Centre, states may shed quota power

Feb 12, 2011 |

Correspondent

New Delhi, Feb. 11: The Centre, rattled by a spate of corruption charges against top functionaries, has worked out a comprehensive plan which includes scrapping of the discretionary quotas of Central ministries and state governments.

A Group of Ministers headed by the Union finance minister, Mr Pranab Mukherjee, has listed a few immediate steps to be taken, which sources said would soon be submitted to the government.

Besides scrapping of discretionary quotas over land, appointments and allocations, the GoM may recommend that any officer charged with grave corruption charges be sacked straightaway, and that sanction for prosecution of such officers be decided within three months.

Sources said the arbitrary use of discretionary powers, many loosely defined, is blamed for many high-profile corruption scandals.

The Congress president, Mrs Sonia Gandhi, too had suggested such a measure in her address to the AICC plenary in December last year.

Interestingly, discretionary quotas exist in 38 of the 54 Central ministries. These have often been misused for both political reasons and personal benefit.

Sources also said the Prime Minister, Dr Manmohan Singh, has written to all chief ministers, except for seven states where the institution already exists, suggesting they institute the office of Lok Ayukta.

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