GOVERNMENT WILL NOT BRING ANY PRESSURE IN WORKING OF CBI
PRIME MINISTER INAUGURATES CONFERENCE
OF CBI AND STATE ANTI-CORRUPTION BUREAUX
Underlining the need to ensure that
enormous budgetary allocations and non-budgetary spending on various
programmes and schemes at the Centre and States are well spent
for public good, the Prime Minister, Shri Atal Bihari Vajpayee,
reiterated the Government’s commitment towards "zero tolerance
of corruption" and reaffirmed that "the Government shall not bring
any kind of pressure in the working of CBI or any other Constitutional
agency". Inaugurating the Conference of CBI and State Anti-Corruption
Bureaux, here today, the Prime Minister called for an improvement
in the performance of the state-level anti-corruption agencies.
For this, he outlined five important imperatives which are: better
coo-ordination; co-operation and timely exchange of information
among various anti-corruption agencies; honing of skills by CBI
and anti-corruption agencies to catch criminals indulging in large-scale
economic offences including cyber crimes; need for fresh legislative
and administrative initiatives; quick disposal of investigations
and prompt, stern and demonstrable action against wrongdoing within
anti-corruption agencies.
The Prime Minister concluded by summing
up the strategy to combat corruption, which he likened to three
sides of a triangle. "One side is the opportunities for corruption;
these have to be reduced by appropriate policy reforms, laws and
their proper enforcement. The second side of the triangle of corruption
is the freedom from risks; this has to be diminished by improved
functioning of the police; investigating agencies and the judiciary.
The third side is the social acceptance of corruption; this has
to be decreased through citizens’ own action", the Prime Minister
said. The Minister of State for Personnel & Training, Smt.
Vasundhara Raje Scindia and Director, CBI, Shri P.C. Sharma also
spoke at the inaugural session.
The following is the text of the
speech of the Prime Minister on the occasion.
"We have gathered here for an important
conference and I am very pleased to be with you this morning to
inaugurate it.
I join all of you in congratulating
the winners of the President’s Police Medals.
As far as I can gather, this conference
has evoked a lot of public interest. Firstly because anything
associated with the CBI arouses interest. Besides, this conference
also provides a forum to the State anti-corruption agencies for
sharing their experiences.
The focus on it is also enhanced
by the fact that a conference that ought to take place every two
years, is taking place after six years.
So, obviously, you have a packed
agenda. But I need hardly remind you that people’s interest
in the conference comes with people’s heightened expectation
from the conference. At the end of your deliberations, they would
like – and I would like – your assembly to come up with concrete
proposals and initiatives towards a more effective fight against
the menace of corruption.
The CBI Director, in his opening
remarks, has done well to recall what I said on corruption in
my Independence Day speech this year. Let me briefly elaborate
on why I affirmed our Government’s commitment to combat corruption.
Today, India is on the threshold
of a historic transformation. Both the people and the Government
have a shared ambition to make India a Developed Nation in the
shortest possible time, a future in which all our citizens can
live better lives.
For this, we need to speed up our
socio-economic development. We need to ensure that the enormous
budgetary allocations and non-budgetary spending on various programmes
and schemes, at the Centre and in States, are well spent for public
good – and not siphoned off to fatten private pockets. Such corrupt
practices are the chief reason why our developmental efforts have
not yielded desired results. But they pose another danger.
Such private expropriation of public
resources is also a moral hazard to society. For no society can
remain healthy if the good of the collective is undermined by
the greed of a few. Apart from being a foe of development and
of public morality, corruption also endangers good governance.
For its prevalence, if not effectively combated, weakens the people’s
faith in the system. And no system can deliver optimally if it
lacks people’s optimal support and participation.
I would like to quote here from a
consultation paper on "Probity in Governance", which was prepared
by the Commission for the Review of the Working of the Constitution.
"Corruption has flourished
because one does not see adequately successful examples of
effectively prosecuted cases of corruption. Cases, poorly
founded upon; their half-hearted and incomplete investigation;
and a tardy and delayed trial confluence a morally ill-deserved
but legally inevitable acquittal. The acceptance of corruption
as an inexorable reality has led to silent reconciliation
and resignation to such wrongs."
Which is why, I have said that
we shall not tolerate corruption, howsoever highly placed the
offender may be.
The Government shall not bring any
kind of pressure in the working of the CBI or any other Constitutional
agency. This is not an assurance. It is a fact. It is our track
record. Our Government has given the greatest autonomy to investigating
agencies, including the CBI. I would like the State Governments
also to give similar autonomy to their anti-corruption agencies.
