Hope, with uncertainty, on effective grievance redressal

While the government may have dismissed most of the suggestions by the Anna Hazare team for the Lok Pal Bill, the Cabinet last month approved the concept of a separate law for grievance redressal, independent of the Lok Pal.

It was mooted as a separate entity by the National Campaign for People's Right to Information, a network of activists led by NAC member Aruna Roy. The proposal was of a standalone grievance redressal mechanism law, independent of the Lok Pal and covering all government schemes.

Nikhil De of NCPRI said the government had merely agreed to set up such a mechanism but it has to create a law. “We are clueless if our suggestions would be accepted. We would be submitting our draft legislation on the subject soon to rural development minister Jairam Ramesh, whose ministry would be piloting the Bill,” he said.