New Delhi [India], December 9 (ANI): The government, since 2014, expeditiously put in place significant legal provisions to support the zero-tolerance policy against corruption, Principal Secretary to the Prime Minister, PK Mishra said on Friday.
"Since 2014, when the country decided to make a major change and to move in a new direction, the government expeditiously put in place significant legal provisions to support the policy of zero tolerance against corruption. A Special Investigation Team (SIT) was constituted on Black Money. The Government enacted a comprehensive and a more stringent new law, namely, the Black Money (Undisclosed Foreign Income and Assets) and Imposition of Tax Act, 2015," Mishra said on the occasion of International Anti-Corruption Day-2022 and Investiture ceremony organized by Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) in New Delhi.
He also stated that since economic liberalisation, the nature of corruption has become more complex.
He further said technological developments, while giving opportunities to prevent corruption, have also made it difficult to trace corruption, particularly in areas like cryptocurrency.
"The impact of corruption is especially heavy on common citizens, even more on poorer and vulnerable persons in communities. Corruption encourages dysfunctionality in government and perpetrates economic inefficiency and can be a serious threat to national security," he noted.
"The Benami Transactions (Prohibition) Amendment Act 2016, which empowers the competent authorities to attach and confiscate benami properties," he further said.
Mishra delivered a keynote address on "Anti-Corruption efforts-A sine qua non for Development and Security" and presented Police Medals for Meritorious Service to 34 CBI officers.
Mishra also congratulated the medal winners and their families.
Calling for real-time information sharing between law enforcement agencies, he said that the country is ready to play an active role in fighting various types of crimes with cross-border linkages including financial crimes.
Mishra said that corruption, whether small or big, undermines the rights of someone or the other, he said, as he underlined the need for all countries to move together in fighting corruption.
He also said that India is ready to cooperate with other countries and agencies.
He complimented law enforcement agencies saying that our enforcement agencies like CBI have done a great deal in their endeavour to reduce corruption.
Mishra also said that CBI has been doing well in its efforts towards effectively removing corruption by ensuring that the conviction rate is at a record level.
On October 31, 2003, the UN General Assembly adopted the United Nations Convention against Corruption. The Assembly also designated December 9 as International Anti-Corruption Day, to raise awareness of corruption and of the role of the Convention in combating and preventing it.
The 2022 International Anti-Corruption Day also marks the beginning of the twentieth anniversary of the UN Convention Against Corruption - UNCAC. This is reflected by the theme of this year's international day, "UNCAC at 20: Uniting the World Against Corruption".
The event was also attended by CVC, Vigilance Commissioners; Member Lokpal; Chairman, UPSC; Senior officers from the Government of India; Senior police officers including DGs of CPOs & Law Enforcement Agencies; International Police Liaison officers from various Embassies and other officers. The event was also joined virtually by all the CBI branches across the country. (ANI)