However, you will readily agree that,
with autonomy comes greater responsibility and higher accountability.
This leaves no scope for passing the buck or for putting the blame
on others.
Hence, my personal philosophy is
simple: Let each institution in our democracy do the work that
the law earmarks as its domain --
- in proper coordination with other institutions;
- with no interference or pressure from outside;
- with requisite autonomy;
but with full responsibility.
Friends, I compliment the
CBI for its good work and for its continuous efforts to improve
its track record.
The strength of any institution lies
in the trust and credibility it enjoys in the eyes of the people.
By this yardstick, the CBI has much to be proud about. For whenever
there is any case of wrongdoing, we hear a demand from the public
as well as the political establishment for referring the case
to the CBI.
I would like all the officers of
the CBI to work with redoubled dedication and determination to
further strengthen the people’s trust in their agency. I would
also like the State anti-corruption agencies and vigilance officers
in all public undertakings to aspire to earn the same kind of
reputation.
It is especially necessary for State-level
agencies to improve their performance, because they deal with
cases of corruption that directly affect the common man. Precisely
for this reason, their success or failure can influence the people’s
attitude towards the system as a whole. In short, what we need
is a system that can catch the big fish as well as the small fish.
I am, of course, conscious of the
fact that it will not be possible for you to uncover every irregularity.
But you can certainly create, based on a high rate of conviction,
a deterrent impression that irregularities will indeed be uncovered
– that no fish, big or small, can escape your net. It should be
your common aim to ensure that, it is not the criminal but the
crime-busting system that will always have the upper hand. What
we need is a system-wide enhancement of credibility. This will
come with a system-wide augmentation of efficiency and effectiveness.
For this to happen, the system needs to address five important
imperatives.
First, there has to be far better
co-ordination, cooperation and timely exchange of information
among various anti-corruption agencies in the country than is
the case today. This is especially needed in crimes that have
inter-State and international linkages. CBI, being the premier
agency of the Central Government for investigating anti-corruption
cases, is ideally suited to lead this effort.
I am told that some progress has
been made in this regard. This needs to be broadened. Second,
anti-corruption agencies, especially the CBI, should continuously
hone their skills to catch criminals who indulge in large-scale
economic offences. After liberalization of our economy, there
has been a spurt in financial frauds, bank and stock market scams,
money laundering and cyber crimes, running into hundreds and thousands
of crores of rupees. Some of these channels are also used to finance
anti-national and terrorist organizations.
I applaud the greater thrust that
the CBI Director has lately given to training all his officers,
from top to bottom, for more effective investigation of these
crimes. This process of training and continuous learning should
become an integral part of the culture of all the anti-corruption
agencies.
Third, I realize that some fresh
legislative and administrative initiatives are needed to curb
the growth of economic offences. I would like your conference
to make concrete suggestions in this regard. As you are aware,
the draft Money Laundering Bill is already under consideration
in Parliament.
Fourth, the test of systemic effectiveness
lies in quick disposal of investigation. It is not a healthy situation
when cases under investigation drag on for years together. I am
happy to note that the CBI has made some significant strides in
disposal of old cases, and has issued a directive to complete
all investigations within one year. State agencies should emulate
this example.
The test of systemic effectiveness
also lies in a good record of convictions. Although the CBI’s
conviction rate is 70 %, the people are deeply dismayed – and
so I am – that the rate of conviction in non-CBI cases does not
go beyond 5-6%. I would like all of you to do honest introspection
on why this is so.
No doubt, shoddy investigation, leading
to acquittal, is a part of the answer. However, a major part of
the blame lies with our criminal justice system. Its long delays
and arcane procedures inspire little confidence either among the
people or even among investigating agencies. This calls for serious
soul-searching and urgent self-corrective action by the judiciary.
Lastly, you must deal with wrongdoing
within anti-corruption agencies promptly, sternly and demonstrably.
Adherence of our motto of "Zero-Tolerance of Corruption"
must be most visible in your own organizations.
In conclusion, if I were to graphically
sum up our strategy to combat corruption, I would say that corruption
is the area bounded by three sides of a triangle.
One side is the Opportunities for
corruption; these have to be reduced by appropriate policy reforms,
laws, and their proper enforcement. The second side of the Triangle
of Corruption is the Freedom from Risks; this has to be diminished
by improved functioning of the police, investigating agencies,
and the judiciary. The third side is the Social Acceptance of
corruption; this has to be decreased through citizens’ own action.
When all three sides shorten, the
area of corruption will automatically shrink.
With these words, I inaugurate your
conference and wish it all success.
Thank you".
