New Delhi: The government on Thursday denied any role in delay in the appointment of key officials in the prosecution and inspection wings in the office of Lokpal, claiming that hiring is the prerogative of the anti-corruption ombudsman.
Minister of State in the Ministry of Personnel, Public Grievances and Pensions and Minister of State in the Prime Minister’s Office Dr Jitendra Singh said: “As per the provisions of the Lokpal and Lokayuktas Act, 2013, Director of Inquiry and Director of Prosecution are to be appointed by the Lokpal.”
He was responding to a question by Rajya Sabha member A.D. Singh.
Earlier, Chairperson, Lokpal of India, Justice A.M. Khanwilkar said that multipronged strategies have been formulated to strengthen the functioning of the Lokpal, including prioritising the recruitment of personnel with specialised expertise in forensic accounting and cyber investigation to address increasingly sophisticated nature of corruption.
Speaking at the Foundation Day of the Lokpal of India celebrated on January 16 at Manekshaw Centre, Delhi, in the presence of Chief Justice of India Sanjiv Khanna, Justice Khanwilkar said that the emergence of Lokpal of India is “a significant milestone born out of a transformative Civil Society movement demanding an Ombudsman to Combat Corruption”.
The Lokpal of India was established by virtue of coming into force of Section 3 of the Lokpal and Lokayuktas Act, 2013, on January 1, 2014.
He highlighted steps taken to strengthen Lokpal’s functioning including the simplification of process of registering complaints and making it stakeholder friendly, integration of state-of-the-art technology and systems to enhance the efficiency and effectiveness of processes, harnessing Artificial Intelligence applications for efficient data management and analysis.
Justice Khanwilkar also propagated increased collaboration with Anti-Corruption Bureau (CBI), Vigilance Commissions (CVC and CVOs ), other law-enforcing agencies, and the Judiciary, for creating a cohesive and united front in the fight against corruption.
While acknowledging the importance of having an informed populace, Justice Khanwilkar said: “We believe that a society aware of its rights and one which enjoys ease of access to the institution meant to protect them is one step closer to creating an environment that will no longer tolerate corruption”.
Promising a corruption-free Bharat, the Chairperson assured that the Lokpal will continue to expand its reach, improve the processes, and strengthen the public’s trust in the institution.
(IANS)
