STATE TIMES NEWS
NEW DELHI: Ahead of the top G20 Ministerial meet and the final meeting of G20 Anti-Corruption Working Group (ACWG) at Kolkata tomorrow, India is seeking G20 consensus against fugitive economic offenders to ensure faster extradition of fugitive economic offenders and recovery of assets, both domestically as well as abroad.
This was stated here today by Union Minister, Dr Jitendra Singh in an exclusive interview to DoorDarshan News before leaving for Kolkata.
The G20 meeting is making a good headway for a consensual approach, he said.
Dr Jitendra recalled that it was Prime Minister Narendra Modi, who had presented a nine-point programme to take action against fugitive economic offenders during his address at the G20 Summit in Buenos, Argentina.
He added that PM Modi highlighted the importance of cooperation in legal processes such as effective freezing of the proceeds of crime, early return of the offenders and efficient repatriation of the proceeds of crime.
The Minister form India said, “Economic offences have been a problem faced by many, especially when the offenders flee from the jurisdiction of the country and all countries are on the same page as far extradition of fugitive economic offenders and recovery of assets are concerned, but different laws of the member states pose a problem in this regard.
He said, a consensus is already in the offing for collective and joint action to deal with this menace and deployment of sophisticated technologies are also being explored to tackle the problem.
In response to a question, Dr Singh pointed out that India has organized a unique event on exploring “G20’s perspective on synergizing gender sensitivity with anti-corruption strategies” on the side-lines of the second G20 ACWG meeting in Rishikesh, Uttarakhand in May this year. The event saw participation of high-level keynote speakers and governmental experts of G20 countries and international organizations.
Referring to a series of G20 meetings in various parts of the country including Jammu and Kashmir, North-East, UTs and tourist hotspots, Dr Jitendra said, it gave India opportunity to showcase not only its prowess in various sectors, but also demonstrated the varied culture and diversity of India, which Prime Minister Modi is trying to convert into a permanent asset.
The Minister said, it’s a proud moment for every Indian that India is hosting the G20 Summit and the credit for this goes to Prime Minister Modi.
He said, after 26th May, 2014, when Modi took charge at the Centre, India’s Global Stature is continuously on the ascending path. He also added that on Geo-Strategic matters, India’s vies now matter and the whole world listens to our solemn advice on issues of global concerns.
The third and final meeting of G20 Anti-Corruption Working Group (ACWG) under India’s Presidency will be held from 9 to 11 August 2023 in Kolkata. Over 154 delegates from G20 Members, 10 invitee countries, and various international organizations will be attending the meeting. It will be followed by the G20 Anti-Corruption Ministerial Meeting on 12th August 2023, which will be chaired by Dr. Jitendra Singh, Minister of State (Independent charge) for the Ministry of Science and Technology, Minister of State for the Prime Minister’s Office, the Ministry of Personnel, Public Grievances and Pensions, the Department of Atomic Energy and the Department of Space of Government of India. This will be the second ever Ministerial meeting of G20 ACWG and the first in-person ACWG Ministerial meeting. The deliberations at the level of Ministers will impart a further political impetus to combating corruption as ACWG plays a crucial role in leading international efforts to combat corruption.