My colleague in the Union Cabinet Dr. Jitendra Singh ji, National Security Advisor Shri Ajit Doval ji, Cabinet Secretary, CBI Director, other officers, ladies and gentlemen! Many congratulations to all of you on the occasion of completion of 60 years i.e. the diamond jubilee of CBI!

You have completed the journey of 60 years as the country's premium investigation agency. These six decades have certainly been full of achievements. A compendium of Supreme Court judgments related to CBI cases has also been released here today. It shows the journey of CBI over the years.

The new offices of CBI in some cities, Twitter handles and other set-ups which have been launched today will certainly play an important role in further strengthening the CBI. The CBI has given new confidence to the general public through its service and skill. Even today, when someone feels that a case is impossible to solve, they demand that it should be handed over to the CBI. People hold demonstrations demanding the case be taken from the agency which is probing it and hand it over to the CBI. Even if there is any issue at the panchayat level, people say, "this should be handed over to the CBI." CBI is on everyone's lips as a brand of justice.

It is no simple feat to win this trust of the common man. All the officers and employees who have contributed in the last 60 years in this organization deserve many congratulations. Many officers have also been honoured with police medals for their excellent service. Many congratulations from my side to those whom I have got the opportunity to honour, those who have received the honour, and their family members.

Friends,

At this important stage, along with the achievements of the past, it is equally necessary to brainstorm on the challenges of the future. The purpose of this ‘Chintan Shivir’ (brainstorming session) is to keep yourself upgraded, updated and find ways for the future while learning from past experiences. This is happening at a time when the country has started the journey of ‘Amrit Kaal’. Millions of Indians have resolved to make India developed in the next 25 years. And a developed India is not possible without professional and efficient institutions. And therefore, the CBI has a huge responsibility.

Friends,

The CBI has carved a niche for itself as a multi-dimensional and multi-disciplinary investigative agency in the last six decades. Today the scope of CBI has expanded hugely. From bank frauds to crimes related to wildlife, the CBI is looking into cases ranging from organized crime to cybercrime.

But the main responsibility of the CBI is to free the country from corruption. Corruption is not an ordinary crime. Corruption deprives the poor of their rights; corruption leads to a series of crimes and gives birth to crimes. Corruption is the biggest obstacle in the way of democracy and justice. Especially, when corruption prevails in the government machinery, it does not allow democracy to flourish. Where there is corruption, the dreams of the youth are the first casualty and the youth do not get proper opportunities. Only a particular ecosystem flourishes there. Corruption is the biggest enemy of talent, and it is from here that nepotism flourishes and keeps on strengthening its grip. When nepotism grows, the strength of the society and the nation dwindles. And when the capability of the nation is low, the development definitely gets affected. Unfortunately, we have inherited a legacy of corruption from the era of slavery. But sadly, instead of removing this legacy, some people kept on empowering it in some form or the other for several decades after independence.

Friends,

You recall what was the situation in the country 10 years ago, when you were celebrating the Golden Jubilee? Every decision, every project of the then government was questionable. There was a competition to outdo the previous corruption cases. “If you have done this much corruption, I will do it much bigger” was the common refrain. Today, the term trillion dollars is used for the size of the economy of the country. But this term gained the dubious distinction for the size of the scams at that time. So many major scams happened, but the accused were confident. They knew that the system of the day was with them. And what was its consequence? The country's faith in the system was misplaced. Outrage against corruption was swelling in the whole country. As a result, the entire system started disintegrating, people started avoiding taking decisions and there was an environment of policy paralysis. It stalled the development of the country. Foreign investors were scared. That period of corruption did a lot of damage to India.

Friends,

Our first responsibility since 2014 was to restore the faith in the system and therefore we started action on mission mode against black money and benami property. Along with the corrupt people, we started attacking the roots which promote corruption. You recall the government tender procedures and government contracts had become contentious. We encouraged transparency in these. Today when we compare the allocation of 2G and 5G spectrum, the difference is clearly visible. You are aware that now GeM i.e. Government e-market place has been set up for purchases in every department of the Central Government. Today every department is making purchases on this digital platform with transparency.

Friends,

Today we talk about internet banking and record transactions with UPI. But we have also seen the era of phone banking before 2014. This was the time when people associated with influential political parties in Delhi used to get loans worth thousands of crores of rupees on their phone calls. It destroyed the backbone of our economy, our banking system. Over the years, we have worked hard to get our banking sector out of trouble. In that era of phone banking, some people looted 22,000 crore rupees from the country's banks and fled abroad. We enacted the Fugitive Economic Offenders Act. So far, assets worth more than Rs 20,000 crore of these economic criminals who have fled abroad have been confiscated.

