New Delhi: Faced with an onslaught over
series of scams, government on Friday set up a Group of Ministers
(GoM) to suggest measures, including legislative and
administrative, to tackle corruption.
The eight-member group is headed by Finance Minister
Pranab Mukherjee and includes Ministers P Chidambaram, Sharad
Pawar, A K Antony, M Veerappa Moily, Kapil Sibal, Mamata
Banerjee and M K Alagiri.
The GoM will consider "all measures, legislative and
administrative, to tackle corruption and improve
transparency", a government notification said.
The group has been set up in the backdrop of the
five-point plan of action outlined by Congress President Sonia
Gandhi last month to tackle corruption "head-on".
Gandhi's prescription included fast-tracking all cases
against public servants including politicians, taking forward
the proposal of State-funding of elections, legislative and
clear procedures to ensure transparency in public procurement
and shedding of discretionary powers by Chief Ministers and
all Ministers, including at the Centre.
She had also suggested an open competitive system of
exploiting natural resources was also needed.
The government has been facing an onslaught from the
Opposition over a series of scams, including those involving
2G spectrum allocation, CWG and Adarsh Housing Society of
Mumbai.
The Opposition has been relentlessly pressing for
formation of a Joint Parliamentary Committee to probe these
scams but the government is resisting it.
PTI
First Published: Saturday, January 08, 2011, 00:23