In a bid to counter the Centre, which since the formation of the Aam Aadmi Party government in Delhi earlier this year has ‘gradually usurped’ its Anti-Corruption Branch (ACB), Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal has decided to strengthen the Directorate of Vigilance (DoV) – a body the Delhi government ‘does not share with the Centre’.
Mr. Kejriwal, at a public event on Friday, is expected to announce steps to increase the manpower, budgetary allocation and, according to sources, even ‘the creation of a dedicated and specialised division within the DoV’ which is tasked with the enforcement of anti-graft laws within the national Capital.
The announcement, according to a source close to Mr. Kejriwal, herald the observance of the Capital’s first-ever Vigilance Awareness week that the Chief Minister will announce at the Delhi Secretariat on Friday.
“All the Principal Secretaries, Secretaries, Heads of Departments, Special Secretaries, Additional. Secretaries, Deputy Secretaries and officials of the Vigilance Units of the Departments and autonomous bodies under the Delhi government have been requested to attend the programme,” a statement related to the announcement read.
Though a senior Delhi government official refused to comment on what sources indicated would be the setting-up of a separate anti-graft cadre under the DoV, the official did admit that the current procedure governing the collection of revenue by various departments was under review and would be ‘modified to plug loopholes providing opportunities for corrupt practices’.
The development comes in the wake of Mr. Kejriwal, in reaction to a recent survey that posited the existence of corrupt practices prevailing at several departments under his nose, writing to each Minister on his cabinet to get their houses in order.
Pinpointing areas of corruption in their ministries and the departments they are responsible for, raised by a recent CMS survey, the Chief Minister had asked all ministers to reply on how they intended to root it out on Wednesday.
The Chief Minster is expected to announce steps to increase the manpower, budgetary allocation and even ‘the creation of a dedicated and specialised division within the DoV’