Reforms: Jan Lokpal Bill: Anti-graft crusaders take it to people

Sunday, May 22, 2011

Jan Lokpal Bill: Anti-graft crusaders take it to people

NEW DELHI: Social activists sat down with members of the civil society in Shahdara on Sunday to generate awareness on the Jan Lokpal Bill. The public consultation was organized under the aegis of 'India Against Corruption' and 'Corruption Prevention Social Welfare Organization' (CPSWO).

"We are trying to take the Bill to the people and inform them of its contents. We are reaching out to residents of New Delhi through organizations working in this direction, pamphlets and movies," said Rishikesh Kumar, member of India Against Corruption, at the meet.

Other speakers included Ramesh Jha, lecturer, mathematics department, Delhi University; Anita Maan, president, CPSWO; and Vijay Saxena, vice-president, CPSWO. The meet was not exclusive to Shahdara, though; it extended to Rohini and Indirapuram, too. Six such meetings have already been held in the capital and plans are afoot to hold at least 60 more meetings in the days to come, said Kumar.

"In the last 15-20 days, a lot of such activities have taken place across the country. Everyone at the individual level is doing something or the other in this direction. We are seeking public suggestions, which will then be forwarded to the joint committee to improve the Bill," said Arvind Kejriwal.

Apart from organizing such meets, India Against Corruption is also planning to travel from New Delhi to Bhopal to educate the masses about the Bill against graft.

"The Jan Chetna Yatra will begin on May 24th and will be a seven-day march, covering areas like Delhi, Faridabad, Mathura, Gwalior, Jhansi etc," said Chauhan.

He added: "There will be no leaders in this yatra, but about 10 volunteers, who will begin their journey from New Delhi. They will have several stops during which they will hold interactions with people. "

TOI spoke to a few attendees at the Sunday summit to gauge their reaction to it. One Rekha Yadav said: "I am a housewife and I did not know what the Bill was all about. But today, they told us several useful things about it, including the names of the bodies involved, the right people to approach with complaints, etc. I might not know everything about it, but I do know where to go when I am harassed by corrupt people."

Source: TOI May 23, 2011, 05.57am IST

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ShriomJune 1, 2011 at 4:16 AM
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