- There are certain institutions considered to be mere puppets at the hands of the Central Government even though they are meant to discharge responsibilities independently and without essaying a subservient role to the authorities of the day. General public perception has gained ground that institutions such as the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI), the Central Vigilance Commission (CVC), the Comptroller, and the Auditor General (CAG) are tools of the Union Government unleashed on opposition/criticism emanating from several quarters. It is an open secret that these ostensibly independent agencies are at the mercy of the Central Government willfully carrying out whatever instruction’s forthcoming from the higherups.
PC: Shemin Joy
- If you recollect, no less than the Supreme Court had termed the CBI as the caged parrot for repeatedly failing to live up to its charter of duties as envisaged. No wonder, India’s low-trust environment, and ill-equipped investigation mechanism both of which straitjacket economic policymaking, was in the focus of attention recently in the Supreme Court yet again. Subsequently, the Government of India plans to move a review petition of an apex court judgment of November 2021 directing CBI to file an FIR in the 2002 privatization of Hindustan Zinc. What is unusual to note here is the Government of India’s line of argument claiming that foundation facts presented by CBI were factually incorrect and this was the result of intricate commercial processes being examined by investigating officers.
- Of course, this development encapsulates a core problem holding back policy that major political parties in office tend to support. Relevant to the topic under discussion here, we all know about the announcement made during the last year’s budget to sell the government stake in two public sector banks. Unfortunately, the Parliament was informed now that it is yet to come out with a mechanism to sell two banks. Notably, the quality of work in the abovementioned agencies has sometimes led to delays in action leading to substantial economic costs. The price for it is borne largely by citizens in terms of lost opportunities. Far from satisfactory functioning by the agencies can be gauged in the cancellation of 122 telecom licenses by the Supreme Court in the wake of controversies six years back. Mind you, a CBI court acquitted all the accused and said matters were conjectured.
PC: Murali Krishnan
- Disinvestment efforts of the government have not picked up the pace is stating the obvious. Also, the GOI continues to have a stake in two conflicting roles viz., commercial operations in different sectors and policy-making for the same. Prudency and pragmatic policies demand it to retreat from commercial operations. Sadly, that process is made unduly controversial largely because of the ineptitude of institutions meant to oversee things leading to endless delays. The need of the hour is to move away from this system if we are to make a durable return to a trend of at least 8-9% annual economic growth. For this to fructify, these commercial processes cannot be subject to ham-fisted scrutiny by ill-equipped investigators. It does not harm if these premier institutions adopt modern and scientific methodologies to ensure the logical end to cases of economic importance. The onus is on the government to ensure adequate funds and expertise is made available.
