Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Monday inaugurated the diamond jubilee celebrations of the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) at Vigyan Bhawan in New Delhi.

The CBI was established by a resolution of the Ministry of Home Affairs dated 1st April 1963.

Addressing the gathering, the PM congratulated everyone on the occasion of the Diamond Jubilee and said that the organization has completed a journey of 60 years as the premier investigating agency of the country.

“Through their work and skills, CBI has instilled trust among the common citizens of the country,” Modi said. He noted that even today when an unsolvable case comes, a common accord emerges asking for the case to be handed over to CBI. Giving examples, he mentioned that at times protests erupt in cities for a case to be handed over to CBI. Even at the panchayat level when a matter arises, the PM said, a mutual voice amongst the citizens demands a CBI inquiry. “CBI’s name is on everyone’s lips. It is like a brand for truth and justice,” he remarked as he noted the extraordinary feat of winning the trust of the common populace.
 
The PM stressed that a Viksit Bharat is not possible without professional and efficient institutions and this puts a huge responsibility on CBI. He complimented CBI for earning an impede of multi-dimensional and multi-disciplinarian investigative agency and mentioned its expanded sphere. He emphasized that the CBI’s chief responsibility is to rid the country of corruption. “Corruption is not an ordinary crime, it snatches the rights of the poor, it begets many other crimes, corruption is the biggest obstacle in the path of justice and democracy,” he said. He said corruption in the government system hampers democracy and the first casualty are the dreams of the youth as in such circumstances a certain type of ecosystem flourishes killing talent. Corruption, Modi continued, promotes nepotism and a dynastic system which erodes the nation's strength, seriously hampering development.

The PM recalled that, unfortunately, India got a legacy of corruption at the time of Independence and lamented the fact that instead of removing it, some people kept nourishing this malady. He remembered the scene of the scams and the prevailing sense of impunity just a decade ago. This situation led to the destruction of the system and an atmosphere of policy paralysis brought the development to stand still, he said.

After 2014, the Prime Minister reiterated that the priority of the government was to instill faith in the system and for this, the government started taking action against black money and benami property in mission mode and started inflicting damage on the corrupt as well as the reasons behind the corruption. He recalled bringing transparency in the processes of issuing government tenders and also highlighted the difference in 2G and 5G spectrum allocations. The Prime Minister emphasized that GeM (Government eMarketplace) Portal has been established to ensure transparency in making purchases in every department of the Central Government.

Modi said today’s Internet banking and UPI stand in stark contrast to the earlier ‘phone banking’ malaise. He highlighted the efforts of recent years to bring the banking sector to an even keel. He mentioned the Fugitive Economic Offenders Act which has so far enabled the confiscation of 20 thousand crore worth of properties of fugitive offenders.  

Throwing light on one of the decades-old ways of looting the government’s treasury, the Prime Minister pointed out that the corrupt would go to an extent of looting the aid sent out to beneficiaries of government schemes. Be it rations, homes, scholarships, pensions or any other government scheme, the PM said, the original beneficiary would feel conned every single time. “Even a prime minister once said, for every rupee sent out to the poor, only 15 paise reaches them,” Modi said.

Giving the example of Direct Benefit transfer, Modi said that the government has so far transferred 27 lakh crores to the poor and also pointed out that based on the one rupee 15 paise theory, 16 lakh crores would have already disappeared. The PM remarked that beneficiaries are getting their full entitlement with the trinity of Jan Dhan, Aadhaar, and Mobile where more than 8 crore fake beneficiaries have been removed from the system. “Due to DBT, about 2.25 lakh crore rupees of the country have been saved from going into the wrong hands”, he said.

The PM recalled the corruption in recruitments in the name of interviews. He said that is why interviews were abolished in Group C and Group D services at the centre. Similarly, urea-related scams were tackled by neem-coating of urea. The PM also remarked on growing transparency in the defence deal and emphasis on aatmnirbharta in the defence sector.

He dwelled at length on the problems created by delays in the investigation such as delay in punishment of the culprit and harassment of the innocent. He stressed the need for speeding up the process, adopting best international practices and capacity building of the officers to clear the way of holding the corrupt accountable quickly.

Modi said, “Today there is no dearth of political will to take action against corruption in the country.” He asked officers to take action without hesitation against the corrupt, however powerful. He asked them not to be deterred by the history of the power of the corrupt and the ecosystem created by them to tarnish the investigative agencies. “These people will keep distracting you, but you have to focus on your work. No corrupt person should be spared. There should be no laxity in our efforts. This is the wish of the country, this is the wish of the countrymen. The country, law and constitution are with you,” the PM emphasized.

He also stressed the need to eliminate silos between different agencies for better results. He reiterated that joint and multidisciplinary investigation will be possible only in an environment of mutual trust. Referring to international transactions and the movement of people, goods and services on a large scale even outside geographical boundaries, the PM said that India's economic power is growing while those who create obstacles are also increasing. He warned that attacks on India’s social fabric, its unity and brotherhood, its economic interests and its institutions will also increase.

“Corruption money will be spent on this,” he said as he stressed the need to understand and study the multinational nature of crime and corruption. Stressing the need to further expand the use of forensic science in investigations, he noted that even though crimes are becoming global due to modern technology, it is also the solution.

The PM emphasized the need for an innovative approach to deal with cyber crimes. He suggested associating tech-enabled entrepreneurs and youngsters and better utilizing tech-savvy young officers in the department. He complimented CBI for compiling 75 processes and systems in the bureau that can be abolished and asked them to work on this in a timely manner. He asked that the process of evolution of the institution should continue tirelessly.