Section 17A of anti-graft act ensured civil servants can properly discharge duties: Vice Prez Dhankhar

New Delhi, Apr 20 (PTI) Vice President Jagdeep Dhankhar on Thursday said the 2018 amendment of the Prevention of Corruption Act to insert Section 17A was a “step in the right direction” for ensuring that civil servants can properly discharge their duties.

“It (the section) regulates investigation of issues regarding decisions taken by public servants in discharge of their official duties by providing prior approval of the authority concerned,” he said.

Dhankhar was addressing the inauguration of the two-day celebrations being held in the national capital to mark the 16th Civil Services Day.

He advocated for “uniformity in administration across the Union and states” as this was “constitutionally imperative”.

This was important so that “federalism blossoms into cooperative federalism as envisioned by the prime minister,” Dhankhar said, adding that “top-level” civil servants have a “critical role” to play in this direction.

The vice president said there were some “challenges” on this front as all-India services function with “interchangeability”, common to the Union or state and this was a significant facet of federalism.

“However, the stance of some states on this count is a cause of concern. This scenario is straining the quality of civil services apart from denting the federal system. There is an urgent need to smoothen out the issue so that efficacy and sublimity of civil services are not lost.”

“Steps are being taken, I am sure, in the right direction,” Dhankhar said.

The vice president said the civil services were the fulcrum for achieving ‘Viksit Bharat’ (developed India) and lauded the bureaucracy for bringing in development through their hard work and zeal.

“Our civil service composition is continuously getting more representatives, encompassing all segments of society,” he added.

“Nation always first has to be our guiding principle,” Dhankhar said while stressing that “those out of line need to reflect and revisit their thought process as anything otherwise will be antithetical to our nationalism”.

Dhankhar praised the civil servants saying the “creditable” execution of the government’s initiatives and policies by them has resulted in India becoming a hub of the global value chain, facilitating a new entrepreneurial culture and innovator startups.