Mohinder Verma
JAMMU, July 14: Notwithstanding the fact that corruption has emerged as major issue required to be tackled strongly, the internal vigilance in the Government Departments and Public Sector Undertakings to check the corrupt practices has remained depressing despite repeated verbal and formal instructions from the higher authorities. Now, a proposal is being worked out in order to make the institution of Departmental Vigilance Officers eye and ear of the State Vigilance Commission (SVC) in real sense.
The process of appointment of Departmental Vigilance Officers (DVOs) on the pattern of Central Government in the State Government Departments and PSUs was actually started in 1994 with the issuance of Circular No.12 by the General Administration Department on February 22, 1994.
The decision was based on the facts that in majority of the complaints before the Vigilance Organization, allegations are mainly about violation of codal formalities in the award of contracts, purchases, appointments, promotions and transfer and denial of services by the Government departments and unless more details become available these allegations don’t attract provisions of the Prevention of the Corruption Act.
By describing them as helping hands of the Vigilance Organization, the Government, by way of Circular No.12, issued directions for appointment of DVOs so that internal vigilance improves in the departments.
However, the institution of DVOs failed to come up to the expectations and keeping this in view the GAD reiterated directions by issuing fresh circulars on June 19, 2002 and May 26, 2003 respectively. Even the exercise of holding DVOs conferences twice in a year was set in motion to give impetus to the functioning of this institution but the situation today largely remains the same as was several years ago.
“The internal vigilance in the Government departments and PSUs remains depressing despite the fact that this concept is rendering immense help in tackling the menace of corruption in many states of the country”, official sources told EXCELSIOR.
“Though appointment of DVOs by the majority of the Government departments and the Public Sector Undertakings cannot be disputed but the fact remains that there has been no feedback from the Departmental Vigilance Officers”, sources said.
“It has been learnt that instead of maintaining their own vigilance, the DVOs are acting only when the Vigilance Organization approaches them for some sort of clarifications or to conduct joint surprise inspection”, they further said.
In response to a question, sources said, “since the DVOs are selected by the departmental heads, they cannot dare to go against the departmental interests and this is also the reason behind the institution of DVOs could not meet the desired objective till date”.
“The present system of selection/appointment keeps the DVOs always under the fear of getting worst remarks recorded in their Annual Performance Reports in case they dare to go against the department or their act creates any trouble for the HoD”, sources added.
Stressing that institution of Departmental Vigilance Officers should be kept out of the control of the department head, they said, “unless this is done the objective of maintaining desired level of internal vigilance in the departments and yielding desired results cannot be achieved”. They disclosed that a proposal is being prepared in order to infuse new lease of life in the institution of DVOs and make them eye and ear of the State Vigilance Commission in the real sense.
“Discussion is going at the appropriate forum for handing over the task of appointment of DVOs to the State Vigilance Commission or making second top rung officer of the department as DVO so that he or she doesn’t work under any pressure or fear”, sources disclosed.
“Making officer of one department DVO of another department in order to help such officer to work fairly is also point of discussion and hopefully some consensus would be arrived in near future and the objective of institution of DVO could be achieved and corruption is checked”, they said.
Trending Now
E-Paper
Follow our WhatsApp channel