Lok Sabha Question No. 1472 (UNSTARRED), answered on 2024-12-04
Subject: Whistle Blowers Protection (Amendment) Bill, 2015
Ministry: PERSONNEL, PUBLIC GRIEVANCES AND PENSIONS
Asked by: Shri Matheswaran V S

## GOVERNMENT OF INDIA

## MINISTRY OF PERSONNEL, PUBLIC GRIEVANCES AND PENSIONS (DEPARTMENT OF PERSONNEL & TRAINING)

## LOK SABHA

## UNSTARRED QUESTION NO. 1472

(TO BE ANSWERED ON 04.12.2024)

## WHISTLE BLOWERS PROTECTION (AMENDMENT) BILL, 2015

## 1472. SHRI MATHESWARAN V S:

Will the PRIME MINISTER be pleased to state:

- (a) whether the Government is planning to re-introduce Whistle Blowers Protection (Amendment) Bill, 2015 and if so, the time by when it is likely to be reintroduced; and
- (b) the details of the number of complaints or any allegation of corruption received against Group A officials of Union Government by Central Vigilance Commission since 01.01.2019 to till date along with the status of those complaints?

## ANSWER

## MINISTER OF STATE IN THE MINISTRY OF PERSONNEL, PUBLIC GRIEVANCES AND PENSIONS AND MINISTER OF STATE IN THE PRIME MINISTER'S OFFICE (DR. JITENDRA SINGH)

- (a): The Whistle Blowers Protection Act, 2014 (No.17 of 2014) has been notified on 12th May 2014. In terms of provision of sub-section (3) of section 1 of the Act, the provisions of the Act shall come into force on  such  date  as  the  Central  Government  may,  by  notification  in  the  Official  Gazette,  appoint.  No  such notification  has  been made by the Government for the reason that the Act requires amendments aimed at safeguarding against disclosures affecting sovereignty and integrity of India, security of the State, etc., before it  is  brought  into  force.  To  make  these  amendments  to  the  Act,  the  Government  introduced  the  Whistle Blowers Protection (Amendment) Bill, 2015 in the Lok Sabha on 11th May 2015 which was passed by the Lok  Sabha  on  13th  May  2015  and  transmitted  to  the  Rajya  Sabha.  The  Bill  has  since  lapsed  upon  the dissolution of the Sixteenth Lok Sabha. The Whistle Blowers Protection (Amendment) Bill is not part of the approved Government legislative business of the current session of the Parliament.
- (b): Central Vigilance Commission, under the provisions contained in Section 8(1) (c) & (d) read with Section 8(2) (a) & (b) of Central Vigilance Commission Act, 2003 receives complaints from various sources. On scrutiny of such complaints, appropriate action is taken  in accordance with the Commission's Complaint Handling Policy. The number of such complaints received in the Commission during the period 01.01.2019 to 31.10.2024 (year-wise) and action taken thereon, is indicated in the table given in Annexure-1.

In addition, the Commission also receives and acts on complaints from Whistle Blowers, as under the Public  Interest  Disclosure  and  Protection  of  Informers  Resolution  (PIDPIR),  the  Commission  is  the 'Designated Agency' to receive complaints from Whistle Blowers. The year-wise details of such complaints received under Public Interest Disclosure and Protection of Informers Resolution (PIDPIR) and action taken thereon, is given in Annexure-2.

The complaints received in the Commission include complaints against all levels of officers / officials belonging to Central Government ministries / departments/ organizations. In addition, the Commission also receives complaints against officials / organizations belonging to State Governments, private organizations and their employees, etc. Since no separate data is being maintained in respect of complaints received against Group  A  officers  of  Union  Government,  the  figures  in  the  table  indicate  the  position  in  respect  of  all complaints received in the Commission during 01.01.2019 to 31.10.2024.

The number of complaints received and disposed of by the Commission during the period 01.01.2019 to  31.10.2024 are as under:-

| Complaints Received and action taken                                                 |   No. of complaints |   No. of complaints |   No. of complaints |   No. of complaints |   No. of complaints | No. of complaints      |
|--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------|---------------------|---------------------|---------------------|---------------------|---------------------|------------------------|
| Complaints Received and action taken                                                 |                2019 |                2020 |                2021 |                2022 |                2023 | 2024 (till 31.10.2024) |
| Number of complaints pending (Brought Forward from previous year)                    |                3070 |                 836 |                1723 |                1077 |                 698 | 1889                   |
| Number of complaints received during the year                                        |               32579 |               26199 |               24680 |               21723 |               27900 | 24689                  |
| Total number of complaints                                                           |               35649 |               27035 |               26403 |               22800 |               28598 | 26578                  |
| Total number of complaints disposed of                                               |               34813 |               25312 |               25326 |               22102 |               26709 | 25069                  |
| (a) Anonymous/Pseudonymous (Filed)                                                   |                6975 |                6595 |                7638 |                2085 |                2214 | 1249                   |
| (b) Vague/Unverifiable (Filed)                                                       |                7425 |                3886 |                2875 |                4168 |                8361 | 9213                   |
| (c) Officials not under CVC Jurisdiction/Grievances (Forwarded for necessary action) |               20078 |               14752 |               14650 |               15695 |               15907 | 14366                  |
| (d) Sent for inquiry/investigation to CVO/CBI                                        |                 335 |                  79 |                 163 |                 154 |                 227 | 241                    |
| Number of complaints pending (Carried Forward to next year)                          |                 836 |                1723 |                1077 |                 698 |                1889 | ---                    |

The number of complaints received and disposed of by the Commission under Public Interest Disclosure and Protection of Informers Resolution during the period i.e, 01.01.2019 to 31.10.2024 is as under (Commission is designated agency to receive and act on complaints lodged by whistle blowers) :-

|                                                                                  |   No. of Complaints |   No. of Complaints |   No. of Complaints |   No. of Complaints |   No. of Complaints | No. of Complaints      |
|----------------------------------------------------------------------------------|---------------------|---------------------|---------------------|---------------------|---------------------|------------------------|
| Complaints Received and action taken                                             |                2019 |                2020 |                2021 |                2022 |                2023 | 2024 (till 31.10.2024) |
| Number of complaints pending (Brought Forward from previous year)                |                  29 |                  75 |                  35 |                   5 |                  20 | 63                     |
| No. of complaints received during the year                                       |                 870 |                 480 |                1022 |                1902 |                2010 | 1948                   |
| Total number of complaints                                                       |                 899 |                 555 |                1057 |                1907 |                2030 | 2011                   |
| Total number of complaints disposed                                              |                 824 |                 520 |                1052 |                1887 |                1967 | 2011                   |
| (a) No. of complaints filed                                                      |                 434 |                 207 |                 429 |                1339 |                1359 | 1192                   |
| (b) Non-vigilance (Forwarded for necessary action to Departments/ Organizations) |                 242 |                 252 |                 446 |                 291 |                 360 | 601                    |
| (c) Sent for inquiry/investigation by CVO/ CBI                                   |                 148 |                  61 |                 177 |                 257 |                 248 | 218                    |
| Number of complaints pending (Carried Forward to next year)                      |                  75 |                  35 |                   5 |                  20 |                  63 | ---                    |

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