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- The Central Vigilance Commission (CVC) has revised the Standard Operating Procedure (SOP) for adopting and implementing the Integrity Pact.
What is Integrity Pact?
- The ‘Integrity Pact’ envisages an agreement between the prospective vendors/bidders and the buyer, committing persons and officials of both sides to not resort to any corrupt practices in any aspect or stage of the contract.
- Any violation of the clause entails the disqualification of bidders and exclusion from future business dealings.
- The pact also ensures transparency, equity and competitiveness in public procurement.
Independent External Monitors (IEMS)
- The changes are expected to provide a larger pool of Independent External Monitors (IEMS) for examining government contracts.
- IEMs are appointed by the apex vigilance body to look into issues relating to the execution of the contract(s) and any irregularities.
Standard Operating Procedure (SOP) Revision
- IEMs will only be picked from a panel of eminent persons/officers who have held the post of additional secretary or equivalent or any other position at a higher pay scale in the government of India at the time of retirement.
- Existing rules, issued in June 2021, only considered officials at the rank of secretary to the government of India, chief secretaries in the states or officials at equivalent pay scale at the time of retirement.
- This change will provide a larger pool of officers retired from various government departments who can be appointed IEMs in case there is a shortage of officers.
- The latest SOP has also removed retired director generals of police from the list of eminent persons to be considered for IEMs.
- For retired armed officers, too, only those officers equivalent to the ranks of additional secretaries or higher in the government of India will now be eligible to become IEMs.
- Earlier, this was allowed only for officers on the apex pay scale.
- For retired armed officers, too, only those officers equivalent to the ranks of additional secretaries or higher in the government of India will now be eligible to become IEMs.
- Persons who have held the post of CMD/MD or CEO of public sector banks, insurance companies, and other state-owned financial institutions at the time of retirement will continue to be included in the list of IEMs.
Central Vigilance Commission (CVC)
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Source: TH
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