Features of the 3rd version of Lokpal Bill made by Aruna Roy and National Campaign for Peoples' Right to Information
(NCPRI)
1. Enacting a legislation for the
setting up of Lokpal/Lokayukta Anti-Corruption Lokpals (Rashtriya/Rajya
Bhrashtachar Nivaran Lokpal) at the Centre and in each of the states, that would receive,
investigate and ensure effective prosecution of complaints about corruption
relating to all elected representatives, including the Prime
minister, Chief Ministers, Central and state Ministers, MPs, MLAs, MLCs,
elected councilors, etc, and all class A officers, and to prosecute those against
whom sufficient evidence is found. They would also have the power to
investigate and prosecute any other person who is a co-accused in any of the
cases being investigated or prosecuted by the Lokpal.
2. Amending the Judicial Accountability
and Standards Bill, that is currently before the Parliament, to ensure that the
judiciary is also made effectively and appropriately accountable, without
compromising its independence from the executive or the integrity of its
functions.
3. Drafting an act that provides for
the setting up and functioning of Public Grievances Lokpal (Shikayat Nivaran
Lokpal) at the centre and in each of the states. These commissions would have powers to ensure that detailed
citizen's charters and norms of functioning are prepared for each public
authority. They would also ensure that other entitlements and rights are
codified, and that the obligations of each public authority are fulfilled. The
grievance redress commissions would have decentralized institutional mechanisms
going right down to each ward/block level, and would ensure a bottoms up people
centric approach so that complaints and grievances could be dealt with speedily
and in a decentralized, participatory and transparent manner. The functioning
of the grievance redress processes could be linked to the RTI Act and also to
recent, time-bound, service delivery laws providing for the imposition of
penalty on officials who do not meet the prescribed time frames for providing
services to the public. The experience of the Delhi Grievance Redress
Commission could also be instructive.
4. Strengthening the institution of the CVC and bringing in
under its purview all officers not covered under the Lokpal bill. Towards that end, providing the institution of the CVC with
adequate investigative and prosecution powers and resources. Creating similar,
independent, State Vigilance Commissions for each of the states, and also
strengthening departmental enquiry procedures.
5. An effective
legislation to protect whistleblowers will be enacted. In addition, each of
these institutions would also have provisions for protecting whistleblowers and
their identity.
Each of these institutions and authorities will function
transparently and will have to be accountable to the public for their actions
(and inactions) through strong and effective accountability measures. An option
that can be considered is that only one law be enacted that would contain all
these proposed institutions and measures. However, the institutions must be
separate and independent of each other.
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Who is Aruna Roy ?
- Aruna Roy was born in Chennai, and was an IAS officer until 1974. She resigned from the IAS to join the Social Work and Research Center in Tilonia, Rajasthan, which had been set up by her husband Sanjit 'Bunker' Roy.
- She worked at the SWRC until 1983, then moved to Devdoondri in 1990 and set up the Mazdoor Kisan Shakti Sangathana, a group which is a working example of a transparent organization. She is a strong supporter of the movement for Right to Information, which succeeded in getting the Rajasthan Right to Information Bill passed.
The MKSS built a grassroots movement that has triggered broad debate and a nationwide demand for the public's right to scrutinize official records - a crucial check against arbitrary governance.
What about NCPRI ?
The National Campaign for Peoples’ Right to Information (NCPRI) is a platform of individuals and organizations committed to making the Indian government and society more transparent and accountable. It seeks to empower people and to deepen democracy, through promoting the people’s right to know. By encouraging disclosure of information relevant to the public, it seeks to fight corruption and social apathy, to make governments, and other institutions and agencies having an impact on public welfare, more humane and accountable to the people they are meant to serve.
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