MISCELLANEOUS ISSUES CHAPTER AWARDS AND DECORATIONS XV Bharat Ratna Award Members of Legislative Assemblies, private individuals, organizations, etc. All these 15.1 Bharat Ratna is the highest civilian recommendations are placed before the Padma honour of the country. It is awarded for Awards Committee for its consideration. e exceptional service towards advancement of art, recommendations of the Padma Awards literature and science and in recognition of Committee are submitted to the Prime Minister public service of the highest order. Instituted in and the President for their approval and the the year 1954, this award has been conferred on awards are announced on the eve of Republic 41 persons so far. It was last conferred on Pandit Day. Bhimsen Gururaj Joshi for the year 2009. 15.5 e President of India has approved Padma Awards the conferment of Padma Award on 130 persons on the occasion of Republic Day 2010. is 15.1 Padma Awards are conferred in three includes 13 persons in the category of categories, namely, Padma Vibhushan, Padma Foreigners/ NRIs/ PIOs. e award comprises 6 Bhushan and Padma Shri. e awards are given Padma Vibhushan, 43 Padma Bhushan and 81 in ten broad disciplines/field of activities viz. art, Padma Shri. ere are 17 ladies among the social work, public affairs, science & awardees. e decoration of the award will be engineering, trade & industry, medicine, presented by the President of India at literature & education, sports, civil service and Rashtrapati Bhavan in late March/ early April, miscellaneous. 2010. 15.3 e decoration of Padma Vibhushan is Gallantry Awards awarded for exceptional and distinguished service in any field; Padma Bhushan for 15.6 e Ashoka Chakra series of Gallantry distinguished service of high order and Padma awards, administered by the Ministry of Shri for distinguished service in any field. Defence, are announced on Republic Day and Independence Day every year. 15.4 It is the practice to invite nominations Recommendations in respect of civilian citizens for Padma Awards every year from the State are processed in the Ministry of Home Affairs. Governments, Union Territory Administrations, Ministries/Departments of the Central 15.7 e President has approved the names Government, Institutes of Excellence, recipients of four civilians for Gallantry award on of Bharat Ratna/Padma Vibhushan award. Independence Day, 2009. ese are for Shaurya Besides them, a large number of Chakra. For Republic Day 2010, the President recommendations are also received suo-motu has approved the names of 5 civilians, which from several Cabinet Ministers, Governors, includes 4 Kirti Chakra and 1 Shaurya Chakra. Chief Ministers, Members of Parliament, e decoration of the award will be presented by Chapter-XV 179 the President of India at Rashtrapati Bhavan in approved Jeevan Raksha Padak awards for 53 due course. persons. is includes 2 Sarvottam Jeevan Raksha Padaks, 7 Uttam Jeevan Raksha Padaks Jeevan Raksha Padak Awards and 44 Jeevan Raksha Padaks. 15.8 Jeevan Raksha Padak awards were VIGILANCE MACHINERY instituted in the year 1961. As the name of the award suggests, it is given to a rescuer for saving 15.13 e Vigilance set up of the Ministry of someone’s life. Home Affairs is headed by the Joint Secretary (Administration), who is also the Chief 15.9 e awards are given in three Vigilance Officer (CVO) of the Ministry. He is categories, namely, Sarvottam Jeevan Raksha assisted by a Deputy Secretary and an Under Padak, Uttam Jeevan Raksha Padak and Jeevan Secretary in the discharge of his functions. e Raksha Padak. Sarvottam Jeevan Raksha Padak Vigilance Section deals with all disciplinary is awarded for conspicuous courage under the matters of the Ministry of Home Affairs circumstances of very great danger to the life of (Proper), all matters related to Annual the rescuer; Uttam Jeevan Raksha Padak is Confidential Reports and coordinates vigilance awarded for courage and promptitude under activities in the attached and subordinate offices circumstances of great danger to the life of the of the Ministry, such as Central Police Forces, rescuer and Jeevan Raksha Padak is awarded for Central Police Organisations, etc. courage and promptitude under circumstances of grave bodily injury to the rescuer in an act or 15.14 e measures taken within the series of acts of human nature in saving life from Ministry to strengthen preventive vigilance are drowning, fire, accident, electrocution, land- briefly summed up as follows :- slide, animal attack, etc. a) e Chief Vigilance Officer maintains 15.10 Nominations for this awards are liaison with all attached/subordinate offices invited every year from all State/UT to ensure timely completion of various Governments and Ministries/Departments of tasks relating to vigilance work. the Government of India. ese are considered b) e Annual Action Plan for vigilance/anti- by an Awards Committee. e Awards corruption measures of the Department of Committee makes