Lokpal Bill ignores graft at State, local levels: Conference

The participants felt that Chief Ministers should be brought under the purview of the anti-corruption mechanisms

PTI | August 12, 2011



A Round Table of eminent persons in Andhra Pradesh today unanimously recommended that the Union Government provide for constitution of Lokayuktas in States and ombudsmen in districts as part of the Lokpal Bill.

The Round Table, conducted by the Foundation for Democratic Reforms and the Lok Satta organisation, constituted a nine-member steering committee to present the citizen's viewpoint to the Parliamentary Committee which will consider the Bill as also all political parties.

A release by Lok Satta, quoted Party President and MLA Jayaprakash Narayan as saying the Bill, in its present form, ignored corruption at the State and local levels.

States today account for bulk of corruption in the wake of economic liberalisation and devolution of powers.

There are indeed Lokayuktas in some States. They have only cars, phones and peons to flaunt but have no powers to fight corruption," he said.

The meet felt the CBI and CVC at the national level and Anti-Corruption Bureaus and Vigilance Commissions in States should be strengthened and brought under the protective umbrella of the Lokpal and Lokayuktas respectively.

The participants felt that Chief Ministers should be brought under the purview of the anti-corruption mechanisms although they differed on including the Prime Minister, the release added.

Comments

 

Other News

India will be powerful, not aggressive: Bhaiyyaji

India is poised to emerge as a global power but will remain rooted in its civilisational ethos of non-aggression and harmony, former RSS General Secretary Suresh `Bhaiyyaji` Joshi has said.   He was speaking at the launch of “Rashtrabhav,” a book by Ravindra Sathe

AI: Code, Control, Conquer

India today stands at a critical juncture in the area of artificial intelligence. While the country is among the fastest adopters of AI in the world, it remains heavily reliant on technologies developed elsewhere. This paradox, experts warn, cannot persist if India seeks technological sovereignty.

RBI pauses to assess inflation risks, policy transmission

The Reserve Bank of India (RBI) has begun the new fiscal year with a calibrated pause, keeping the repo rate unchanged at 5.25 per cent in its April Monetary Policy Committee (MPC) meeting. The decision, taken unanimously, reflects a shift from aggressive policy action to cautious observation after a signi

New pathways for tourism growth

Traditionally, India’s tourism policy has been based on three main components: the number of visitors, building tourist attractions and providing facilities for tourists. Due to the increase in climate-related issues and environmental destruction that occurred over previous years, policymakers have b

Is the US a superpower anymore?

On April 8, hours after warning that “a whole civilisation will die tonight,” US president Donald Trump, exhibiting his unique style of retreating from high-voltage brinkmanship, announced that he agreed to a two-week ceasefire with Iran. The weekend talks in Islamabad have failed and the futur

Machines communicate, humans connect

There is a moment every event professional knows—the kind that arrives without warning, usually an hour before the curtain rises. Months of meticulous planning are in place. And then comes the call: “We’ll also need a projector. For the slides.”   No email


Archives

Current Issue

Opinion

Facebook Twitter Google Plus Linkedin Subscribe Newsletter

Twitter