(MENAFN- Kashmir Observer) Vigilance Awareness Week
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In connection with Vigilance Awareness Week (Oct 28th
to Nov 3rd) Chief Minister Omar Abdullah on Monday Oct 28th
2024 administered the integrity pledge to his Cabinet colleagues and Administrative Secretaries. On the sidelines of this programme Omar Abdullah while addressing his cabinet colleagues and administrative secretaries, urged upon them to maintain integrity in public life. The message was strong and its video is circulating on social media. The Chief Minister said:
“As we mark Vigilance Awareness Week from October 28 to November 3, I take great pride in reaffirming our unwavering commitment to a corruption-free Jammu and Kashmir. Eradicating corruption is more than a priority; it is a mission that drives us to introduce bold reforms, strengthen oversight, and empower citizens,” Chief Minister added .
He emphasised the relevance of this year's theme - 'Culture of Integrity for Nation's Prosperity'.
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“Integrity is the cornerstone of any successful nation, and its impact on growth, welfare and progress is undeniable. Upon stepping into office, our newly elected government has made a firm pledge to create a governance system rooted in integrity, fairness, and honesty,” the chief minister said.
The officers stationed at Jammu Secretariat joined the ceremony through video conference
while as Divisional Commissioners, Deputy Commissioners, Heads of Departments, and hundreds of schools participated from their respective district headquarters.
The other Govt departments also organised similar pledge-taking ceremonies for their employees, further demonstrating their commitment to uphold integrity at all levels of public service.
The Chief Minister said his
mission is simple & yet profound which is to serve with honour and ensure that every decision benefits the people. He urged all participants to engage actively in the initiatives organised during this week.
Dearth of Anti Corruption Judges
There are more acquittals and less convictions when it comes to corruption related cases. In 2020, only one person was convicted by the Anti Corruption Court in J&K and was awarded punishment. Last year, this author had obtained some information under the RTI Act 2005 from J&K Anti Corruption Bureau (ACB). There are 11 Anti Corruption Courts in J&K but only two Special Anti Corruption Judges have been appointed in Srinagar and Jammu and rest of the nine courts don't have
designated judges. The Anti Corruption cases in Rajouri,Doda,Udhampur, Kathua, Pulwama, Anantnag and Baramulla are looked after by the judges posted in local District and Sessions court who already have a lot of workload.
Due to the absence of dedicated special anti-corruption judges, the corruption cases filed by ACB in these courts take years to get judgments. Very few convictions are made and even corrupt officers get acquitted in many cases. As per the information sought under RTI, there were only 78 Govt officials convicted in the last 13 years i.e between 2010 to 2023 in J&K. During the same time 156
Govt officials who were accused of corruption by ACB were acquitted by the respective Anti Corruption courts. This means the graph of acquittal is three times more than conviction ? In Special Anti Corruption Court Jammu, 75 accused Govt officials were acquitted and 55 were convicted; in Special Anti Corruption Court Srinagar which includes cases from Budgam and Ganderbal as well, 42 Govt officials were acquitted and only 18 were convicted between 2010-2023.
Ironically, in Rajouri Doda and Kathua, not even a single Govt official has been convicted in the last 13 years by Anti Corruption Judges whereas one each Govt official was acquitted by these three designated courts.
In Pulwama Anti Corruption Court, nine accused officials were acquitted and 2 were convicted. Similarly, in Anantnag, six officials were acquitted and one Govt official was convicted in between 2010-2023. In Baramulla, Anti Corruption Court which includes cases from Kupwara and Bandipora as well, 11 Govt officials accused of corruption by ACB were acquitted and only one official was convicted. This year until October around 20 Govt officials have been arrested by ACB while accepting bribes and out of them 8 officials were arrested from North Kashmir.
Suggestion for CM
Govt departments celebrate and commemorate many international days related to children, health, environment and the likes of it but when it comes to commemorating the days like International Anti Corruption Day , the Govt officials are reluctant. A
majority of Govt officers are unaware as to when the Vigilance Week is to be commemorated or when the Anti Corruption Day is to be held.
As Chief Minister Omar Abdullah seems serious about reducing corruption in J&K, I urge upon him to facilitate the creation of more posts of Anti Corruption Judges so that corruption cases that are pending in courts are disposed of within a short span of time. Infact, the J&K Anti Corruption Bureau is doing its job efficiently but due to lack of designated Judges in eleven
Anti Corruption Courts in J&K, the trial gets delayed.
The government also needs to do a study by hiring young researchers/anti corruption fellows to know why there are so many acquittals vis a vis corruption cases in J&K. If
there are loopholes on part of the prosecution, that also needs to be addressed.
A strong CM's Grievance Cell should be set up which is accessible on all social media platforms & should be headed by a senior officer not below the rank of Secretary to Govt
The Govt must also organise Anti Corruption workshops and seminars in schools and colleges and above all make laws like Right to Information Act and J&K Public Services Guarantee Act (PSGA) more efficient and workable. These laws will help bring down the graph of corruption and make Govt officials more accountable.
In the past 5 years, the bureaucracy has kept these laws in suspended animation. It is ironic that under the Digital India programme people of J&K have been deprived of seeking information through an Online RTI platform. Poor citizens of J&K continue to seek information through obsolete ways by going to Govt offices or sending applications via post.
Conclusion
It is heartening to see CM Omar Abdullah administering the integrity pledge to his cabinet Ministers and senior bureaucrats. The Chief Minister's office needs to move beyond the Integrity Pledge and counter the menace of corruption at all levels. The Speaker of Assembly must also administer this pledge to all the MLAs. Corruption not only impacts people but also undermines merit and good governance. The corruption also
wastes the taxpayers' money and citizens lose the confidence in democratically elected Governments. It is high time for the newly elected Govt to act against Corruption with an iron fist.
Views expressed in the article are the author's own and do not necessarily represent the editorial stance of Kashmir Observer
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