New CBI post to probe fund misuse in NE
Source: Hueiyen News Service

Imphal, March 26, 2013: Unabated leakage of development funds in the North-east has led the Centre to create a post of Joint Director in the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) exclusively for the North-east region.

One the other hand, Central Vigilance Commission (CVC) is toying with a proposal of setting up a separate wing for the region.

The measures are part of the fresh Central initiatives for putting in place a monitoring mechanism to prevent misuse of Central funds sanctioned for developmental activities in the Northeastern States.

The Department of Personnel and Training (DoPT) under the Prime Minister's Office (PMO) has taken up the proposal for creation of post of Joint Director in CBI exclusively for north-eastern region and the Cabinet had considered the proposal and cleared it.

The DoPT has intimated that a post of Joint Director in the CBI has since been created and the posting of an officer is underway.

In its report to the Parliament, the Standing Committee attached to the Ministry of DoNER has said that it has noted with satisfaction that matter of creation of a separate wing of CVC for the North-east is under examination.

The Parliamentary Panel has recommended that early action may be taken in this regard.

The Ministry of DoNER has reported in its Action Taken Report that the DoPT has intimated that the matter regarding creation of a separate wing of CVC exclusively for the North-east has again been referred to the Central Vigilance Commission for necessary consideration.

It may be recalled here that in 2010, Centre had informed the Parliament that CVC had detected irregularities in three of the five cases of alleged corruption.

CVC had dealt with the five cases of alleged corruption, pertaining to the Ministry of DoNER during 2007-2009. With huge sums of Central funds being pumped into the North-east, the Centre has trained its focus on monitoring and curbing leakages of funds.

The unearthing of the Rs 1,000-crore scam in Dima Hasao district, which was probed by the NIA and CBI separately and reports of development funds reaching the hands of the underground outfits, particularly in the insurgency-affected States of the region, have alarmed Centre.

In connection with the State of Manipur, there have also been numerous cases of scandals involving crores of rupees.

The Loktak Lake scandal is one of them and it has reached the ears of the Central Government.

In addition to this, there are also many complaints about misuse of funds regarding MGNREGS in Manipur.

Any person involved in such scandals can be raided and investigated by the CBI at any given point of time.

However, in a state like Manipur, until and unless the State Cabinet grants its approval, any employee of the State Government cannot be investigated.

As such, the Central Government has expressed its desire to implement the Delhi Special Police Establishment Act in all the North East States so that CBI can investigate any person at its own discretion.

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