Delhi Giovernment clears Jan Lokpal Bill

The Delhi cabinet meeting chaired by Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal cleared  much talked-about Jan Lokpal bill which provides for covering all public servants - from chief minister to Group D employees -- and seeks life term as maximum punishment for those found guilty of corruption.


bill provides for a legal right of protection to honest officials, whistleblowers and witnesses besides having provisions for time-bound investigation and trial of corruption cases.

Jan Lokpal is the key promise made to the voters by AAP

there is  no provision for any "special privileges" for even the chief minister and council of ministers has been proposed in the bill

He said government will not send the bill to the Home Ministry for approval.

Sources said the Law Department had mentioned in its noting that there as per existing norms, Delhi government has to get clearance from the Home Ministry before tabling any bill.

"The only law which comes closest to this bill is the bill passed by the Uttarakhand assembly in 2011, but it too had some limitations in filing complaints against the CM and ministers. This bill for the first time provides a legal right of protection for the whistleblowers and witnesses in corruption cases.

Asked whether the bill will at least be sent to the Lt Governor for clearance, Sisodia only said it will be tabled in the House.

When asked whether Delhi Police, DDA and NDMC will come under ambit of Jan Lokpal, he refused to reply.

But officials said as these three bodies come under the purview of Delhi government's Anti-Corruption Bureau, they will automatically come under the ambit of the proposed legislation when the ACB is merged with the Lokpal.

This provision may be opposed by the Centre as all the three agencies report directly to the Home Ministry.

Justice Mathur to head 7th Central Pay Commission

Prime Minister Manmohan Singh has approved composition of the 7th Pay Commission, which will revise the salaries of over 50 lakh central government employees.

Former Supreme Court Justice Ashok Kumar Mathur has been appointed as chairman of the Commission, with Oil Secretary Vivek Rae as full time Member.

Rathin Roy (Director, NIPFP) will be part-time Member and Meena Agarwal (OSD, Department of Expenditure) its Secretary.

The Commission has been mandated to submit its report in two years time and its recommendations would be implemented from January 1, 2016.

Age relaxation for widows and divorced women in Central Government Group C and Group D Jobs

The central governemtn said divorcees and judicially separated women should be allowed to take the Staff Selection Commission exam and participate in other employment exchanges up to 35 years of age. .(40 years for member of SCs/STs). The direction came following recommendation by a Parliamentary Standing Committee in this regard.

The Ministry of Personnel has brought to the notice of SSC and Union Public Service Commission, among others, its notice about this provision.

These concessions are for the post of Group 'C' and erstwhile Group 'D' filled through SSC or employment exchange.

It has directed scrupulous compliance of these instructions by all administrative authorities.

Railway appoints 4 new General Managers

The Government has decided to fill up the vacancies lying vacant for months.

Rajiv Vishnoi  is the new General Manager (GM) of East Coast Railway Navin Tandon is the new General Manager GM of South east Central Railway. Hemant Kumar , has been appointed as GM of Western Railway P K Srivastava is the new GM of South Central Railway. A K Aggarwal who was in the Railway Organisation of Alternate Fuel has been moved to Integral Coach Factory in Chennai as its GM. Railways have recently filled up all vacant posts at the Board level by appointing A K Mittal as Member (Staff) and Alok Johri as Member (Mechanical).

Ms. Madhu Bhaduri 'quits' Aam Aadmi

Aam Aadmi ‘s founding member and former diplomat Ms. Madhu Bhaduri "distanced" quit herself from the party alleging that she was heckled at a meeting for introducing a resolution condemning Delhi Law Minister Somnath Bharti's role in a midnight raid, even as the outfit rubbished the charges.

The former diplomat said AAP  doesn't consider women as human beings

Ms. Bhaduri was a member of the party panel to chalk its foreign policy.

The Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) has, however, rubbished the allegations that she was heckled.

Harish Rawat sworn in as new Uttarakhand CM

Union Water Resources Minister Harish Rawat was sworn in as the eighth Chief Minister of Uttarakhand.
 
Mr.  Rawat was administered the oath of office by Governor Aziz Qureshi at Raj Bhawan lawns along with a 11-member Cabinet all of whom were ministers in the Bahuguna government.

Rawat's name was approved by Congress president Sonia Gandhi, senior party leader Janardhan Dwivedi told reporters here after a five-hour-long meeting of the Congress Legislature Party. Rawat was Union Cabinet Minister for Water Resources.

Nepal and India have amended a bilateral transit treaty

Nepal and India have amended a bilateral transit treaty to facilitate the export of goods from a third country through India.

only goods of Nepalese origin were allowed to be exported through India to third countries. The amendment to the "export procedure" in the Memorandum to the Protocol to the Treaty of Transit of 1999 will facilitate the transit of goods of third country origin exported from Nepal, said a statement issued on 31-01-2014 by the Indian Embassy in Kathmandu.

This restriction has now been removed and now goods of non-Nepalese origin would be allowed transit through India for export to third countries.

It will also allow the movement of diplomatic cargo exported from Nepal and transiting through India.