Watchdog without a pause

SINHA'S HANDLING OF 2G SCAM SETS GOLD STANDARD FOR ADMINISTRATIVE ACCOUNTABILITY

- RISHI RAJ

PRATYUSH SINHA may have retired from civil services in 2006 and ended his term as the Chief Vigilance Officer (CVC) in 2010, but the 1969-batch Indian Administrative Service officer still continues to put in a hectic work day, all of which is pro bono, even now.

The 79-year-old's already considerable workload is set to increase as he will head the six-member committee set up by the Securities and Exchange Board of India (Sebi) to review the provisions related to conflict of interest, disclosures of property, investments, liabilities, and related matters for its board members and officials.

Post his CVC stint, Sinha has been chairing one committee after another, troubleshooting for the government, and in the process delivering actionable measures.

An officer with an impeccable record of integrity and probity in public life, dealing with matters of public policy with an aim to root out corruption comes naturally to him.

His colleagues in the civil service and senior ministers across political parties, vouch for his deep understanding of bureaucracy, policy frameworks, and the mechanisms by which corruption embeds itself in governance.

Therefore, Sebi Chairman Tuhin Kanta Pandey could not have chosen a better candidate to lead this high-stakes initiative.

As CVC, Sinha handled several corruption cases, but the high mark was his handling of the 2G spectrum scam, which set a gold standard for administrative accountability.

Prior to that, he served as secretary (personnel) in the ministry of personnel, public grievances and pensions.