CBI Director Praveen Sood has visited 51 of the total 58 branches of the agency across the country within 108 days of taking charge, with the remaining seven likely to be covered before October 15, a record almost unmatched in the agency's history.

Sood, the former DGP of Karnataka, who took over the reins of the agency on May 25, immediately embarked on a mission to gain a ground-level understanding of the agency's operations by making it a point to visit the country-wide network, according to officials familiar with the matter.

During his visits, Sood prioritises personal interactions with all staff members, listening to their concerns and ideas and even breaking bread with them. These sessions have helped him identify "ground realities" about the CBI's functioning across the country and the "state of mind" of the personnel, they said.

A large number of issues in servicing of summons, gathering of intelligence, handling of complainants, conducting traps, and shortage of staff have been brought to the knowledge of the director during these sessions in which the lowest rung of officials are also given the opportunity to interact with him, they said.

The director believes that in order to get first-hand information about the issues faced by the agency at ground level, the "top-down approach" is not as effective as meeting junior officials at the branches, the officers said.

Sood, who comes with no baggage of any previous central deputation, has made it a point to visit each of the 58 branches of the CBI spread across the country by October 15, they said.

These visits in the initial months of taking charge are likely to help the CBI director in forming policies and bringing administrative reforms within the agency during his tenure at the agency, which is likely to last at least two years, they said.

In addition to the visits, Sood has also brought in changes in the administrative side of the agency, with many Joint Directors holding crucial positions being shifted to different zones, and the repatriation of some has also been cleared.

The director has also given a boost to the morale of the CBI cadre by directing that all departmental promotion committees should be completed within the given deadlines. A large number of vacancies at all levels have been notified to be filled through the promotions at every level, they said.

In addition, posts have also been advertised for the deputation of specialist officers at the DSP level to sharpen the investigation of banking fraud cases, they said.

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