New Delhi (AsiaNews) - After two years of struggle and debates, India's Parliament approved the Lokpal Bill, an anti-corruption piece of legislation demanded by activist Anna Hazare and large segments of the population. Today, the Lok Sabha (House of the People or lower house) passed the amendments to the bill voted yesterday by the Rajya Sabha (Council of States or upper house). Now the country will have to wait for President Pranab Mukherjee to sign the bill into law for it to take effect.
Speaking to AsiaNews, local Catholic sources said that this step is "very important, because in India corruption operates at all levels, inside and outside the government. Today's action sends a strong message."
Under the terms of the bill, an ombudsman's office, the Lokpal, will be set up at the federal level, with its counterpart equivalent, the Lokayukta, in each state. The Lokpal will consist of a chairperson and a maximum of eight members, of which 50 per cent shall be judicial members. Fifty per cent will also be selected from the Scheduled Castes, Scheduled Tribes, Other Backward Classes, and women.
Once established, the agency will investigate anyone suspected of graft, including politicians, government officials and the prime minister. Sources told AsiaNews that with this move parliament "has sent a very strong message."
"In India," they added, "we are doing something serious to stop corruption, which is endemic. We are seeing a change in mind-set, as evidenced by the electoral success Aam Admi Party (Common Man Party) in New Delhi, which ran on anti-corruption platform. People are tired of this situation and show it by demonstrating and calling for a change in society even at the highest levels."
What is even better is the fact that "not only ordinary people, but also the middle classes support this bill: educated people and youth, who have a certain cultural, intellectual and academic background. In the past, they sometimes showed little interest in politics, but now they want a 'revolution'. This means that the country is grooming a new generation that wants to do its part and change things."
In particular, under the new law, the Lokpal is tasked with supervising bodies and trusts that receive public funds, funding from foreign sources, or have revenues above a certain threshold. It excludes instead endowments by or for religious groups or charities.
Many MPs have called today's step "historic". In 2011, the bill was voted down in the Rajya Sabha after making it through the Lok Sabha.
