Under pressure from Team Anna over the Lokpal Bill, the government is clearly arming itself with a number of bills before it meets its allies on Tuesday and the all-party meet on Wednesday to discuss the Lokpal Bill.

They don't want it to be Government vs Team Anna, but want it to be like the way it has been in the past, Team Anna vs the political class.

The Union Cabinet will take up several crucial bills such as Grievance Redressal Bill along with the important Judicial Accountability Bill.

It has been the demand of Team Anna to bring the judiciary under the ambit of the Lokpal. The government had made it clear that they want to hold the judges accountable for their conduct and even the Opposition is on board with this decision.
The Parliamentary panel examining a bill on judicial accountability is understood to have recommended that judges should 'restrain' themselves from making 'unwarranted comments' against other constitutional bodies. It had also proposed to make it compulsory for the judges to declare their assets and the setting up of a national judicial oversight committee, which will look into the misbehaviour of judges.

Details of the bills that may be discussed:

Food Security Bill

The food security bill will cover 63.5 per cent of the total population. It will cover 75 per cent of the total rural population, of which 46 per cent will be priority households.
In urban areas, of the 50 per cent of the total population, 28 per cent would be priority households.

Priority households will be given 7 kg per person or 35 kg per family of the government held grains.

Subsidised rates will be Re 1 per kg for millets, wheat for Rs 2 per kg and rice for Rs 3 kg. General households will get Rs 3 per kg.

The bill provides for cash benefits to meet nutritional requirement of pregnant women and lactating mothers and children upto 14 years.

The bill likely to cost Rs 1 lakh crore annually in subsidies.

Pranab Mukherjee, Sharad Pawar and Montek Singh Ahluwalia had objected to this bill in a Cabinet note. The Prime Minister had set up an EGoM on this.

Judicial Accountability Bill

Under this bill, judges will have to declare their assets and liabilities, and also that of their spouse and children.

A National Judicial Oversight Committee, Complaints Scrutiny Panel and an investigation committee will be included under this. Any person can make a complaint against a judge to the Oversight Committee on grounds of misbehaviour.

A motion for the removal of a judge can be moved in Parliament, which will then go to the Oversight Committee.

Complaints and inquiries against judges will be confidential and frivolous complaints will be penalised.

The Oversight Committee may issue advisories or warnings to judges, and also recommend their removal to the President.

Citizens' Charter

The government had proposed the Citizens' Charter in Lokpal Bill in response to Team Anna's demands. Team Anna has criticised the government for bringing this charter outside Lokpal.

Main points of charter to be taken up by the government:

Right to service: every citizen shall have the right to time bound delivery of goods and provision for services and redressal of grievances.

Obligations on public authority: Obligation of public authority to publish citizens charter specifying the category of goods supplied and services rendered by it, the time within which such goods shall be supplied or services be rendered.

Grievance Redress Officer: Appointment and obligations of grievance redress officers, including for each municipality and panchayat. The Grievance Redress Officer shall provide all necessary assistance to citizens in filing complaints.

Central Public Grievance Redressal Commission: proceedings before central commission to be judicial proceedings under Indian Penal Code (IPC) .

Whistleblowers Bill

Anybody who reveals the identity of whistleblowers would be punished with three years jail or fine up to Rs 50,000 for revealing whistleblowers .

Department head to be held liable if whistleblower revealed.

CVC to have jurisdiction over all ministries and institutions especially after killing of RTI activist Amit Jethwa in Gujarat .

A false complaint would make the person liable to punishment with equal amount of imprisonment and fine.

Source: IBNLive.com, India,  dated 13/12/2011