Strengthening of Vigilance set-up in Ministries/Departments

DOPT has formulated certain guidelines vide Office Memorandum No: 425/01/2012/-AVD-IV(A) dated 30.11.2012, for strengthening of vigilance set up in the Ministries/Departments. A brief of these guidelines is as follows.

1. It should be ensured that that the Administration and Vigilance Wing are exclusively separate from each other in each Ministry/Department.

2. Secretary of the Ministry/Department should review the pending disciplinary proceeding cases and sanction of prosecution cases each month like monitoring of VIP references/RTI cases.

3. Some Ministries/Departments are not sending the quarterly report on action plan on anti-corruption measures in the prescribed proforma as per DoP&T’s D.O. No. 321/1/2005-AVD-III dated 9th May, 2005. Each Ministry/Department should send this quarterly report regularly.

4. Each Ministry/Department should conduct an SIU study of its Vigilance Division so that officers/staff may be posted as per requirement vis-a-vis volume of work.

All Ministries/Departments may send an action taken report on setting up of a monitoring cell, to this department within a month from the receipt of these guidelines.

The full text of this OM is given below.

No.425/01/2012-AVD-IV(A)

Ministry of Personnel, Public Grievances & Pension

Department of Personnel & Training

North Block, New Delhi

30th November, 2012

OFFICE MEMORANDUM

Subject: Strengthening of Vigilance set-up in Ministries/Departments- reg.

The undersigned is directed to refer to Department’s Office Memorandum No.372/19/2011-AVD-III(Pt.I) dated 26th September, 2011 regarding strengthening of vigilance set-up in Ministries/Departments, wherein, on the basis of a recommendation made by the Group of Ministers to tackle Corruption, which was accepted by the Government, all the Ministries/Departments were advised to strengthen their vigilance administration with requisite man power with a view to ensuring expeditious disposal of disciplinary cases. It was also advised therein to consider, where appropriate, setting up of a monitoring cell in each Ministry/Department to review and monitor the progress of all pending disciplinary cases on a day-to-day basis, with a view to ensuring their timely conclusion.

2. Further, in order to asses the work load relating to vigilance administration and the adequacy of present vigilance set-up to handle such volume of work In various Ministries/Departments to meet the challenges posed by the ever increasing volume of vigilance related work, information was called for from all Ministries/Departments vide this Department’s D.O. of even number dated 17th July, 2012.

3. On the basis of an analysis of statistics received from various Ministries/Departments, the following guidelines are issued for strengthening of vigilance set up in the Ministries/Departments.

i. It should be ensured that that the Administration and Vigilance Wing are exclusively separate from each other in each Ministry/Department. Para 2.9 of vigilance manual issued by CVC indicates that participation in

decision making or close association of vigilance staff in such matters over which they might be required, at a later stage, to sit in judgement from vigilance point of view, should be avoided. Therefore, vigilance functionaries should not be a party to processing and decision-making processes or in other similar administrative transactions of such nature, which are likely to have clear vigilance sensitivity. While it may not be difficult for full-time vigilance functionaries to comply with this requirement, the compliance of these instructions could be achieved in respect of part-time vigilance functionaries by confining their duties, other than those connected with vigilance work, as far as possible, to such items of work that are either free from vigilance angle or serve as input to vigilance activities such as inspection, audit, etc. These instructions should be adhered to strictly.

ii. Secretary of the Ministry/Department should review the pending disciplinary proceeding cases and sanction of prosecution cases each month like monitoring of VIP references/RTI cases..

iii. Some Ministries/Departments are not sending the quarterly report on action plan on anti-corruption measures in the prescribed proforma as per DoP&T’s D.O. No. 321/1/2005-AVD-III dated 9th May, 2005. Each Ministry/Department should send this quarterly report regularly.

iv. From the inputs received from the Ministries/Departments, it has been observed that in some Ministries/Departments where the numbers of complaints/DP cases are very high but the CVO is part time and the officers/staff in the vigilance unit are not sufficient. Therefore, each Ministry/Department should conduct an SIU study of its Vigilance Division so that officers/staff may be posted as per requirement vis-a-vis volume of work.

v. Vide DoPT’s OM No. 372/19/2011-AVD-III(Pt.I) dated 26.09.2011, all the Ministries/Departments were requested that they may, where appropriate, consider setting up of a monitoring cell to review and monitor the progress of all pending disciplinary inquiries on a day-to day basis, with a view to ensuring their timely conclusion. However, it has been observed that barring a few Ministries/Departments, such monitoring cell is yet to be set up by the Ministries/Departments. All Ministries/Departments may send an action taken report on setting up of a monitoring cell, to this department within a month from the receipt of these guidelines.

4. All the Ministries/Departments are requested to follow the above guidelines in letter and spirit to strengthen their vigilance set up.

sd/-

(Amarjit Singh)

Deputy Secretary to the Govt. of India