New Delhi, Apr 17: As political parties continue to debate the Lokpal Bill, Central Vigilance Commissioner Pradeep Kumar today said it is a "desirable" act to curb corruption.
 "Lokpal is a desirable act and I hope the Parliament will pass it," Kumar said on the sidelines of a conference on government-industry partnership here.
 Asked how many cases pertaining to irregularities in defence deals the CVC has referred to CBI for investigation, he said it acts only when a complaint comes or case is registered. "We have referred some cases relating to defence to the CBI, but I do not know the absolute numbers," Kumar said.
 He said "the decision for procurement is taken by the organisation that does it, but the management is accountable.... Wherever a mistake comes to the notice, action is taken."
 "In defence, nearly Rs 50,000 crore annual capital procurement takes place and an elaborate defence procurement procedure is laid and an integrity pact is also signed. If there is any mistake, it is investigated and the guilty punished. If you remember, action was taken against Ordinance Factory Board chairman and action taken and some companies were also blacklisted," he said.
 On the issue of governance, he called for wider use of technology and lower human interface in dealings to reduce corruption in everyday life.
 The Chief Vigilance Commissioner noted that petty corruption was rampant everywhere from government offices to corporate India and it made services, which were a right for citizens, many times more costly for them.
 Grand corruption on the other hand, he said, manifested itself in big-ticket favouritism in allotment of natural resources to companies which was evident from the recent 2G scam.

Lastupdate on : Tue, 17 Apr 2012 21:30:00 Makkah time
Lastupdate on : Tue, 17 Apr 2012 18:30:00 GMT
Lastupdate on : Wed, 18 Apr 2012 00:00:00 IST