New Delhi, November 11, 2013: The Prime Minister Dr.Manmohan Singh today said that the government will “seriously and promptly” look into the question of the legality of CBI and assured that “it will do all that is necessary to establish the need of CBI and its legitimacy and protects its past and future work”.
Inaugurating the three-day International Conference on Evolving Common Strategies to Combat Corruption and Crime (XXth Conference of CBI and State Anti-Corruption Bureaux), Prime Minister while linking the increase in economic growth with that of the rise in corruption, said that police and investigative agencies should distinguish between intent of malafide and error of judgment by the executive. He underlined the fact that policy making is a multi-layered & complex process and called upon the need to draw a line of confidence between police and investigative agencies on one hand and honest executive functionaries on the other.
Prime Minister also spoke of looking at the issues of corruption in its correct perspective and said that while utmost vigilance is required in preventing corruption , it is also important to ensure transparency, accountability and probity in public life so that the work of nation building goes on at a quick pace.
Touching on the question of autonomy in investigation to the police agencies, Dr. Singh said that it is already guaranteed and if more needs to be done to further insulate the investigative process from external interference; the government will not hesitate to do it. Prime Minister also lamented that the debate of autonomy has acquired political overtone and termed it as ‘unfortunate’.
The Prime Minister lauded the initiative of the CBI for considering to set up a Centre of Excellence that will build knowledge partnerships with leading national and international institutions in the fields of investigation, prosecution, technology, forensics and management.
Prime Minister Dr.Mannmohan Singh also complimented the CBI for its achievement and said that though it was conceived as an anti-corruption agency, it has consistently been asked to investigate complex crimes as well, particularly those which have national or inter-state ramifications. He said that the agency has contributed significantly to the efforts to contain and punish cases of corruption and other serious crimes.
To mark the Golden Jubilee celebrations of the premier investigating agency, the Prime Minister also released a special commemorative postage stamp on CBI.
Speaking on the occasion, Union Minister of State(PMO and Personnel, PG & Pension) V. Narayanasamy said that the government has taken various measures to make CBI a modern and efficient organisation which includes improvement in training; infrastructure; housing; improved conditions of work and employment of staff of the CBI. He further stated that efforts are on to equip the anti corruption agencies with modern techniques, equipments and forensic science laboratories for enhancing their investigative capacity.
Narayanasamy also spoke of cooperation among Central and State level anti corruption agencies as well as international agencies in fight against corruption.
Delivering the Keynote address on the opening day of the Conference, Kapil Sibal, Union Minister of Communication & IT said the Anti corruption agencies need to build better understanding of the nuances of policy implementation and decision making. He said that there is scope for law enforcement agencies to better understand the challenges involved in trans-national anti corruption investigations and improve their capacities through sharing of best practices and developing standardized protocols.
Ranjit Sinha, Director CBI in his welcome address spoke of the future role of CBI is to reinvent the organization by absorbing knowledge across all areas of law enforcement. He said that CBI has conceptualized the building of a “Centre of Excellence” that will become the fulcrum of our organizational renewal and change. He highlighted that CBI has recently entered into a Memorandum of Understanding with the National Law School of India University, Bangalore for establishing a dedicated “CBI Chair in Law Enforcement” to strengthen CBI’s training, research and capacity building in areas of Law, Investigation and Prosecution. Further, he also informed the august gathering that CBI is in advanced stages of finalizing an institutional partnership with the IIM, Bangalore to modernize the existing management architecture and processes. Similar agreements are underway with the National Institute of Mental Health and Neurological Sciences, Bangalore for Interactive partnership in forensic psychiatry and development of scientific interrogation techniques, Sinha stated.
On this occasion the Prime Minister also gave away Presidents Police Medal for Distinguished Service to six CBI Officers namely, L.M. Manjhi, SP, CBI, ACB Chattisgarh (Bhillai); M.S. Hazari, Addl SP, CBI, BS & FC, Kolkata; D.S.Dagar, Addl. SP, CBI, STF, New Delhi; V.Ashok Kumar, Addl. SP, CBI SU, Chennai; S.K.Tripathi, DSP, CBI, ACB, Kolkata and Dilip Chakraborty, Inspector, CBI, EOW, Kolkata.
Date:
Monday, November 11, 2013