Kalam to inaugurate two-day CBI conference

New Delhi, Nov 15: President A P J Abdul Kalam will inaugurate a two-day Conference of the CBI and heads of State Anti-Corruption Bureaux from all over India tomorrow.

The Conference, where chiefs of Anti-Corruption and Vigilance agencies from all 28 States and seven Union Territories and senior CBI officers will participate and discuss the dimensions of corruption in India and strategies to effectively tackle it, aims at strengthening the anti-corruption mechanism in the country.

While Prime Minister Manmohan Singh will deliver the key note address at the Conference and give away the President's Police Medals to CBI officials for distinguished service, Minister of State for Personnel, Pension and Public Grievances Suresh Pachouri will deliver the valedictory address and give the Indian Police Medals for meritorious service and Gold Medal for best Investigating Officer of CBI for the year 2005.

The Biennial Conference, being held on November 16-17, will endeavour to evolve a coordination mechanism between the CBI and State Anti-Corruption Bureaux/Vigilance Bureaux besides providing a platform for the officials engaged in anti-corruption work to share mutually beneficial ideas and deliberate upon strategies to combat corruption in a more professional and effective manner.

In order to absorb technology and modernise itself to meet the new challenges, the Conference would deliberate on the application of modern technology in investigation of corruption cases, as it has been felt that the existing legal mechanism is not adequate to meet the challenges of tackling corrupt officers besides the adequacy of existing laws.

Also, since India has become a signatory to the United Nations Convention Against Corruption, it has become imperative to bring in necessary amendments to the existing Prevention of Corruption Act to meet its obligations and as such the Conference would discuss the issue and offer recommendations.

With an urgent need to adopt proactive approaches to combat corruption due to the growing concerns about the cemented nexus between corruption and other forms of crimes, particularly organised and economic crimes, the Conference would provide a forum for across the board exchange of best practices adopted by various States in tackling it.

UNI