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<ul><li>Panaki Chandra Ghose was just appointed as the chairman of India’s first anti-corruption ombudsman or Lokpal. </li><li>The Lokpal will look into incidents of corruption within the Indian government. </li><li>But the scope of its investigation is limited since it’s not allowed to investigate cases related to foreign affairs, space and defence.</li></ul>India’s first chairman of the Lokpal or anti-corruption ombudsman, Pinaki Chandra Ghose, is going to have his hands full as he takes on his new role. He’s already served as a former Supreme Court judge and is currently a member of the National Human Rights Commission (NHRC). Corruption has been a burgeoning topic in India — especially with Modi’s recent #chowkidar campaign on Twitter — but there’s little to suggest to actual on-ground improvement. According to Transparency International’s Corruption Perception Index (CPI), India’s score only improved by one point between 2017 and 2018. In fact, the global watchdog pegs India as one of the worst <a href="https://www.transparency.org/cpi2018">offenders</a> in the Asia-Pacific region. It’s <a href="https://www.prsindia.org/media/articles-by-prs-team/lokpal-act-3095">unclear</a> whether the Lokpal will be looking into petty corruption or big-ticket corruption as its primary mandate. Deterring the problem from both ends is important in a country like India where, on the one hand, more than 62% of Indians have paid off a public official for a job and, on the other hand, you have the big-ticket scams like the allocation of funds during the Commonwealth Games in 2010. To probe or not to probe? While finally having a Lokpal in place might be good for the general public, one of sectors most vulnerable to corruption — is aerospace and defense and one that the ombudsman can’t touch. According to an Ernst and Young report, aerospace and defence is perceived to be the third most vulnerable sector to corruption. This means that incidents like the Rafale Deal or the BOFORS case — some of the most contentious armed deals in the country — won’t come under the Lokpal’s purview. But, on the other hand, the 2G spectrum case or ‘Coalgate’ — where the allocation of resources came into question — would be incidents that the Lokpal would look into. One of the more recent corruption allegations were actually within India’s Central Bureau of Investigation where Alok Verma, the CBI director and his deputy, Rakesh Asthana both accused the other of being corrupt. Both were, subsequently, asked to resign from their posts at the bureau. The investigation is still pending and several other senior officers have also been put on ‘indefinite leave’ until the matter is sorted. And corruption isn’t limited to India’s borders either. According to the ‘Export Corruption Report’ by Transparency International, India among four countries that has ‘little or no enforcement’ in place to check against against foreign bribery. But, then again, the Lokpal is restricted from looking into incidents of corruption when it comes to foreign affairs. India already has the Central Vigilance Commission to address governmental corruption but even though it’s an autonomous body, it’s not an investigative agency. And, the Prevention of Corruption Act is which aimed at combating corruption in the government has largely been misused due to Section 13(1)d, which allowed honest officials to be prosecuted serving as deterrent to bold decision making.

Here’s what India’s first anti-corruption ombudsman is up against

<ul><li>Pinaki Chandra Ghose has been appointed as the chairman of India’s Lokpal or anti-corruption ombudsman. </li><li>The formation of India’s anti-corruption ombudsman has been pending for the past six years since the <keyword id="446008" type="ORGANIZATION" weightage="20" keywordseo="Lokpal-Bill">Lokpal Bill</keyword> was first passed in 2013. </li><li>The Lokpal has the authority to look into incidents of corruption at all levels of public service, including the Prime Minister. </li></ul>Pinaki Chandra Ghose, former judge at the Indian Supreme Court and a member of the National Human Rights Commission (HRC), has been be appointed as the country’s first anti-corruption ombudsman or chairman of the Lokpal. The formation of a committee that will look into incidents of corruption within the Indian government has been in the works for six years now, since the Lokpal Act was first passed in 2013. It was only in September last year that a selection committee was formed led by Ranjana Prakash, a former Supreme Court Chief Justice, and chaired by India’s current prime minister, Narendra Modi. Even then, the leader of the opposition, Mallikarjun Kharge — who is also a member of the Lokpal — refused to attend the meetings. Not that it hindered the selection process since the Supreme Court’s clarification in 2017 where they ruled that the Leader of the Opposition need not necessarily be present in order for the committee to decide on the appointments for the Lokpal. What exactly is an anti-corruption ombudsman? As per the Lokpal Act, 2013, the anti-corruption ombudsman or Lokpal has the power to investigate any complaint of corruption against any public entity — including the Prime Minister. But, in order to conduct an investigation into the Prime Minister, it must be approved by two-thirds of the committee. It supersedes the authority of any other investigating agency, even the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI). Any officer of the CBI that’s on a case that was assigned by the Lokpal can’t even transfer out without prior approval from the ombudsman. Aside from investigation complaints of corruption, it’s also the Lokpal’s responsibility to make sure that any public officer who is a whistleblower is protected on their watch. <div type="image" title="Lokpal" msid="68491540" hostid="261" caption="&amp;lt;p&amp;gt;Salient features of the Lokpal Act&amp;lt;/p&amp;gt;"></div>

 The idea to put an anti-corruption ombudsman in place was first floated back in 1963 during a parliamentary session when the law ministry’s budget was being discussed. A bill for its formation even reached parliament in 1968 but despite eight attempts — none actually passed. It was only in 2013 that the Lokpal Act finally passed, that too after a nationwide protest led by India Against Corruption — a civil society movement that was led by the activist, Anna Hazare. Six years later, the Supreme Court of India told the Indian government to form a committee to appoint the country’s first Lokpal in January. An NGO called Common Cause even filed a petition and contempt petition in 2014 over the delay. It’s not just the central government of delay that subject to delay. Most states are also yet to appoint Lokayuktas, something that was supposed to be in place within a year of the Lokpal Act kicking in.

India’s gets its first anti-corruption ombudsman

New Delhi, Feb 1 () Anti-corruption ombudsman Lokpal has got Rs 74 crore Budget allocation, whereas a nominal increase has been earmarked for the probity watchdog Central Vigilance Commission (CVC) for 2020-21.
The Lokpal was given Rs 101.29 crore for the ongoing fiscal which has been revised to Rs 18.01 crore.
A total of Rs 74.7 crore has been allocated to the Lokpal for the next fiscal, according to the Union Budget presented on Saturday by Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman.
The provision is for establishment and construction-related expenditure for the Lokpal, which is working from a five-star hotel here.
The anti-corruption ombudsman is functional since March last year with the appointment of its chairperson and eight members. One of its members, Justice (retd) D B Bhosale resigned last month.
The Lokpal and Lokayuktas Act, 2013, provides for the establishment of Lokpal for the Union and Lokayuktas for the states to inquire into allegations of corruption against public functionaries.
The CVC has been allocated Rs 39 crore for 2020-21, up from the revised Rs 36.65 crore for the ongoing fiscal. The provision is for secretariat expenditure of the Commission. AKV DPB

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Here’s what India’s first anti-corruption ombudsman is up against

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India’s gets its first anti-corruption ombudsman

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Lokpal gets Rs 74 crore budget, nominal increase for CVC

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