New Delhi, Dec 1 (PTI) The ordinance on extending the tenure of CBI and ED chiefs will not create nepotism in bureaucracy or bring disparity in service conditions of government officials, the Centre said on Wednesday.

"No," said Minister of State for Personnel Jitendra Singh in the Lok Sabha while replying to the question "whether this (ordinance) decision will create nepotism in the bureaucracy, especially in selected investigating agencies like the ED, CBI and NIA".

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The minister also said "no" in response to the query "whether this will also create disparity in service conditions of the government officials".

When asked whether there was a general acceptance to increase the retirement age of government servants from the present 60 years to 63 or 65 years, Singh again said "no".

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The Centre had last month effected two ordinances that empowered it to extend tenures of CBI and ED chiefs up to five years from existing two years.

"With a view to ensuring stability and continuity in the tenure of officers heading the two important agencies of government and supervising sensitive cases, clear provisions have been made in the Delhi Special Police Establishment Act, 1946, and the Central Vigilance Commission Act, 2003, for extension, on the recommendation of the prescribed committee, in public interest and for reasons to be recorded in writing, beyond the initial approved tenure, subject to the condition that the total tenure does not exceed five years," Singh said.

(The above story is verified and authored by Press Trust of India (PTI) staff. PTI, India’s premier news agency, employs more than 400 journalists and 500 stringers to cover almost every district and small town in India.. The views appearing in the above post do not reflect the opinions of LatestLY)