The Maharashtra government will implement the Lokpal Act in the state, which will put the chief minister of the state under the jurisdiction of the Lokayukta. The Shinde-led government has fulfilled the demand of social activist Anna Hazare after 11 years.
Maharashtra Chief Minister Eknath Shinde said, “We will run the government with complete transparency. We will make Maharashtra corruption free, so we have decided to bring Lokayukta law into the state.”
ती समिती काही सूचना करणार होती. मध्यंतरीच्या काळात सरकार बदलल्यानंतर गांभीर्याने त्यावर काम झालेले दिसत नाही. आता मात्र नवीन सरकार आल्याबरोबर आम्ही त्या समितीला चालना दिली. माननीय आण्णा हजारे यांच्या समितीने दिलेला रिपोर्ट शासनाने स्वीकारला. : उपमुख्यमंत्री देवेंद्र फडणवीस pic.twitter.com/rZ8gk2A9ao
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Maharashtra Deputy Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis said, “Lokayukta bill will be brought in this session. Anna Hazare was constantly demanding that the Lokpal Bill should be implemented in Maharashtra in the same manner as the Lokpal Bill was enacted at the Centre.”
He further stated, we had constituted a committee under the leadership of Anna Hazare for recommendations during our tenure, accepted the recommendations given and prepared this law. However, no action was taken on it during the Maha Vikas Aghadi government. When we returned to power, we accelerated this process.
Deputy CM said, Lokayukta will be a five member team, in which Chief Justice of High Court and Supreme Court will also be included. We are enacting a new Lokpal Act to fight corruption, and this is the biggest step taken by our government in the last five months, he added.
Social activist Anna Hazare started the ‘Movement Against Corruption’ in 2011. Their demand was that the government should form a committee to draft the Lokpal Bill. Accepting their demand, the government issued a notification for this on the fifth day of the fast after Anna broke her fast by drinking lemon water from the hands of a small girl.
Ultimately, the government had to bring this bill in the Lok Sabha in a hurry. Anna’s movement ended after the bill was passed in the Lok Sabha. On January 1, 2014, the President gave his assent to it and it came into force on January 16, 2014.