By IANS,
New Delhi : Prime Minister Manmohan Singh Tuesday expressed the hope that Parliament will approve the Telangana bill and anti-corruption bills during its session beginning Feb 5.
Speaking to reporters after an all-party meet ahead of the parliament session, the prime minister said: “This is going to be the last session of the 15th Lok Sabha. There is important legislation which is pending for approval by parliament.
“There is important legislation relating to anti-corruption measures. There is important legislation with regard to Women’s Reservation Bill. There is important business concerning the control of communal violence,” he added.
He said: “I sincerely hope that parliament, in its wisdom, will transact the essential business which is the primary concern of any legislature in a parliamentary democracy. And, of course, there is the vital issue of Telangana.”
The prime minister said the United Progressive Alliance (UPA) government wants to bring the Telangana Bill in parliament for its approval.
“I sincerely hope that after a long debate extending over many years, the house will, in its wisdom, be able to transact the business and pass the Bill relating to the creation of the state of Telangana,” the prime minister added.
The parliament session will begin Wednesday and end Feb 21.
The prime minister’s remarks assume significance as Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister Kiran Kumar Reddy, who is opposed to the division of the state, is planning to meet President Pranab Mukherjee on the issue. The Andhra chief minister is in Delhi.
During the day, Manmohan Singh also met a delegation of Telangana Rashtriya Samithi (TRS) leaders and appealed to them that the bifurcation of Andhra Pradesh “should be peaceful”.
“Nothing should be said or done that can inflame passions. I appeal to all that the bifurcation process should be peaceful,” the prime minister told the delegation led by party chief K. Chandrasekhar Rao.
The TRS leaders presented the prime minister with a memorandum on Telangana state, said the PMO.
The meeting with the prime minister took place even as opposition Telugu Desam Party workers gheraoed union Rural Development Minister Jairam Ramesh in North Block. Ramesh had come for the Group of Ministers (GoM) meet for speeding up the carving of the new state out of Andhra Pradesh.
The protestors, who were soon whisked away, said the central government should show respect for the state assembly’s stand rejecting the bill.
YSR Congress chief Jagan Mohan Reddy also wrote a letter to Lok Sabha Speaker Meira Kumar saying that his party would oppose the Telangana bill “tooth and nail”.
“It is the firm view of our party that the Telangana Bill should not be tabled in parliament after it was rejected by the state assembly. We have opposed the Bill and bifurcation of the state at many forums and will continue to do so in Parliament as we feel the division is undemocratic,” he said.
Thirty-nine bills are on the government’s agenda for the second half of the winter session beginning Wednesday. Of these, six are finance bills.
Some of important bills pending:
* The womens reservation bill. It’s a constitutional amendment bill that seeks to reserve one-third of all seats for women in parliament and the state legislative assemblies.
* Anto-vommunal violence bill. While the official list released by government does not mention it, Finance Minister P. Chidambaram Monday included this controversial bill in the list of important bills for the session. It makes bureaucrats and public servants accountable for any acts of commission and omission while handling communal violence.
* The Telangana bill provides for creating a separate state of Telangana out of Andhra Pradesh.
* Rights of persons with disabilities bill provides for five percent reservation in public sector jobs and makes the private sector more accountable for creating a disabled-friendly environment. It provides incentives for the private sector to take such measures.
* The street vendors bill aims to protect the livelihood rights of street vendors as well as regulate street vending through demarcation of vending zones, conditions for and restrictions on street vending.
Anti-graft bills:
* The public procurement bill seeks to regulate and ensure transparency in procurement by the central government and its entities. It exempts procurements for disaster management, for security or strategic purposes and those below Rs.50 lakh. The government can also exempt, in public interest, any procurements or procuring entities from any of the bill’s provisions.
* The Prevention of Corruption Act (Amendment) Bill. Under this, an investigating agency may have to seek prior permission from the government before questioning a retired bureaucrat in a corruption case. The provisions aimed at protecting retired bureaucrats will come into effect only after parliament gives its nod to the changes in the Prevention of Corruption Act (Amendment) Bill, 1988.
* The prevention of bribery of foreign public officials and officials of public international organisations bill provides a mechanism to deal with bribery among foreign public officials (FPO) and officials of public international organizations (OPIO). India had signed the United Nations Convention against Corruption on December 9, 2005. The bill is necessary for ratifying the convention.
* The judicial standards and accountability bill lays down enforceable standards of conduct for judges. It also requires judges to declare details of their and their family members’ assets and liabilities. Importantly, it creates mechanisms to allow any person to complain against judges on grounds of misbehaviour or incapacity.
* The right of citizens to time-bound delivery of goods and services and redressal of their grievances bill seeks to create a mechanism to ensure timely delivery of goods and services to citizens. Every public authority is required to publish a citizens charter within six months of the commencement of the act. The charter will detail the goods and services to be provided and their timelines for delivery.
* The whistleblowers protection bill.