Vigilance Functions in SECI

SECI has vigilance department to ensure transparency, efficiency and integrity and adoption of best corporate practices in the working of organization. It seeks to promote the highest ethical standards in the organization.

The Vigilance Department plays an advisory role to the top management in matters pertaining to vigilance. The Department ensures implementation of laid down guidelines/procedures through preventive checks of tenders and contracts, execution of works, and other functions as well as carries out investigations into complaints. The department’s activities apart from investigation of complaints, ensures compliance to various regulations and guidelines as defined by CVC / Ministry of New and Renewable Energy/any other Regulatory and Statutory requirements. The department initiates proactive steps to ensure ethical work practices across the company. Along with the reactive and punitive response, the department takes preventive and reformative measures in improving the system in the organization.

As per the provision of Integrity Pact and relevant guidelines of Central Vigilance Commission, 02 numbers of Independent External Monitor (IEM) have also been appointed to examine complaints from the bidder and give their report to the Chief Executive of the organization and also to monitor compliance of the integrity pact. Vigilance strives to achieve its objective of promoting an impartial, fearless, and transparent environment in the functioning of the organisation by taking steps to prevent unethical practices.

The Role of Vigilance can be broadly divided into following heads:

Proactive Vigilance

It is creating awareness and educating all the employees on anti-corruption measures, simplification of rules and procedures, plugging loop holes in the system. To conduct Vigilance awareness programme to educate all to take clean, honest, effective and transparent decisions.

Preventive Vigilance

It plays an important role in strengthening the vigilance set up of any organization. Preventive vigilance sets up procedures and systems to restrain the acts of wrong doing and misconduct in the various areas of the functioning of the department.

Predictive Vigilance

It enables foreseeing in activity prejudicial to the interests of the organization and suggesting in advance corrective measures to be taken by the management against acts of misconduct, corruption, lapses.

Detective Vigilance

• Effective use and scan of Complaints, Inspection Reports, Audit Reports, Press Reports, Judicial Remarks, Information source.
• Detection of Corrupt practices, Malpractices, Negligence, Misconduct
• Surveillance of public contact points, Close watch on officers at sensitive posts of doubtful integrity.
• Scrutiny of decisions taken by officials having discretionary powers

Punitive Vigilance

It includes investigation and collection of evidence and speedy departmental inquiries. Swift and deterrent action against the real culprits.

Corrective Vigilance

It includes analysis of results of detective vigilance and exploration of the reasons and contributory factors, finding solutions to stop recurrence and activate alarm signals, updating the practices/ procedures to keep pace with times.

Vigilance Activities

• Preparation of list of officers of doubtful integrity
• Preparation of “Agreed list” of officers
• Scrutiny of returns on immovable / movable assets
• Monitoring rotation of staff in sensitive areas
• To scrutinise on a continuous basis, complaints and grievances received by other divisions / units in the Organisation;
• Review of procurement of materials and service contracts
• Surprise inspections
• Undertaking CTE type inspections & Scrutiny of audit reports
• Follow-up of CVC’s instructions
• Submitting Monthly/Quarterly & Annual Reports to CVC and MoM
• Observance of Vigilance Awareness Week 
• In-house training to line managers on various aspects of preventive vigilance
• To develop and implement an effective Whistle Blower mechanism 
• To leverage technology for making preventive vigilance function effective
• To scrutinise (a) Internal auditor’s reports, (b) Statutory auditor’s report (c) CAG audit report
• To see that proper assistance is given to the agencies in the investigation of cases entrusted to them or started by them on their own source information
• To review from time to time the existing arrangements for vigilance work in the Ministry / Department, to see if the work of subordinate officers is adequate and to ensure expeditious and effective disposal of vigilance work
• To review pendency of references received from Commission

Role and Functions of Chief Vigilance Officer (CVO)

The Head of the Vigilance Department in SECI is Chief Vigilance Officer. The Chief Vigilance Officer (CVO) heads the Vigilance Division of the organization concerned and acts as an advisor to the chief executive in all matters pertaining to vigilance. CVO also provides a link between the organization and the Central Vigilance Commission on one hand and the organization & the Central Bureau of Investigation on the other. Vigilance functions to be performed by the CVO are of wide sweep and include

• collecting intelligence about the corrupt practices committed, or likely to be committed by the employees of the organization;
• investigating or causing an investigation to be made into verifiable allegations reported to him;
• processing investigation reports for further consideration of the disciplinary authority concerned;
• referring the matters to the Commission for advice wherever necessary; taking steps to prevent improper practices or commission of misconducts;
• Examining audit, inspection and other reports from the point of vigilance angle, etc. Thus, the CVO’s functions can be broadly divided into three categories, viz.

(i) Preventive Vigilance;

(ii) Punitive or reactive Vigilance;

(iii) Surveillance & detective Vigilance.

Even though detection and punishment of corruption and other malpractices are certainly important, what is more important is taking preventive measures instead of hunting for the guilty in the post corruption stage. Therefore, the role and functions of CVOs has been broadly divided in to two parts, which are (i) Preventive and (ii) Punitive.