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Norms for employing retired officials defined

Topics Covered: Statutory, regulatory and various quasi-judicial bodies.

Norms for employing retired officials defined:

Context:

The Central Vigilance Commission (CVC) has laid down a defined procedure to be followed by government organisations for getting vigilance clearance before employing a retired official on a contractual or consultancy basis.

As per the procedure:

  1. Applicability: Before offering employment to retired All India Services and Group A officers of the Central government or their equivalent in other organisations owned or controlled by the Centre, vigilance clearance from the employer organisation, from which the officer has retired, should be obtained.
  2. In case a retired officer served in more than one organisation, clearance has to be obtained from all of them where the person was posted in the 10 years prior to retirement.
  3. A communication seeking clearance should also be sent to the CVC. If no reply is received from the erstwhile employer (s) within 15 days of sending the communication by speed post, a reminder can be sent. If there is no response within 21 days, vigilance clearance should be deemed to have been given.
  4. If the employee is found involved in any vigilance-related matter or not cleared from the vigilance point of view, the erstwhile employer organisation would be responsible for all consequential actions.

Need for these rules:

The absence of a uniform procedure sometimes led to a situation where officials with tainted past or cases pending against them were engaged.

  • Such a situation not only leads to unnecessary complaints/allegations of favouritism, but is also against the tenets of fairness and probity which is the basic principle governing the functioning of government organisations.

 About CVC:

  • The CVC was set up by the Government in February, 1964 on the recommendations of the Committee on Prevention of Corruption, headed by Shri K. Santhanam.
  • In 2003, the Parliament enacted CVC Act conferring statutory status on the CVC.
  • The CVC is not controlled by any Ministry/Department. It is an independent body which is only responsible to the Parliament.
  • It submits its report to the President of India.
  • It exercises superintendence over the functioning of the Delhi Special Police Establishment (CBI) insofar as it relates to the investigation of offences under the Prevention of Corruption Act, 1988.

 

Read more about CVC- composition and removal of members here : Read here

 

Insta Curious:

Do you know, Vigilance Awareness Week (VAW)  is being celebrated every year during the last week of October and coincides with the birthday of Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel, known to be a man of high integrity? Read Here (Know the themes of VAW of recent years)

 

InstaLinks:

Prelims Link:

  1. About CVC.
  2. Appointment.
  3. Removal.
  4. Powers and functions.
  5. Reports.
  6. Latest guidelines on appointment of retired governement officials.

Mains Link:

Discuss the roles and functions of CVC.

Sources: the Hindu.