The National Campaign for People’s Right to Information (NCPRI) has said that the Lokpal should cover the office of the prime minister and the government’s Bill in its present form has a very limited scope and coverage.

While releasing a critique of the Bill on Wednesday in the capital, the Convention pointed out that the Bill takes cognizance of complaints regarding only the prevention of corruption act and leaves out the complaints relating to violations under the Indian Penal Code and Prevention of Money laundering.

The critique is an outcome of series of consultations held by NCPRI and other NGOs and civil society organizations held over period of three months.

A statement by the NCPRI said that in addition to ministers and members of parliament which are covered in the current government draft of the Bill, the anti- graft institution should also cover grade- A officers of central government.

“We believe that just one institution is not enough to deal with all kind of corruption in the country.  We need a basket of measures to tackle it,” said Nikhil Dey, co- convener, NCPRI.

The measures, according to the Convention, include the formulation of an alternate institution to which the higher judiciary would be accountable.

“The grievance redress mechanisms in this bill are totally inadequate and there is no provision for any action to be taken once a grievance is filed. We feel that grievance redress is a very important issue which requires to be dealt separately by grievance redress commission,” said the Convention’s note titled ‘Lokshikayat Girevance Redress Commission’.

NCPRI pointed out to the absence in the Lokpal Bill of any mechanism to protect the whistleblowers and demanded that there should be appropriate provisions for the same.