Friends,

The corrupt had created a novel way to loot the country's treasury, which was going on for decades. This was loot from the beneficiaries of government schemes. During the previous governments, the financial help which was sent to the poor beneficiaries was looted in between. Be it ration, housing, scholarship, pension and in many such government schemes, the real beneficiaries felt cheated. And one Prime Minister had said that out of one rupee, only 15 paise reached the beneficiaries and the rest 85 paise was pilfered. The other day, I was thinking that we have transferred about Rs 27 lakh crore to the poor people through DBT. If one sees in that context, it means that out of 27 lakh crores, about 16 lakh crore rupees would have disappeared. Today, with the trinity of Jan Dhan, Aadhaar, Mobile, every beneficiary is getting his full entitlement. Through this system, more than eight crore fake beneficiaries have been purged of the system. The daughter who was not even born would become a widow and people would continue to draw widow pension. Due to DBT, about 2.25 lakh crore rupees of the country have been prevented from going into the wrong hands.

Friends,

There was a time when there was rampant corruption even for clearing the interview round in government jobs. We discontinued the interview rounds in the Group-C, Group-D recruitments of the central government. At one time, there used to be scams in urea too. We also controlled this by coating neem in urea. Scams were also common in defence deals. Defence deals have been sealed with complete transparency in the last nine years. Now we are laying emphasis on making defence equipment in India itself.

Friends,

You can also brief me on many such steps regarding the fight against corruption and I can also count them. But we need to learn something from every chapter of the past. Unfortunately, corruption cases drag on for years. There have also been cases, in which even after 10 years of the registration of the FIR, the hearing on the sections of punishment continues. Even today the cases on which action is being taken are many years old.

Delay in investigation gives rise to the problem in two ways. On one hand, the corrupt get punished late, while on the other hand the innocent continue to suffer. We have to make sure how we speed up this process and pave the way for the early punishment to those guilty of corruption. We have to study best international practices and focus on the capacity building of the investigating officers.

And friends, I want to clarify one more thing to you. Today there is no dearth of political will to take action against corruption in the country. You don't have to hesitate and discontinue (your investigations).

I know those against whom you are taking action are very powerful people. For years, they have been a part of the system and the government. It is possible that even today they are part of the government in some states. Over the years, they have also created an ecosystem. This ecosystem often becomes active to cover up their black deeds and to tarnish the image of organizations like yours. It attacks the agency itself.

These people will keep distracting you, but you have to remain focused on your work. No corrupt person should be spared. There should be no laxity in our efforts. This is the wish of the country and the countrymen. And I assure you that the country is with you, the law is with you and the constitution of the country is with you.

Friends,

It is also very important to eliminate silos between different agencies for better results. Joint and multidisciplinary investigation will be possible only in an environment of mutual trust. Now there is large scale movement of money, people, goods & services beyond the geographical boundaries of the country. As India's economic power is on the rise, the number of those who create obstacles is also increasing.

The attacks on the social fabric of India, on our unity and brotherhood, on our economic interests, on our institutions are also increasing day by day. And it obviously involves money earned through corrupt means. Therefore, we also have to understand and study the multinational nature of crime and corruption and reach its root cause. Today we often see that crimes are becoming global due to modern technology. But the same technology and innovation can also provide solutions. We have to further expand the use of forensic science in investigation.

Friends,

We must find innovative ways to deal with challenges like cybercrime. We can associate tech enabled entrepreneurs and youngsters with us. In your organisation, there will be many techno-savvy youth who can be put to better use.

Friends,

I am told that the CBI has compiled 75 such practices which can be abolished. We should work on it in a time bound manner. Over the years, the CBI has evolved itself. This process should continue without any pause and fatigue.

I have full faith that this ‘Chintan Shivir’ will give birth to a new self-confidence, create ways to reach new dimensions and bring modernity in the way of solving the most serious and difficult problems. And we will be more effective and result oriented. The common citizen neither wants to do any wrong nor does he like it. We want to move ahead with the trust of those in whose heart truth is alive. And that number is of crores of people. Such a great power is standing with us. Friends, there is no scope for any lapse in our faith.

I convey my best wishes to you on the important occasion of this diamond jubilee function. There should be two goals before you while moving forward and that is what you will do for yourself in the next 15 years and what you will achieve by 2047. The next 15 years are very important because it will determine your capability, dedication and resolution when the CBI will complete its 75 years. The country wants to see your rise according to the hopes and expectations of the people when it will celebrate its centenary in 2047.

I wish you the very best.

Thank you!

DISCLAIMER: This is the approximate translation of PM’s speech. Original speech was delivered in Hindi.

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DS/VJ/VK/AK