THE Centre’s personnel department DoPT has sought comments as it proposes a policy of foreign training programme for Group “A” officers working in Central Vigilance Commission (CVC) and also as Central Vigilance Officers (CVOs) in various Central public sector enterprises, with an in-built mechanism that the CVC officers or CVOs can’t take up the foreign training programmes if they have of late availed short-term foreign courses under the DFFT scheme. According to the proposed policy, all Group “A” officers working in the Central Vigilance Commission will be…
eligible for the foreign training programme, but officers who have undergone short-term training under DFFT scheme during their tenure in the Commission would not be eligible for consideration under this scheme for a period of two years while working in the Commission. Then again, candidature of officers would not be forwarded for short-term training under DFFT scheme if they had undergone short-term training abroad (other than under DFFT scheme) within a period of two years of their tenure in the Commission, according to an office memorandum issued on August 8 by DoPT.
The new policy also proposes that the CVOs should not have undergone any foreign training under DFFT in the last two years as on April 1 of the year in which training is being organized. The DoPT has given only a week's time for all its stakeholders to submit their suggestions and comments.
DFFT means Domestic Funding of Foreign Training under which IAS, IPS and other other Group "A" officers are eligible to study abroad, the cost of which is being borne by the Central government.
India has a high corruption index in international ranking. It has a highly skilled professional agency like the CBI to investigate corruption cases and take these to logical conclusion.
ReplyDeleteThe following suggestions may be considered as alternative to ‘foreign jaunts’ by bureaucrats. These will eliminate waste of public funds on to-and- fro passage,boarding,lodging etc along with the invisible cost of being away from the headquarter.
(i)Send all CVC group ‘A’ officers and CVOs on short duration courses to CBI for honing their skills;
(ii) Take help of senior retired IPS officers of CBI and DGs of States police forces on usual payment basis. There is no dearth of experienced officers in India familiar with bureaucratic corruption;
(iii)Officers of different organized services join CVC on deputation and get repatriated to their parent cadres on completion of tenures to resume their core duties. They are not re-posted as CVOs. Foreign training is a waste for them;
(iv) As per CVC's annual report,there are 40 Group A officers in position there as against the sanctioned strength of 54.The CVC should not crib about the shortage.Instead, it is expected to reveal the pendencies within its own office as well as with the CVOs. Cases move at snail’s pace due to ineffective monitoring mechanism .
The public is already outraged with the foreign tours undertaken by MLAs of States’ assemblies. All at tax-payers’ cost. .
PM Modi is urged to take the call in public interest.
A K Saxena (A retd civil servant)
http://www.aksaxena.co.in