Group ''C'' employees must be brought under Lokpal

Team Anna says thousands of crores of leakage takes place in NREGA works at the level of Group C employees

PTI | December 5, 2011



Team Anna on Monday rejected Government's proposal of excluding lower bureaucracy from Lokpal's ambit, saying they must be covered to fight graft like alleged swindling by Group C employees of over Rs 30,000 crore worth of ration annually meant for poor.

The Hazare supporters found fault with both the government version of Lokpal as well as the one proposed by Aruna Roy-led NCPRI, saying all sections of employees and politicians collude with each other and there should be one agency covering the whole bureaucracy.

"They don't indulge in corruption separately," Team Anna said in a statement, rejecting government's proposal of covering lower bureaucracy under Central Vigilance Commission and NCPRI model of police first investigating the case and not under Lokpal.

Insisting on inclusion of lower bureaucracy in the Lokpal, they said inspectors accused of corruption were Group C employees. In states, maximum corruption takes place at the level of Group C employees, they alleged.

"Almost Rs 30,000 crores worth of ration meant for poor people is annually siphoned off by Group C employees. Thousands of crores of leakage takes place in NREGA works at the level of Group C employees. Panchayat Secretary and officials are Group C employees. Huge amount of corruption takes place in panchayat works," the statement said.

Contesting government's argument that the bringing entire bureaucracy under Lokpal would make it unwieldy, it said if one goes by international standards, India needs 28,500 anti-corruption staff in CVC to check corruption of 57 lakh employees.

"CVC has a staff strength of 230 employees. Does the government plan to provide 28,500 additional workforce to them?...If that argument is accepted, then won?t CVC become unwieldy?" it asked.

"How can we assume that high level corruption is done by Group A and B officials only and how can we assume that Group C officials indulge in petty corruption? There have been instances when Group C officials have colluded and indulged in scams worth thousands of crores especially in NREGA and PDS.

"In contrast, there have been instances, when Group A officers have been caught taking bribes less than Rs 10,000," Team Anna said.

They also noted that CVC does not have police powers and it cannot register a criminal case.

Questioning the rationale behind having two police stations under Lokpal and CVC, the statement said, "if a road in front of one's house breaks down a few days after construction, it indicates that corruption has taken place.

"However, one would not know if this corruption was done by Group A, B, or C officials. So in which police station should an FIR be filed in this case ? CVC or Lokpal?" it said.

Opposing NCPRI model of first approaching police and then Lokpal, Team Anna said, this may lead to delay in every investigation as in twould ultimately land up at Lokpal as a complaint or appeal.

Team Anna claims that their proposal is for a decentralised system where Lokpal would set up a police station in every district and Lokayukta in every block.

For corruption in a central government department, a citizen could register an FIR at the nearest Lokpal police station in the district and for corruption in any state Government, a citizen could register FIR in the nearest Lokayukta Police Station in that block, it said.

Comments

 

Other News

Not just politics, let`s discuss policies too

Why public policy matters Most days, India`s loudest debates stop at the ballot box. We can name every major leader and recall every campaign slogan. Still, far fewer of us can explain why a widow`s pension is delayed or how a government school`s budget is actually approved. That

When algorithms decide and children die

The images have not left me, of dead and wounded children being carried in the arms of the medics and relatives to the ambulances and hospitals. On February 28, at the start of Operation Epic Fury, cruise missiles struck the Shajareh Tayyebeh school – officially named a girls’ school, in Minab,

The economics of representation: Why women in power matter

India’s democracy has grown in scale, but not quite in balance. Women today are active participants in elections, influencing outcomes in ways that were not as visible earlier. Yet their presence in legislative institutions continues to lag behind. The Nari Shakti Vandan Adhiniyam was meant to addres

India will be powerful, not aggressive: Bhaiyyaji

India is poised to emerge as a global power but will remain rooted in its civilisational ethos of non-aggression and harmony, former RSS General Secretary Suresh `Bhaiyyaji` Joshi has said.   He was speaking at the launch of “Rashtrabhav,” a book by Ravindra Sathe

AI: Code, Control, Conquer

India today stands at a critical juncture in the area of artificial intelligence. While the country is among the fastest adopters of AI in the world, it remains heavily reliant on technologies developed elsewhere. This paradox, experts warn, cannot persist if India seeks technological sovereignty.

RBI pauses to assess inflation risks, policy transmission

The Reserve Bank of India (RBI) has begun the new fiscal year with a calibrated pause, keeping the repo rate unchanged at 5.25 per cent in its April Monetary Policy Committee (MPC) meeting. The decision, taken unanimously, reflects a shift from aggressive policy action to cautious observation after a signi


Archives

Current Issue

Opinion

Facebook Twitter Google Plus Linkedin Subscribe Newsletter

Twitter