Preventive vigilance more effective than punitive one: RBI Governor
New Delhi, Sep 20 : RBI Governor Urjit Patel on Thursday said that preventive vigilance is the most effective governance mechanism at public sector institutions as opposed to punitive and detective vigilance.
Delivering a lecture at the Central Vigilance Commission (CVC), he said punitive vigilance is difficult in a public sector institution for several reasons including demotivating employees.
"The rewards are low, to start with, thereby limiting the possibility of downward revisions. Given this constraint, disciplinary actions that limit the chances of career progression are often the preferred punishment.
"However, this has the misfortune of demotivating employees beyond the point of their career when punitive vigilance action is undertaken," Patel said.
He said while it is possible to fine-tune pecuniary incentives and career-based rewards for greater effectiveness, their "bite" is not as strong as in the private sector.
He added that detective vigilance too was rendered somewhat ineffective in the public sector "as detection does not lead to punitive outcomes", except in extreme cases and over time.
"...Investment in detective vigilance does not guarantee the desired reduction in incidence of lapses, even though it might help in some cases arrest the slide and contain with remedial measures," he said.
Hence, preventive vigilance takes centre stage and becomes a key effective tool of governance in a public sector institution, the RBI Governor said.
"When lapses can arise due to background noise outside of the employee control, punitive vigilance becomes even less attractive due to further demotivation that it might induce; in turn, so does detective vigilance.
"In other words, while not taking away from the need to engage in some detective and punitive vigilance, preventive vigilance is conceptually likely to be the most effective governance mechanism at public sector institutions," Patel said.
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Karnataka Governor gives assent to legislation against ‘honour killing’ in inter-caste marriages
Bengaluru: The government has brought into force the Karnataka Freedom of Choice in Marriage and Prevention and Prohibition of Crimes in the name of honour and tradition (Eva Nammava Eva Nammava) Act, 2026, intended to restrict ‘honour killings’ in inter-caste marriages.
According to The Indian Express, the legislation received assent from Governor Thawar Chand Gehlot on April 9 and was officially notified in the state gazette on April 10. The law had been passed unanimously by the state legislature last month.
The Bill was proposed by the Congress government in the wake of caste-linked ‘honour killings’ in the state, including the December 21, 2025, murder near Hubli of a 20-year-old Lingayat woman by her father for marrying a man from another caste.
The phrase ‘Eva Nammava Eva Nammava’ in the title is in reference to the message of universal humanity that the Lingayat saint Basavanna espoused. Basavanna, who rebelled against the caste system to lay the foundation of the Lingayat faith system, an amalgamation of all castes, used the words meaning ‘he is a part of me’ to say all people are one.
Under the new law, crimes committed in the name of ‘honour’, including murder, assault, threats, and social boycott, are specifically addressed with stringent punishments. ‘Honour killing’ offences carry a minimum imprisonment of five years, while serious assaults attract at least three years in jail.
The new law defines the social boycott of inter-caste couples as forcible eviction to remote corners of villages, refusal to provide services, refusal to provide work, refusal to conduct business, denial of loans and admissions to schools, and makes it punishable.
In the case of ‘honour killings’ per se, the new law prescribes a minimum imprisonment of five years, and in the case of assaults, a prison term that is not less than three years for serious injury and two years for minor injuries.
The offences under the proposed law are cognisable and non-bailable, which means police can carry out arrests without court permissions after taking up a case.
The legislation follows several reported inter-caste relationship-related killings in Karnataka in 2025, including cases in Raichur and another involving 18-year-old Kavita.
The law to protect the freedom of choice in marriages is among several social bills that the Congress government has brought out in line with its policies for the backward and downtrodden communities in the state.
