruitful in the context of nature of work handled in the organisation, for collecting information about any malpractice and misconduct among the employees.
Keeping this aspect of the CVC guidelines in mind, the Chief Secretary has directed that the system of Departmental Vigilance Officers should be activated in the shortest possible time and the reports furnished by them should be acted upon promptly by the departments so as to check menace of corruption.
Recognizing the importance of good governance for sustainable development, the Chief Secretary has asked the Administrative Secretaries to prepare Citizens’ Charters regarding the programmes/services in their respective departments and ensure their uploading on departmental websites and display in all the subordinate offices.
“All the services, schemes, programmes, initiatives and policies should be declared in the Citizens’ Charter along with the standards of such services”, sources said quoting the directions of the Chief Secretary, adding “all the departments have also been asked to prepare a report regarding the efficiency in meeting such standards”.
Moreover, the departments will put in place a system to measure these standards so that the performance of each department can be assessed. For framing of Citizens’ Charter, the Chief Secretary has fixed deadline of June 15, 2021.
Emphasizing the importance of having user friendly websites, the Chief Secretary has directed the Administrative Secretaries to ensure that the departmental websites disseminate critical information to the general public. For necessary updation in the departmental websites, the Chief Secretary has fixed a deadline of June 25, 2021.
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