THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: The Administrative Reforms Commission (ARC) has approved the report recommending government to set up a State Vigilance Commission on the lines of Central Vigilance Commission (CVC) and a CBI model Vigilance and Anti-Corruption Bureau (VACB).
ARC chairman V S Achuthanandan told reporters here, following the commission’s seventh sitting on Monday, an expert committee had drawn up the draft report and commission will submit its first report soon.Achuthanandan said the report will be aimed at making the administrative machinery completely free of corruption.The CPM veteran said the meeting had decided to take up certain relevant issues on priority basis and conduct study.
The issues, include rising crimes against women, lack of waste treatment facilities, new issues plaguing health sector, development approaches which will have environmental fallout, land ownership and implementation, self-financing sector and anomalies in Right to Service Act.Achuthanandan said the list is not final. The commission will examine the scope of inviting public opinion to determine the priority list.
The commission is also thinking of conducting a workshop for officers concerned from various departments to propose suggestions for administrative reforms.
Some of the proposals for Vigilance Commission, include registration of FIR only after proper preliminary investigation and in case of any prima facie case, recommendation to block publishing case details before registration of crime, time bound completion of investigation and prosecution and setting up a Prosecution Directorate. Besides, the ARC has come out with a recommendation akin to the Supreme Court ruling granting sanction for prosecution in cases in which investigation is completed within three months and in case no sanction is given within three months, it will be considered as sanction granted.
The recommendations also include Vigilance Commission supervision for investigations being carried out under the Vigilance Directorate. The maximum time to be given for completing investigation in such cases will be one-and-a-half years. There should be a special committee to appoint Vigilance Commission members and Vigilance Director.