Seminar on “Empowering Citizens to Combat Corruption” begins
Project 'Vigeye' Launched
The Central Vigilance Commissioner, Shri P.J. Thomas has said that the Commission has been continuously working to enhance the standards of vigilance administration and trying to evolve a more preventive, proactive and predictive vigilance regime. He said that efforts at modernising the vigilance framework are underway which include development of new models of preventive vigilance, adoption of risk management approach and aligning the vigilance function with the corporate governance framework.
He was delivering the inaugural address at the Seminar on “Empowering Citizens to Combat Corruption” on the occasion of the International Anti-Corruption Day here today. The Seminar was organized by the Central Vigilance Commission. The co-organizers were United Nations Office of Drugs and Crime(UNODC) and the Steel Authority of India Ltd.(SAIL).
Shri Thomas said that preventive and punitive approaches to addressing corruption need to complement each other. He said that Commission has adapted a strategy of “Leveraging of Technology” and has been persuading the Government to adopt e-governance measures. “The aim is to use technology in activities vulnerable to corruption in order to reduce human intervention”, the CVC added.
Shri Thomas said that the Commission has undertaken an awareness campaign aimed at creating awareness about corruption and inculcating the value of ethics and good governance. The campaign would enable reduce people’s tolerance for corruption.
In order to shape an ethical society, the Commission has recommended to the Government to include education on ethics as part of the school curriculum, Shri Thomas informed.
On this occasion, the Project 'VigEye' was also launched by the Commission. This will provide for a more user-friendly platform for interface between the CVC and the citizens who are harassed by corruption or those who want to disclose information about corrupt activities. ‘VigEye’ an acronym for Vigilance Eye, implies that the citizens would act as the eyes of the Commission in keeping vigil on public affairs. Citizens are encouraged to stand up against corruption by becoming a ‘VigEye’.
Introducing the ‘VigEye’, Shri Srikumar, Vigilance Commissioner said that it will help build up the vision of proactive and predictive vigilance. Project ‘VigEye’ will help to knit India by Team Work where is T is for transparency using technology, E is for empowerment bringing efficiency, A is for accountability through audit trials, M for Mutual cooperation help measurement helping Team India to fight against corruption.
Shri Srikumar said that citizens can use mobile phones and web based technologies to lodge complaints/grievances using mobile phones with a software application specially designed to file complaints. This can be done by registering through CVC website www.cvc.nic.in or by simply sending an SMS.
The advantages of ‘VigEye’ include simplified process of filing complaints and it will provide authentic identity of the complainant. ‘VigEye’ would be completely digitised and it will give online access to vigilance information.
The Session on Engagement of Civil Society in Addressing Corruption was chaired by Shri N.Vittal, former Chief Vigilance Commissioner, who also spoke on the occasion.
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VBA/SR