Govt sets up high-level panel to examine Lokpal Bill

• Faced with a rash of scams, the government is going proactive on the Lokpal Bill and has set up a high-level panel to consider giving more teeth to the anti-graft mechanism.
• The Committee of Secretaries on Lokpal Bill, headed by the Cabinet Secretary, met recently to consider suggestions to provide more teeth to the proposed legislation
• Sources in the government said the meeting considered suggestions by private individuals and NGOs to make the mechanism more effective.
• One of the criticisms is that the Lokpal will not have any power to either initiate action suo motu in any case or even receive complaints of corruption from general public. The public will make complaints to the Lok Sabha Speaker or Rajya Sabha Chairperson. Only those complaints forwarded by them would be investigated by the Lokpal. This, some feel, will severely restrict the functioning of the Lokpal.
• Some NGOs have also objected to the restriction of the three-member panel of Lokpal to retired judges and want eminent people from other walks of life to be a part of the panel.