Seeking to set at ease corporate ire at private conversations finding their way into the public domain, Prime Minister Manmohan Singh today said the Cabinet secretary would report to him in a month on how intercepted telephone calls were leaked and on measures to prevent this from happening in the future.
Speaking at the inaugural function of India Corporate Week celebrations here, the PM said the government should have the powers to intercept phone calls that concern national security, tax evasion and money laundering, but cautioned against their misuse.
"We must look for solutions through technology to prevent access to telephone conversations by systems outside the institutional framework of the government. Legal mechanisms already exist. They need to be strengthened for more effective enforcement. I am asking the Cabinet secretary to look into these issues and report back to the Cabinet within the next month,” he said.
The PM’s reassurance to industry comes after tapes of conversations between corporate lobbyist Niira Radia and business leaders, politicians and mediapersons were recently leaked to two newsmagazines. They included conversations between Tata Sons Chairman Ratan Tata and Radia, prompting Tata to approach the Supreme Court for invasion of privacy.
Radia's mobile phone is understood to have been tapped by the income-tax department. The government had also informed the Supreme Court that the phone calls were recorded due to some concerns regarding national security.
During his speech, the PM also pointed out that some corporate houses had recently come under intense public scrutiny for their "perceived ethical deficit". He added market activity that concentrates wealth without empowering the poor is ethically unacceptable. According to him, just as overbearing controls stifle initiative, dogmatic adherence to extreme models of non-regulation can also be disruptive to sustainable growth.
The PM wants industry to make skill development central to their corporate strategy. The need for resettlement and rehabilitation of project-affected families and concerns over environmental degradation were also highlighted.
Corporate Affairs Minister Salman Khurshid also spoke on the occasion.
