'Bring CMs under Lokpal'

As the debate on who all are to be included under the Lokpal Bill purview rages on, Delhi chief minister Sheila Dikshit on Wednesday suggested bringing the CMs under the ambit of the proposed law to ensure transparency and better governance.

As the debate on who all are to be included under the Lokpal Bill purview rages on, Delhi chief minister Sheila Dikshit on Wednesday suggested bringing the CMs under the ambit of the proposed law to ensure transparency and better governance.

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Dikshit said she hoped the stalemate over the Lokpal Bill ends soon. “In order to ensure a corruption-free society, it would be appropriate to broaden the jurisdiction of the Lokpal by bringing the chief ministers under the ambit of the proposed bill,” she said after chairing a Cabinet meeting.

The government’s Lokpal Bill does not have provision for bringing CMs under its ambit but Anna Hazare's Jan Lokpal version suggests setting up of Lokayukta at the state level which would cover chief ministers.

Dikshit also added that her government had taken a number of steps to enhance transparency and accountability and ensure a better work culture with the help of information technology. Delhi is the first state to implement the Service Level Agreements and enact its RTI Act.

“The Delhi government has been striving hard to establish transparency. We have also been facilitating smooth functioning of institutions like the Lokayukta and Public Grievance Commission with the aim of eliminating corruption and providing a foolproof mechanism of grievance redressal,” she said.

The Delhi Cabinet, meanwhile, passed a resolution “willing to enact/or adopt a Lokpal Act in order to place a strong and effective anti-corruption institution”.

The Delhi government has sent letters to PM Manmohan Singh, finance minister Pranab Mukherjee and law minister Salman Khurshid expressing its resolve to supporting steps being taken by the Centre to stop corruption.