M A I N   N E W S

Lok Pal Bill to be tabled
Govt equity in banks to go down
Tribune News Service

NEW DELHI, Nov 16 — The Union Cabinet today approved an ambitious integrated programme for universal elementary education with community participation and cleared a proposal to reduce the government equity limit in nationalised banks from the existing 51 per cent to 33 per cent.

The Cabinet also decided to rename the Gaggal Airport at Dharamsala in Himachal Pradesh as Kangra Airport. At present only Indian Airlines operates three weekly flights by a Dornier plane to the picturesque holiday resort, which is also home to the Dalai Lama, spiritual leader of Tibetans.

It also decided to introduce the Lok Pal Bill in the winter session of Parliament. The Bill is finalised by a Group of ministers headed by Home Minister, L. K. Advani. It has been asked to expedite the proposed Bill. The government said it was determined to present the Lok Pal Bill in the next session.

The Sarva Shiksha Abhiyan would have a governing council which will be chaired by the Prime Minister and the Minister of Human Resource Development would be the Vice-Chairman. The Finance Minister, the Deputy Chairman of the Planning Commission and other ministers and MPs would be members of the council.

Cabinet spokesperson and Union Minister, Pramod Mahajan said the proposed amendment to the Banking Company Acquisitions and Transfers Undertaking Act would ensure that no single party acquired controlling authority as not more than 1 per cent could be bought by any person or firm.

Emphasising that the Government would have full control over the banks, Mr Mahajan said the chief executive of the banks would be decided by the government and it would continue to be under parliamentary supervision.

He said the Bill for the amendment of the Act would be introduced in the next session of Parliament and the government was ready if the members wanted it to be referred to the Standing Committee on Finance. The government had no ulterior motive, like privatisation, and it was open to parliament direction, he added.

The Cabinet also allowed the India Tourism Development Corporation (ITDC) to reduce the retirement age from 60 to 58 for below board level employees. He said under the scheme, 250 employees would retire this year and 246 in the next 18 months. The organisation would save Rs 10 crore.

Announcing the ambitious Sarva Shiksha Abhiyan, Mr Mahajan said under the scheme all children aged between 6 and 14 would be in school/employment guarantee centre/bridge courses by 2003; all would complete primary education by 2007 and all should complete eight years of schooling by 2010.

The scheme, by a conservative estimate, would cost around Rs 1 lakh thousand crore which would be earmarked in the next three Plans.

The emphasis of the scheme would be on districts with low female literacy among Scheduled Castes and Scheduled Tribes.

The Sarva Shiksha Abhiyan would be community-based. village education plans would be prepared in consultation with Panchayati Raj Institutions.

In the country today 70 per cent children in the 6-14 age group are attending schools. The National Family Health Survey of 1998-99 reveals that 80.2 per cent of boys and 67 per cent girls in the 11-14 age group are attending schools. Article 45 of the Constitution of India provides for free and compulsory education for all children up to the age of 14.

The Cabinet approved the proposal to introduce the Protection of Plant Varieties and Farmers Right Bill, 2000, to provide a major thrust to agriculture growth in the country.

The Bill would provide an effective system for protection of plant breeders’ right and this would stimulate investment in research and development and help grow new plant varieties and facilitate growth of the seed industry. The proposed Bill is part of the WTO-related series of Bills.

Another decision taken at the meeting was approval to an indigenous construction of a meteorological satellite (METSAT). The estimated cost of the satellite is Rs 75 crore. The foreign exchange component would be Rs 39 crore. The satellite would be launched with a modified indigenous polar satellite launch vehicle. The launch is targeted for October, 2001.

The satellite would support the Indian Meteorological Department to make available meteorological services such as cyclone warning and weather imagery.

A need to build and launch the METSAT was felt after the loss of INSAT-2E. This satellite would carry a payload similar to that carried by INSAT-2 E. The minimum life of the spacecraft is five years and the expected life seven.

The Cabinet also approved the introduction of the Indian Divorce (Amendment) Bill, 2000. This Bill is intended to amend the Indian Divorce Act, 1869. The Bill would amend Section 10, 17 and 20 of the Indian Divorce Act, 1869 and also make certain consequential changes.

In the present Section 10, a man seeking dissolution of marriage needs to prove only adultery on the part of his wife. However, in the case a wife seeks dissolution she is required to prove some other marital offence in addition to adultery to be able to obtain dissolution.

This is clearly discriminatory to the women and the Bill seeks to amend this. Sections 17 and 20 relate to procedural matters and would do away with outdated and discriminatory provisions against Christian women.