By IANS,
New Delhi : The key demands raised at Wednesday’s joint drafting committee meeting and the response of the government, according to civil society members:
– Lokpal should have officers working at the district level so that a person who has made a complaint in a remote part of the country does not have to travel to Delhi.
Government refused to accept that model and maintained that Lokpal will be an 11-member organisation but will have powers to receive public grievances from ordinary people.
– Audio tapes of the proceedings so far should be given to civil society members.
The government refused and said the demand could be considered after meetings were over.
– According to an update sent by members of Anna Hazare’s team, the government wanted to create “an emaciated and disempowered” institution and “it wants to kill Lokpal before it was born”.
The update said the government was hesitating in making the discussions public as people would come to know that “it had vetoed practically all points without having any valid arguments”.