Nagpur: In a significant move, the Shinde Fadnavis government will table a Lokayukta Bill on the lines of Lok Pal in which the Chief Minister and the cabinet will now be under the ambit of the Lokayukta. The government proposes to change the present toothless Lokayukta by giving powers under the Prevention of Corruption Act also which was missing in the present law.
The state cabinet on the eve of winter session of the Maharashtra Legislature held on Sunday here at Nagpur has fully accepted the report submitted by the anti corruption crusader Anna Hazare. This was announced by the Chief Minister Eknath Shinde and Deputy Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis at the press conference after the state cabinet and after the customary tea meeting which was boycotted by the opposition parties.
Shinde and Fadnavis said that the Lokayukta Bill will be tabled in the winter session and questioned why the Maha Vikas Aghadi government did not table the bill during its tenure. Fadnavis has clarified that the government has not decided whether the action under the proposed law will also be retrospective.
‘’The BJP-Shiv Sena government during 2014-19 had formed the committee headed by Anna Hazare. However, during the MVA government there was no progress on that front. However, the present government has accepted the report of Anna Hazare's committee. The Chief Minister has given assent to the new Lokayukta Act. For the first time in the state, we are going to bring the Chief Minister and the entire cabinet under the ambit of the Lokayukta. The Prevention of Corruption Act has been made part of Lokayukta. At present, It was not under its jurisdiction,’’ said Fadnavis. He added that the retired Supreme Court or the High Court justice will hold the post of the Lokayukta.
Shinde strongly defended the state government’s move to table the Lokayukta Bill saying that the government is committed to provide transparent and corruption free functioning. He also took a dig at the opposition’s claim that the state government since its formation in June had done nothing saying that it has taken a bold decision of bringing in Lokayukta bill to curb corruption.
