Lokpal Bill will be passed in Parliament: Shinde

Bangalore: Union Home Minister Sushilkumar Shinde on Saturday expressed confidence that the Lokpal Bill would be passed in Parliament. "The bill is pending in Rajya Sabha. Now it is under discussion. We will pass it," he told reporters here.

Shinde said the government got the Lokpal Bill passed in Lok Sabha after which it had gone to Rajya Sabha which sent it to the Select Committee. "The Select Committee has recommended some amendments and we have accepted them." The minister concerned has already piloted the Bill, Shinde said. He said the government had promised social activist Anna Hazare, who is on an indefinite fast since Tuesday demanding a stronger anti-graft ombudsman, that the Lokpal bill would be passed. The government had yesterday brought back the Lokpal bill in Rajya Sabha in an amended form but its consideration was thwarted by Samajwadi Party, an outside supporter of the UPA government, which disrupted proceedings. Earlier, Shinde laid the foundation stone for the Disaster Recovery Centre and the National Intelligence Grid (NATGRID)`s Secondary Office here, a Rs 100-crore project. Speaking at the occasion, he said the government envisaged the project to connect the databases between intelligence agencies and organisations providing information in order to enhance India`s counter-terror capabilities. Upon completion of this project, India will join handful of countries in the world that have such capabilities, Shinde said. The NATGRID was conceived following 26/11 attacks and it will use the cutting edge technology to help strengthen intelligence and law enforcement agencies` ability to swiftly piece together information that could help pre-empt attacks or find perpetrators, he said. The total amount to be spent on the project is Rs 1,000 crore, Shinde said.