Stage set for G 20 meeting of anti corruption working group in Narendranagar
Thursday, 25 May 2023 | PNS | DEHRADUN
The meeting to reiterate India’s resolve against economic offenders: Minister
Narendra Nagar, a small town near Rishikesh is all set for the meeting of the second Anti-Corruption Working Group Meeting (ACWG) of G 20 countries. The delegates from the G 20 nations have arrived at the venue nestled in picturesque Garhwal hills. Expressing his views, the Union Minister of State Jitendra Singh has said that the G 20 Rishikesh will reiterate India’s resolve against economic offenders to ensure zero tolerance against corruption.
“At the Second Anti-Corruption Working Group Meeting (ACWG) of G-20 beginning tomorrow at Rishikesh, Uttarakhand, India will seek deepening of G20 commitment towards countering corruption globally,” he said.
In a Pre-event media briefing on Wednesday Singh said that under Prime Minister Narendra Modi, India has taken a very decisive position to prevent economic offenders from fleeing out of the country and taking refuge in other friendly countries with liberal laws.
Singh recalled that in 2018, during Argentina’s G 20 Presidency, PM Modi gave a ‘Nine Point Agenda’ for action against fugitive economic offences and asset recovery to G20. It called for strong and active cooperation across G 20 countries in legal processes and mechanisms to deny safe haven to all fugitive economic offenders, effective implementation of international commitments, establishment of international cooperation for timely and comprehensive exchange of information and formulation of a standard definition of fugitive economic offenders, development of a set of commonly agreed and standardized procedures for dealing with fugitive economic offenders by the Financial Action Task Force (FATF), setting up of a common platform for sharing experiences and best practices and initiation of work on locating properties of economic offenders who have a tax debt in the country of their residence for its recovery.
The Minister added that based on the above, the G20 countries are committed to explore the links between corruption and other economic crimes and ways to tackle them. Singh said that India’s present priorities take forward the past agreements to enhance international cooperation for strengthening the fight against corruption and return of corruption offenders and the stolen assets to their countries of origin.
Mentioning the priorities for the G20 ACWG meeting, the Union MoS said that Indian Presidency will focus on five broad themes in G20 Anti-Corruption Working Group namely International cooperation for strengthening fight against corruption, Integrity and effectiveness of public bodies and authorities responsible for preventing and combating corruption, role of audit institutions in anti-corruption, leveraging information and communications technology (ICT) for combating corruption in the public sector and most importantly gender and corruption.
He said that the event will have participation of high-level keynote speakers and governmental experts of G20 countries and international organizations. Indian voices of grassroots shall also be represented during the event. India would highlight its own experiences where anti-corruption efforts have helped in empowerment of women, he added.
