Maharashtra CMO to come under jurisdiction of Lokayukta

The Chief Minister's Office (CMO) of Maharashtra will come under the jurisdiction of Lokayukta, said Water Resources Minister Girish Mahajan here on Tuesday.

Talking to media persons after the Cabinet meeting, Mahajan said: "It has been decided that the Chief Minister's office will come under the ambit of the Lokpal Bill that we are going to bring in. This will be a step towards greater transparency and reducing corruption."

The decision was taken at the Cabinet meeting chaired by Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis here. Maharashtra was the first state to introduce the Lokayukta through the Lokayukta and Upa-Lokayuktas Act in 1971.

It is worth mentioning that anti-corruption crusader Anna Hazare has announced to start his fast for the formation of Lokpal at the Centre and Lokayuktas in the states from January 30, also the death anniversary of Mahatma Gandhi, which is observed as Martyrs' Day.

Hazare said on Tuesday that he decided to sit on a fast at his village Ralegan Siddhi as Prime Minister Narendra Modi led BJP government at the Centre failed to put in place a competent Lokpal to effectively deal with the menace of corruption.

"It has been five years, but Prime Minister Modi led government at the Centre is making excuses. If they wanted, they could have done the needful by now," said Hazare.

As per the provisions of the Lokpal and Lokayuktas Act, 2013, a Lokpal as anti-corruption authority or ombudsman would be set up at the Central level, while Lokayukta will be set up in each state.

"I will begin my hunger strike from my village Ralegan Siddhi. I will not be fasting against a party or a person. I will be protesting for the betterment of the nation," said Hazare.

Earlier Hazare had said that if the Lokpal would have been appointed, then cases like Rafale would not have occurred. "It is a revolutionary bill under which every officer will be investigated if citizens complaint against them," he said.

The Supreme Court on Thursday asked the Lokpal Search Committee to complete its task of short-listing the names for Lokpal by February end and submit the list for consideration to the Selection Committee. Now, the apex court will hear the plea on March 7.