Imphal, September 28: To check the ever growing menace of corruption, the State Government has taken up steps to enact anti-corruption law to deal with the problem. Disclosing this to The Sangai Express, a reliable source from the State Vigilance Department said Manipur is poised to become the first State among the North Eastern States to have such a legislation.

So far Delhi and Karnataka have enacted such Acts, but there is no such legislation in the North Eastern Region, the source added. The necessity of enacting the anti-corruption Act has arisen in view of the fact that the State Vigilance Department has not been able to function and carry out its fight against corruption successfully despite the best efforts and sanctioning of large amount of fund for the purpose, the source said.

Although many of the politicians in the State are not in favour of such legislation and, understandably, have not given their support to the proposal, the Chief Minister who is also in charge of the Home portfolio is very earnest on the issue, the source added.

The source further informed that a draft of the proposed Act, 90 percent of which has been adopted from the Central Vigilance Act, had also been tabled and discussed by the State Cabinet in one of its sittings last month.

The Cabinet meeting, however, deferred a detailed discussion on the matter following suggestions to have a look into the provisions of the Vigilance Acts of other States, before making a final decision, the source added. The Commission has taken up and conducted inquiries of 290 cases till 2004 and recommendation for taking up necessary action has been sent to the State Government for 78 cases of different nature.

However, there has been no response from the side of the Government in this regard, the source said.

The enactment of the State Vigilance Act would strengthen the position of the Commission and give more power to it in dealing with related cases, the source asserted.

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