Government keen to get three anti-graft bills passed in winter session

NEW DELHI: Union minister of state for personnel Jitendra Singh has said the NDA government is keen to get three anti-corruption bills—amendments in the Whistle Blowers Protection Act, Prevention of Corruption Act and Lokpal—passed in the winter session of Parliament starting November 26.

Speaking at the annual CBI meet on Thursday, Singh also said the government is committed to ensure independence of CBI.

CBI director Anil Sinha said there are many hurdles in recovery of the proceeds of crime in corruption cases. “This requires acquisition of new capabilities by law enforcement and also reviewing the existing Standard Operating Procedures,” he said at the conclusion of two days of anticorruption conference.

To overcome the handicap of lack of access to data with the bank, Sinha said it has been agreed that access to such information will be provided to anti-corruption agencies, both at the state and at the central level. The government has also cleared a proposal of CBI to establish an Int’l Centre of Excellence in Investigation at Ghaziabad.