Thiruvananthapuram: The Fourth Administrative Commission (FAC), which had its first sitting here on Friday, said that a strong and effective Vigilance law was the need of the hour. “We need to think about the creation of an independent investigating agency on the basis of this law,” the three-member Commission headed by V.S. Achuthanandan said in a statement.
The restructuring of the Vigilance system is the fourth item in the terms of reference for the FAC. The Commission said that a system that granted impunity to the corrupt should change.
“A major issue is the absence of a mechanism to confiscate the illegal wealth of those found guilty of corruption,” the Commission noted.
“We will explore various possibilities, including legislation, to seize even property accumulated in the name of benamis,” the statement added. The Commission said that quasi-judicial bodies like Lok Ayukta and Ombudsman, too, would be subject to review.
The Commission members also discussed the need for a State Vigilance Commission on the lines of the Central Vigilance Commission.
The broad areas in which the Commission will work to create a strong vigilance system are: an internal vigilance mechanism for departments, a screening committee for recruiting officers into the Vigilance wing, and a vigilance academy.
“The Commission can begin work only after a detailed analysis of the reports of the former commissions, and understanding the reasons for the failure in the implementation of their recommendations,” the statement said.
“It is well-known that most of the recommendations of former commissions on issues like decentralisation, restructuring of departments, discipline, promotion, the formation of Kerala Administrative Service and posts creation have been implemented either partially or in a superficial manner,” the statement said.
“The transparent and people-centric administrative system, which former commissions have envisaged, have not been fully realised,” it added.
