Delhi LG launches online portal to monitor graft plaints
To be sure, residents must currently submit their complaints of corruption in a physical format to the vigilance department
Lieutenant governor (LG) VK Saxena will soon launch an online portal aimed at addressing and monitoring complaints related to corruption in government departments, officials of the LG secretariat said on Thursday.
Officials said the Vigilance Complaint Information Management System (VCIMS) portal, which will be launched from Raj Niwas on September 21, will help in speedy action and monitoring of corruption complaints which will no longer be accepted in physical forms.
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Every head of department (HOD) can assign complaints to officials in his or her department two rungs below. The complaints may be forwarded by the HOD to the officer concerned for appropriate action. There is a provision of a dashboard which can be accessed only by the LG, chief secretary, chief vigilance officer, and principal secretary/secretary (vigilance).
“There will be no physical interface of the complainant with any officer at any level; and since the identity of the complainant will be masked, there shall be no requirement of physical verification of the complainant’s identity. VCIMS portal will also help in taking real-time action so that corrupt officials can be caught red-handed. The portal was announced after the LG’s intervention in a meeting held in May this year to review handling of complaints against corruption,” said an official from the LG’s office, adding that two training sessions have already been conducted for various HODs.
To be sure, residents must currently submit their complaints of corruption in a physical format to the vigilance department.
Noting that no one from the government — only the LG and senior bureaucrats — have access to the dashboard of the portal, the Delhi government accused the LG of bypassing the elected regime. An official said, “The Supreme Court has ordered that barring land, law and order, and police, all powers reside with the elected government. The GNCTD Act has given some powers to National Capital Civil Services Authority (NCCSA), but even now, the remaining powers are to be exercised by the elected government only. Bypassing the elected government is unconstitutional and undemocratic, and doesn’t suit the LG, who is the Constitutional head.”
Explaining the online process, the official from the LG’s office said that one can file a complaint after registering on the portal in a one-time exercise using either their PAN, Aadhaar or elector photo identification card (EPIC) number. The complainant will then receive a system-generated one-time password (OTP) on their mobile number, and upon entering the OTP, the registration on the portal will be completed.
Thereafter, they can file complaints by writing on the portal or can upload PDF documents, audio or video files of their complaints. Before submission, the complainant will have to submit an undertaking that he or she can be prosecuted for giving false information to a public servant under section 182 of the Indian Penal Code (IPC), the official said.
“Upon receipt of a complaint, the portal will send it directly to the HOD concerned and the copy will be received in the department of vigilance that can also take up the matter,” the official said.
Officials said that the portal will ensure that action takes place in real time, adding that the decision to launch the portal was taken after ensuring all safeguards and obtaining requisite permissions from all authorities including the Union ministry of electronics and information technology.
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Officials said Saxena, in a review meeting, had underlined that the present system suffers from several constraints like large number of pending complaints, staff shortage, and limitations regarding tracking of complainants. The online portal, on the other hand, ensures speedy action in complaint against corruption, quick transfer of the complaint to the office, quick response and disposal, transparency and secrecy, permanent trail of complaint and its disposal and efficient monitoring, they noted.