Watch out for 'reckless decisions': CVC to officers

CVC SAYS CIRCULAR WAS ITS EFFORT TO CONSOLIDATE 'ALL THE GUIDELINES/ OFFICE ORDERS ISSUED IN THE PAST' AND ASKED ALL OFFICERS TO TREAD CAREFULLY

- Neeraj Chauhan

NEW DELHI: "Recklessness in decision making"; "exercise of discretion in excess where no public interest is served"; and "failure to keep superiors informed" -- these are among the irregularities that the Central Vigilance Commission (CVC) has asked chief vigilance officers to review, in addition to the usual ones such as demand for bribes, assets disproportionate to known sources of income, and straight misappropriation or cheating.

The circular, issued on May 23 seeks to ensure that this approach does not target officers taking risks or using their discretion in the course of work. It stated that commercial risk taking is a part of business and that not every loss caused to a government organisation, financial or otherwise, needs to be probed. CVC oversees and supervises the vigilance aspect of organisations owned or controlled by the Central government, including state-owned companies, and the circular emphasises the importance of looking at patterns and circumstances "to take a view whether the official's integrity is in doubt". The latest circular aims to provide clarity in corruption cases, and also defines specific acts of banks and insurance companies that merit investigation.