CVC directs depts to keep eye on ‘officers of doubtful integrity’

A drafting committee, headed by chief vigilance commissioner Suresh N Patel and assisted by CBI special director Praveen Sinha, made public the updates earlier this week.

Updating its manual after a gap of four years, the Central Vigilance Commission (CVC) has directed government departments and administrations to prepare a list of “unscrupulous contractors, suppliers, firms and clearing agents” suspected of indulging in corrupt practices and share the names with the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI). On its part, the central anti-corruption probe agency will also pass information pertaining to any corrupt practices by contractors and agents to the concerned departments.

The updated CVC manual is the eighth since 1968, and is a compilation of various rules, instructions and guidelines issued from time to time. (Livemint File Photo)

A drafting committee, headed by chief vigilance commissioner Suresh N Patel and assisted by CBI special director Praveen Sinha, made public the updates earlier this week.

The updated CVC manual is the eighth since 1968, and is a compilation of various rules, instructions and guidelines issued from time to time. It acts as a guidebook for government departments and enforcement agencies in vigilance matters.

For the first time, the CVC has included in its manual the mode of keeping a secret watch on “gazetted officers of doubtful integrity (ODI)” in the “Agreed List”. An “Agreed List” is prepared by concerned government departments in consultation with the CBI.

Similarly, the CVC has explained the procedure for adding or deleting names from the list of gazetted ODI, as well as the list of undesirable contact men (UCM), prepared by the CBI, who are suspected of resorting to corrupt or irregular practices in their dealings with official agencies. Another key addition in the latest document is preparing an “Agreed List of Points and Places of Corruption”, which will be prepared by the CBI after discussion with the concerned head of department or chief vigilance officers (CVOs) at its local offices in the beginning of the calendar year.