Panel report: Team Anna disappointed over exclusions

Team Anna today expressed disappointment over exclusion of lower bureaucracy and CBI's investigation wing from under the Lok Pal's purview in the draft report of Parliamentary Standing Committee, but opposed bringing private NGOs and media under its ambit.

Reacting to the panel's draft report, activist Arvind Kejriwal sought to remind the government of the Parliamentary resolution that led to Anna Hazare ending his fast on August 28, saying he hoped it would be respected.

"When Anna ended his fast, Parliament agreed to a resolution that stated clearly on lower bureaucracy and Citizen's Charter. We just hope that resolution is respected," Kejriwal said.

He said Group C and D employees was responsible for a lot of corruption affecting the common man and excluding them from the anti-corruption agency's purview will render it meaningless.

When asked for her comments on the issue, activist Kiran Bedi told PTI: "This is going back on the commitment and will call for mass movement again."

Kejriwal also expressed apprehension over the inclusion on all NGOs under the Lok Pal's purview, saying this would make matters "more confusing".

"We fully agree that there is a lot of corruption in NGOs as well as in the media, but Lok Pal as it was envisioned since 1968 is meant to be an agency that will cover corruption as defined by the Prevention of Corruption Act (PCA).

"To deal with NGOs there is a Registrar of Society and Trust Act. We need to strengthen it but we demand inclusion of government-funded NGOs as they come under the purview of PCA. For media, Press Council should be strengthened," he said.

 He said other laws are needed to be strengthened to deal with corruption in media and NGOs as bringing a huge number of NGOs under it "would make things confusing".

However, Bedi welcomed the proposal to bring corporates, media and NGOs under the ambit of Lok Pal.