Indian Renewable Energy Development Agency (IREDA) has developed and launched the Whistle-blower Portal. It was released in the month of November 2021. This started as part of the celebration of Vigilance Awareness Week.
Highlights
This portal helps IREDA employees raise concerns about fraud, abuse of power and corruption. The portal is part of “zero tolerance” for IREDA corruption. The journal Pahal which is a vigilance journal was also published with the portal.
About Whistleblowing
The Companies Act 2013 states that whistleblowing is the act of bringing a stakeholder to the attention of an organization’s unethical practices. The whistle-blower can be anyone who exposes the crime and has evidence to support the allegation. They can be both inside and outside the organization such as former and current employees, external auditors, shareholders and attorneys. In India, whistle-blowers are protected by the Whistleblower Protection Act 2014.
A whistle-blower is a person who reveals information. The term was coined by American activist Ralph Nader. He was working on environmental and consumer protection. The whistle is used to warn the crowd and the audience. Political and journalistic whistle-blowers are interpreted as exposing fraud and abuse of power.
Need for the portal
India is ranked 81st out of 180 countries in the Corruption Perceptions Index. Rajasthan and Bihar are the most corrupt states. According to the 2019 Indian Corruption Survey, 51% of respondents agreed to pay bribes. In India, the economic loss of corruption and fraud in national rural health missions is estimated at $ 13 billion. Therefore, it is imperative that all government departments have a portal for reporting fraud and corruption. Such portals help you file complaints anonymously. It also protects the identity of the petitioner.
