PM to Cabinet: Expedite bills on CMP vows

By Our Special Correspondent

New Delhi, Aug. 18: Prime Minister Manmohan Singh has asked his Cabinet colleagues to expedite legislation of bills pertaining to promises made in the Common Minimum Programme and those mentioned in the presidential address made at the beginning of the present Parliament session.

He also asked for expediting the legislation on creation of a separate Telangana state which was included both in the CMP and the President’s customary joint address to both Houses of Parliament.

Other proposed legislations which have been mentioned both in the CMP and the presidential address is the bill seeking to strike down the Prevention of Terrorism Act and the Seeds Bill.

According to government sources, there are about 39 bills, some of which have been mentioned in the CMP and others in the presidential address.

At the instance of the Prime Minister, the government has made four categories of the commitments made in the CMP, the presidential address and those which have been made in both and those which require only departmental action, such as release of drought funds.

The Cabinet secretary, therefore, has prepared a 25-page report listing all these promises. The home ministry itself has some four such bills on its hands including Pota and Telangana.

Under instructions from the Prime Minister, the Cabinet secretary, Mr B.K. Chaturvedi, sent a reminder to all the concerned ministries on July 28. But none of the ministries bothered to respond.

On August 5, he filed a report stating that so far there has not been any progress on most of the issues. The only exception is the preparation of the draft of the Lok Pal Bill. Meanwhile, when Telangana Rashtra Samithi president K. Chandrasekhar Rao was asked to confirm this, he said, "Yes it did figure in the Cabinet meeting."