According to the latest annual report of the CVC, the Ministry of Railways tops the list of government departments that did not follow the advice of the Central Vigilance Commission (CVC) against corrupt officials and disposed of cases as per their disciplinary procedures.
In the annual report for 2021 released on Monday, 55 such cases were found in government departments, of which 11 are in railways.
The CVC pointed out that apart from the Railways, Small Industries Development Bank of India (SIDBI), Bank of India, and Delhi Jal Board have four cases each, and Mahanadi Coalfields Limited has defended its employees in three such cases.
The report said two such cases were from the Indian Overseas Bank, Bank of Maharashtra, Madras Fertilizers Limited, Indira Gandhi National Open University, and North Delhi Municipal Corporation (which is now part of the integrated Delhi Municipal Corporation).
In one of the cases mentioned in the report, a chief personnel officer of the Railways had amassed 138 percent more assets than his known sources of income. “The Commission gave its first stage advice on 7th March 2012 to initiate major penalty proceedings against the then Chief Personnel Officer. While advising the second stage, the Commission recommended imposition of penalty under Railway Service (Pension) Rules against him. was advised,” the report said.
The report stated that the disciplinary authority of the Railways – Railway Board (Member Staff) has closed the matter and proceedings against the officer have been closed. “Refusing the advice of the Commission or non-consulting with the Commission affects the vigilance process and undermines the impartiality of the Vigilance Administration,” it said.
In last year’s annual report, the CVC had listed nine such cases from the Railways.
The CVC said some “serious and significant irregularities and lapses” have been noticed in the way the departments deal with the cases. These include failure of the disciplinary authority to follow procedures for consultation with the CVC and/or Department of Personnel and Training in cases of disagreement or delay in seeking advice and lack of awareness or violation of rules.
Another case came to light in SIDBI which resulted in massive financial loss.
The report said that between August 28, 2017, and November 27, 2017, executives working in the bank’s treasury and its management vertical collected over Rs 1,000 crore as fixed deposits in eight branches with two interrelated private financial institutions. Keep it It said, “By placing the amount as a deposit without any quotation for comparison or negotiation of interest rates with the entities, the authorities violated the terms and conditions of the Manual of SOP (Standard Operating Procedure) for Treasury Operations of SIDBI ”
In the financial year 2018, the authorities allowed SIDBI deposits to be kept only with this particular financial institution without considering other available deposit options, the report said. On maturity of the period of deposit, when the bank called for its proceeds, the claims were not honored by the financial institutions despite repeated attempts, it said.
“The commission advised imposition of a huge fine on the two officers involved in the case. The CVC report said that the disciplinary authority “discharged” both the officers of the charges in deviation from the advice of the commission.