its recommendations to the Personnel and Training is being Prime Minister and the President for approval. implemented by the Ministry of Home Affairs. e Attached/Subordinate offices 15.11 e ceremony for these awards is held in the Ministry are asked to implement the in the respective State Capitals of the awardees. Plan effectively and report the progress e awardee is presented a medallion and a every quarter to the Ministry. Regular Certificate signed by the Home Minister. e reviews of the vigilance activities in the awardees are also given a lump-sum monetary subordinate formations of the Ministry are allowance at the rate of Rs.75,000 for Sarvottam undertaken and reports sent to the Jeevan Raksha Padak, Rs. 45,000 for Uttam Department of Personnel and Training at Jeevan Raksha Padak & Rs.30,000 for Jeevan the end of every quarter. Raksha Padak. c) All reports required to be sent to Central Vigilance Commission and the Department 15.12 For the year 2009, the President has of Personnel and Training are sent to the 180 Chapter-XV concerned authorities of the prescribed from various sources and pendancy of periodic intervals. disciplinary/vigilance cases is regularly d) Some Divisions in the Ministry like monitored by the CVO. Freedom Fighters and Rehabilitation h) With a view to curb development of vested Division, Foreigners Division and interests, staff in the Ministry is rotated Procurement Wing of Police amongst various divisions. An exercise to Modernisation Division, having substantial categories the posts as sensitive or non- public dealings, are kept under close watch. sensitive to facilitate rotation of staff has e) All officers and members of staff working in been undertaken. sensitive Sections/Divisions are required to i) List of officers whose integrity is doubtful is fill up a special security questionnaire maintained and periodically reviewed. periodically and positive vetting is done in their cases through the Intelligence agencies. It serves as on effective tool in 15.15 e “Vigilance Awareness Week” was ensuring that only persons with observed from November 3 - 7, 2009. A pledge unimpeachable integrity are posted in was administered by the Secretary, Department sensitive places in the Ministry. of Personnel and Training on November 3, 2009 f) Liaison is maintained with the Heads of the to the officers of Ministry of Home Affairs. An Secretary, Department of Personnel and Training administering pledge to the officers of Ministry of Home Affairs during vigilance Awareness Week” observed form November 3-7, 2009 Divisions which have been categorized as Open Forum on ”Suggestions for eradicating sensitive to ensure that a close watch is kept corruption” was also organized. e Vigilance on the activities of the officials working in Awareness Week was observed in the such Divisions. attached/subordinate offices of the Ministry as g) Progress on disposal of complaints received well. Chapter-XV 181 15.16 e Ministry keeps a watch over all Secretaries/Directors working under them cases pending at different stages including the and designated as CPIOs. cases pending in its attached and subordinate • e annual return under section 25 of the offices, so that such cases are disposed of in a Act for the year ended March 31, 2009 in time bound manner. e status of pendancy is respect of this Ministry and its attached and monitored by the CVO and at appropriate subordinate offices and Delhi Police has intervals meetings with CVOs and VOs of been uploaded on the website of this concerned attached/subordinate is taken by Ministry and given on-line to the Central him. Information Commission. • To facilitate the receipt of applications under 15.17 Statistics in respect of vigilance and the RTI Act, 2005 a provision has been made disciplinary cases dealt with in the Ministry of to receive the applications at the reception Home Affairs and its attached and subordinate counter of this Ministry in each of its three offices during the year 2009-10 (up to December buildings viz. North Block, Lok Nayak 31, 2009) are at Annexure-XIII. Bhavan and Jaisalmer House. e applications so received are further RIGHT TO INFORMATION ACT, transferred by the RTI Section to the 2005 CPIOs/Public Authorities concerned. • During the year 2008-09, 26,906 15.18 Under the provisions of the Right to applications were dealt with, as against Information Act, 2005, this Ministry has 20,920 applications dealt with during the initiated the following actions: previous year. • An RTI Section has been set up to collect, SECRETARIAT SECURITY transfer the applications under the RTI Act, ORGANIZATION 2005 to the Central Public Information Officers/Public Authorities concerned and 15.19 e Secretariat Security Organization to forward the annual return regarding (SSO) is the nodal agency for the security of receipt & disposal of the RTI Government buildings under the security cover applications/appeals to the Central of the Ministry of Home Affairs.