CVC sends 80-plus public views to ministries for systemic changes

New Delhi: In a first such exercise, the Central Vigilance Commission recently sent a list of 80-plus suggestions, gathered from the general public for bringing a “systemic improvement”, to various ministries and departments for possible implementation.

The suggestions include minor administrative and behavioural changes — like government officers not answering phone calls — to major policy shifts like getting each department to conduct inquiries through a third party, linking salary of a government servant to his performance in some way and job rotations at banks to check irregularities. In several cases, corrupt practices in schemes and systems have been red flagged for action.

The vigilance watchdog had, between October 27 and November 14, sought suggestions on “systemic improvements” of government departments as part of its “preventive vigilance” focus, rather than a “punitive vigilance” approach.


The commission has picked out 83 of these suggestions as “doable” and sent to relevant ministries from the departments of financial services and personnel and training, to the ministries of railways, power and telecom. Besides, recommendations have been sent to all ministries.

The CVC has asked the ministries concerned to inform it of the status of implementation or otherwise of the recommendations made.

“The idea is to bring in not only probity and transparency within government departments but also to ensure responsiveness to the public, to the citizen. Several citizens have taken time to give some very significant inputs and these have been sent to the concerned ministries for implementation. Some of these have already been implemented by departments and others are being examined for feasibility,” an official in the know told ET.

There is a significant suggestion pending resolution in the CVC itself, on safeguarding the identity of whistleblowers.

A citizen wrote while the CVC under the Public Interest Disclosure and Protection of Informers Resolution allows for submission of written complaints for disclosure on any allegation of corruption or misuse of office, post offices often do not accept unsigned letters, and this could endanger a whistleblower.