Govt depts under lens as CBI conducts ‘surprise checks’

Railways, central public works department, customs, health care organisations and the Airports Authority of India are among other government departments that are under CBI’s scanner, the officials said.

The Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) conducted surprise checks at more than 150 locations in the country on Friday in a drive aimed at taking forward Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s message of ease of living, officials said.

The special drive was conducted in coordination with vigilance teams of departments concerned primarily at such points where common people or small businessmen feel the maximum pinch of corruption in the government machinery. (HT FILE)

Railways, central public works department, customs, health care organisations and the Airports Authority of India are among other government departments that are under CBI’s scanner, the officials said. The special drive was conducted in coordination with vigilance teams of departments concerned primarily at such points where common people or small businessmen feel the maximum pinch of corruption in the government machinery, a CBI spokesperson said.

Cities in which these checks were conducted include Srinagar, Delhi, Jaipur, Guwahati, Chandigarh, Chennai, Kolkata, Hyderabad, Bangaluru, Mumbai, Gandhinagar, Bhopal, Patna, Ranchi, Ghaziabad, Dehradun, Lucknow, Vadodara and Ahmedabad.

“The drive will sensitise all stake holders about possible avenues of corruption and the difficulties common people face while seeking services from such departments. The checks also strive to identify and highlight points and places which are vulnerable to corruption and would ensure that possibility of corruption is minimised,” the CBI spokesperson said.

Officials said the ongoing checks will be followed by an extensive campaign by the CBI to make common citizens aware of how they can reach out to government departments and redress their complaints.

Other departments and organisations that are under scanner include coal mines and coal fields, Food Corporation of India, power department, municipal corporations, transport department, directorate of estates, fire services, sub-registrar offices, industries department, GST department, ports trust, national highways, public sector oil companies, public sector banks and the Archeological Survey of India.

The Prime Minister in his Independence Day speech had said that he wanted to ensure ease of living for the people and make it easier for doing business in India.

In June, the Prime Minister interacted with secretaries of all central ministries and had asked them to make ‘ease of living’ for the common man their topmost priority.