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IREDA launches ‘Whistle Blower’ Portal

Posted on November 3, 2021 by admin1  22

In News

  • Indian Renewable Energy Development Agency Ltd. (IREDA) has launched a ‘Whistle-blower Portal’, as a part of ‘Vigilance Awareness Week 2021’. 
    • IREDA is a PSU under the Ministry of New & Renewable Energy (MNRE).
    • The latest issue of Vigilance journal ‘Pahal’ was also released by IREDA. 

About the Portal

  • Through this portal, IREDA employees can raise concerns related to fraud, corruption, abuse of power etc. 

Why was the portal necessary?

  • The whistle-blower portal is a part of IREDA’s “zero tolerance” of corruption. 
  • IREDA has a Good and Clean Governance policy that stresses the importance of transparency and procedural fairness. 
  • Whistle-blower Policy is thus important. 

Way Ahead 

  • Such dedicated portals are a welcome step towards good governance.
  • Suitable legislation needs to be enacted to provide protection to innocent whistleblowers.
  • Strengthening the whistleblower protection mechanism will help in ensuring that the integrity of democracy is protected, cherished and upheld.

WhistleBlowing

  • According to the Companies Act.
    • whistleblowing is an action aimed at drawing the attention of stakeholders to instances of unethical practices in an organization.
  • The Law Commission of India in 2001, recommended that, 
    • In order to eliminate corruption, a law to protect whistleblowers was necessary. It had drafted a bill as well to address this issue.
  • In simple words, A whistleblower can be anyone who chooses to expose wrong practices and has evidence to support the allegations.
    • They can be either from within or outside the organization, such as current and former employees, shareholders, external auditors, and lawyers.
  • The RTI Act, 2005 is a  ‘twin sister’ of whistleblowing.
    • The Act can expose illegal activities. 
    • It reveals a lot of information about illegal development projects, illegal mining, land acquisitions, welfare schemes, money laundering etc.

Acts Protecting them

  • The Second Administrative Reforms Commission recommended that a specific law needs to be enacted to protect whistleblowers.
  • In India, whistleblowers are protected by the Whistleblowers Protection Act, 2014.
    • It provides for the protection of their identity and also has strict norms to prevent their victimization.
  • Securities and Exchange Board of India (SEBI) also has a mechanism to reward whistle-blowers and other informants for sharing information about insider trading cases.

Source: IREDA

 
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