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Prime Minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee on Monday stressed the government would not exert pressure on any constitutional body or the Central Bureau of Investigation.
Inaugurating a two-day conference of the CBI and state anti-corruption bureaux, Vajpayee pointed out, "This is not an assurance. It is a fact. It is our track record."
Referring to the need to speed up socio-economic development, Vajpayee pointed out that government allocation had to be well spent "and not siphoned off to fatten private pockets."
Corrupt practices were mainly responsible for the country's developmental efforts not yielding desired results, the prime minister contended, adding that expropriation of public resources and the greed of a few undermined the good of the collective.
Vajpayee said the government had accorded the 'greatest autonomy' to investigating agencies, including the CBI, and emphasized that he would like the states to follow suit regarding their anti-corruption agencies.
Contending that the strength of the institution lay in the trust and credibility it enjoyed in the people's eyes, the prime minister said that by this yardstick, "the CBI has much to be proud about."
"Whenever there is any wrongdoing, we hear a demand from the public and the political establishment of referring the case to the CBI," he said amid applause from the gathering.
He said it was necessary for state-level anti-corruption agencies and vigilance officers in all public sector undertakings to aspire to earn the same reputation.
Vajpayee, however, pointed out, "I am, of course, conscious that it will not be possible for you to uncover every irregularity. But you can certainly create, based on a high rate of conviction, a deterrent impression that irregularities needed to be uncovered -- that no fish, big or small, can escape your net."
Stressing the need for a system-wide augmentation of efficiency and effectiveness, he said the CBI had to address five imperatives.
Firstly, there had to be far better cooperation and coordination and timely exchange of information among various anti-corruption agencies in the country. This was specially needed in crimes that had inter-state and international links.
Secondly, Vajpayee pointed out, anti-corruption agencies should continuously hone their skills to catch those who indulged in large economic offences.
He pointed out that following the economy liberalisation, there had been a spurt in financial frauds, bank and stock market scams, money laundering and cyber crimes, running into crores of rupees. Some of these channels were used to finance anti-national and terrorist organisations, the prime minister said.
Thirdly, fresh legislative and administrative initiatives were needed to curb the growth of economic offences.
Fourthly, he said that the test of systemic effectiveness was in the quick disposal of cases.
"It is not a healthy situation when cases under investigation drag on for years," the prime minister pointed out.
Vajpayee expressed dismay that the rate of conviction in cases not handled by the CBI was 5-6 per cent, while the CBI's conviction rate was 70 per cent.
Finally, he exhorted the CBI to deal with wrongdoing within anti-corruption agencies promptly, sternly and demonstrably. "Adherence to the motto of zero tolerance of corruption must be most visible in your organisations," Vajpayee said.
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