States deflate anti-corruption cell

A year-end analysis of the anti-corruption cell shows that it received 200 complaints from Uttar Pradesh during the Bharatiya Janata Party-Bahujan Samaj Party rule. But the state government failed to take follow-up action on 190. Of the remaining 10, five have since been declared “closed” (by the state) and five stated to be “in process”.

Uttar Pradesh tops the list, Delhi comes second with 90 cases, followed by Punjab (60) and Rajasthan (49). While Delhi is to get back on 70 cases, Punjab has processed only two in four months. Rajasthan has processed just one case, and Bihar has failed to act even on a single complaint out of the 47 it received. Assam, Meghalaya, Manipur and Sikkim are also yet to respond to cases referred to them by the PMO.

Perhaps the only states which have shown some alacrity in responding is Tamil Nadu (13 out of 28) and West Bengal (four out of nine).

Among the ministries, the Ministry of Finance tops the list of cases with 220 followed by the Ministry of Communications with 97 and Railways with 73.Not only does the Ministry of Finance head in the number of cases received but also on the number of cases closed as well as pending. As many as 25 cases have been declared closed by the ministry, 56 are pending and the rest under process’.

The second highest backlog of 46 cases is in the Human Resources Development Ministry which has managed to take action only on 15 cases. The Cabinet Secretariat which received three cases of corruption and embezzlement has failed to take action on any of them.

Explaining the preponderance of cases in the economic ministries, a senior official said: “The number of complaints received as well as disposed of will be higher in such ministries as the complaints are largely about deals not based on merit.”