LG V K Saxena set to launch anti-corruption portal of Delhi govt next week

Lieutenant Governor V K Saxena will launch an anti-corruption portal of the Delhi government next week for registration of complaints and requests for traps to catch the corrupt, according to an official statement issued on Thursday.

The complaints received in physical form will not be accepted by the departments and the directorate after the launch of the portal, the statement said.

The LG will launch the Vigilance Complaint Information Management System (VCIMS) portal on September 21, the statement said, adding it will be a faceless system that will maintain the complainants' secrecy.

Sources in Delhi government alleged that LG office was "bypassing" the elected dispensation in the matter which is "extremely unfortunate".

The portal also has features for lodging complaints against senior government officials by maintaining secrecy and adequate safeguards are there in dealing with such complaints.

The decision to launch the anti-corruption portal was taken after ensuring all safeguards and obtaining requisite permissions from all authorities, including the Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology.

The decision to launch the portal follows the LG's intervention in a meeting on the disposal of corruption complaints, held in May this year, to ensure zero tolerance to corruption.

The online portal will help in speedy action on complaints against corruption with transparency and secrecy, the statement said.

The complainants' identity will be kept secret and they will not require to physically interact with any officer regarding their complaint. The identity of the complainant will be masked and no physical verification will be required, it said.

The complainants will, however, be required to submit an e-undertaking so that they can be prosecuted under Section 182 of the IPC if the information provided by them was found to be false. This will ensure that only genuine complaints are filed on the portal, the statement said.

The portal will help in taking real-time action, especially on complaints that require laying a trap to catch the corrupt.

It will also put an end to anonymous complaints as the system will be completely faceless and no physical verification of the complainant would be required, the statement said.

The Central Vigilance Commission (CVC) has already launched an online complaint management portal in which complaints are registered using PAN and Aadhaar number.

On the VCIMS portal, complaints can be registered through voter identity cards in addition to PAN and Aadhaar number.

The complainants will be required to open an account furnishing their personal details to lodge a complaint through the portal. They will have to provide their Aadhaar number, PAN and voter identity card number during the registration.

A system generated OTP will be received by the complainant on the registered mobile number that will be used to complete registration. The complaint could be in the written form, PDF file or audio and video uploads, the statement added.

The system will send the complaint directly to the heads of departments concerned and a copy of it will also be received in the vigilance directorate that can take up the matter if required, it said.

There is also an option whereby the "trap" complaints are sent directly to the joint commissioner of Anti-Corruption Branch (ACB) with a copy to the vigilance directorate, the statement said.

The complainant's identity would be masked which can be revealed only with the chief secretary's approval for complaints against other officers and of secretary and above level officers.

Revealing of identity will be done only under exceptional circumstances and justified reasons, it added.

Delhi government sources protested the proposed launch of the portal by the lieutenant governor, claiming the Supreme Court has ordered that barring land, law and order, and police all powers reside with the elected government.

Bypassing the elected government is "unconstitutional and undemocratic" and doesn't suit the LG who is a constitutional head, they charged.