BackCab secretary to look into incidents of phone tapping: PM
Cab secretary to look into incidents of phone tapping: PM
Premium
New Delhi: Prime Minister Manmohan Singh on Tuesday tried to allay concerns in the corporate sector over the recent revelations over telephone tapping saying that the government will take measures to strengthen the mechanism to avoid misuse of such provisions.
“We must also look for solutions through technology to prevent access of telephone conversation to systems outside the institutional framework of government. Legal mechanisms already exist and they are in place. They need to be strengthened for more effective enforcement," the prime minister said while inaugurating the India Corporate Week 2010 in Vigyan Bhavan in the national capital.
Pointing out that the government is aware of the nervousness in some sections of the corporate sector in the country, Singh said: “I am asking the cabinet secretary to look into these issues and report back to the Cabinet within the next one month."
Singh, who maintained that the powers of the government for phone tapping is for “protecting national security and preventing tax evasions and money laundering" also said the rights have to be used with “with utmost care and under well defined rules, procedures and mechanisms so that they are not misused."
The prime minister’s remarks are seen as a message for the corporate sector rattled by the recent disclosures in the media about the conversations between lobbyist Niira Radia with top industrialists, journalists and politicians. Tata Group chairman Ratan Tata has sought a ban on the further publication of transcripts of private conversation between him and Radia. The matter is being heard in the Supreme Court. The apex court on Monday asked the government to confidentially disclose the name of the person who made the complaint on the basis of which the recording was sanctioned.
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