SECL Hosts Interactive Session on Preventive Vigilance and Good Governance

South Eastern Coalfields Limited (SECL) organized an interactive session on *"Preventive Vigilance, Complaint Handling and Vigilance Administration"* at its Headquarters in Bilaspur on Monday.

Addressing the gathering, *Shri Rajiv Verma*, Consultant, Central Vigilance Commission (CVC), New Delhi, emphasized that the objective of preventive vigilance is not merely to investigate irregularities or impose penalties, but to establish a transparent and accountable system that minimizes the scope for irregularities. He elaborated on the importance of fair and timely grievance redressal, risk-based vigilance mechanisms, and best practices in vigilance administration.

The programme was attended by *Shri Harish Duhan, Chairman-cum-Managing Director, SECL; Shri Ajay Kumar Jaiswal, Chief Vigilance Officer, Northern Coalfields Limited (NCL),, Shri N. Franklin Jayakumar, Director (Technical/Operations); Shri Biranchi Das, Director (Human Resources); Shri Darla Sunil Kumar, Director (Finance); Shri Ramesh Chandra Mohapatra, Director (Technical/Planning & Projects); and Shri Himanshu Jain, Chief Vigilance Officer*, along with Heads of Departments and senior officers. Officers and employees from all SECL operational Areas also participated in the session through video conferencing.

The programme commenced with the ceremonial lighting of the lamp and floral tributes to *Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel*.

On the occasion, *Shri Harish Duhan, Chairman-cum-Managing Director, SECL, said, *"Transparency, ethics and accountability form the foundation of SECL's work culture. Preventive vigilance is an important pillar of effective governance, and such interactive sessions further strengthen the culture of integrity within the organization."

In his welcome address, *Shri Himanshu Jain, Chief Vigilance Officer, SECL, highlighted that information technology-driven systems such as **DigiCoal* and online platforms are enhancing transparency and timeliness in decision-making while further strengthening preventive vigilance across the organization.

During the programme, Shri Harish Duhan administered the *Integrity Pledge* to the officers and employees.

The session concluded with an interactive question-and-answer segment, during which participants raised queries relating to vigilance administration, complaint handling and disciplinary procedures. Shri Rajiv Verma responded to the queries with practical insights and examples.

Earlier, Shri Rajiv Verma paid a courtesy visit to Shri Harish Duhan, Chairman-cum-Managing Director, SECL. This was followed by a review meeting chaired by Shri Verma with Heads of Departments and officers of the Vigilance Department, during which various measures for further strengthening the vigilance framework, enhancing transparency and improving organizational effectiveness were discussed.