By the Way

Rickety CVC

There is a peculiar problem in the Central Vigilance Commission (CVC) which reports to the government on the “clean” career progress of all government officials. With the increasing size of the economy and the introduction of advanced technology in the government system, the CVC’s job has become difficult. It is interesting to note that the promotions of officers who are handling billion-dollar projects are being cleared by CVC officers, who are not even aware of the enormity of the project and the financial implications of their decisions. The CVC has never hired expertise from outside its domain as it involves the integrity and impartiality of the institution. It has to rely on the Chief Technical Examiner (CTE), those who are middle-ranking officers and sometimes completely unaware of the implications of the work performed by the officers whose files reach their desk for clearance. Surprisingly, these middle-ranking officers are deputed from Income Tax, Indian Railway Engineering Services and PWD. The problem arises when a file for the selection of a PSU Chairman reaches the CTE. The concerned CTE lacks the knowledge and experience to understand the projects handled by a PSU candidate. The bio-data of a selected PSU Chairman is loaded and understanding the work done by them in their previous jobs requires deep knowledge of the domain, which is missing in the CTE. The Examiner may have never dealt with or heard of the technicalities involved in clearing the file but CVC clearance is a must for a government appointment and a PSU job, as it certifies that the officer has not been implicated in any matter in his/her career. Sources say that the CVC is now contemplating hiring only the seniormost retired PSU heads or experts in the domain as the CTE. The only issue yet to be resolved is the fee structure of the experts. Let us see when the CVC comes out from the woodwork and expedites the clearing process transparently.

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