PMO attempts to counter Anna's anti-corruption stir threat

With Anna Hazare giving an ultimatum for his team's Jan Lokpal Bill to be brought in parliament, the government Tuesday tried to blunt his threat by issuing a lengthy press release listing some of the anti-corruption efforts it has taken in the last one and half years.

The prime minister's office, in a release here, said the group of ministers (GoM) it had set up in January last year to suggest measure to tackle corruption had submitted two reports. In pursuance of these, the government had directed that requests for sanction of prosecution of officials are to be decided upon by the competent authority within three months.

The GoM had submitted its first report to the prime minister in September last year. The release also said that the government decided that for all officers of the central government above the joint secretary rank, the respective ministers in charge of departments will be the competent authority to approve initiation of probes under the relevant laws.

It also said that it has accepted the recommendation of the GoM to put in place regulatory parameters for exercise of discretionary powers by ministers and to put up those regulations in the public domain.

The PMO also listed the Lokpal Bill that has been passed by the Lok Sabha and which is pending in the Rajya Sabha since the last winter session too as one of its anti-corruption initiative.

Hazare and his team of activists have trashed the government-drafted Lokpal bill and have asked the government to pass the Jan Lokpal bill drafted by it instead.