Lok Pal and Lokayukta figures in UN review

Spelling out the steps taken, Attorney General Goolam Vahanvati presented India's National Report on human rights to the 47-member Human Rights Council (HRC) here.

The report said that "in order to curb corruption and in a path-breaking development, the government has introduced the Lok Pal and Lokayukta Bill in the Parliament in 2011".

It informed the Council that this was passed by the Lok Sabha in December 2011, and is now before the Rajya Sabha for its consideration.

The National Report on human rights came up for review at the Council as part of the Universal Periodic Review (UPR), a process covering human rights records of all the 192 member states once every four years. India's record was last reviewed in 2008.

Even though most countries were appeciative of India's human rights record, many of them also sought a number of clarifications and even gave recommendations.

While for some, the questions amounted to those on tightening of norms for NGO funding, mortality rates among babies and mothers, selective abortion and freedom of expression on internet, for many it was about steps being taken by India for welfare and security of minorities and dalits.

Other areas of concern was the issue of death penalty, police torture and attrocities besides human trafficking, honour killing and anti-conversion laws.