New Delhi: Ahead of the Lok Sabha elections, heads of various tax and security agencies on Thursday discussed ways and means to check the growing use of money power during polls and increase coordination and information sharing between them.
At a conference organised by the Election Commission on "election expenditure monitoring - challenges in intelligence gathering and sharing", heads of various revenue departments and security forces got together to find means for sharing of information to curb the menace of money power.
They suggested increased coordination among tax and security agencies and called for increased intelligence sharing in this regard.
The conference was attended among others by Chief Election Commissioner V S Sampath and Election Commissioners H S Brahma and S N A Zaidi, besides chairpersons of Central Board of Direct Taxes Sudha Sharma and Central Board of Excise and Customs Parvin Mahajan, along with chiefs of Central Industrial Security Force and Border Security Forces, Narcotics Control Bureau and Delhi Police.
Heads of Indian Banks Association and Enforcement Directorate apart from that of the Financial Intelligence Unit of the Revenue Ministry were also present to devise ways to check drug menace during elections.
The exercise is likely to help the EC coordinate better with different agencies during polls to curb use of money power and drug abuse.
Sources said the menace is growing with each passing day to lure voters during polls and checking it has become a challenge for the poll body.
Huge chunks of unaccounted money have been caught by various agencies during polls despite curbs imposed on the movement of free cash flow by the EC.
Today`s meeting will be followed by separate meetings with EC and revenue and security department officials ahead of the upcoming Lok Sabha elections.
