The Lokpal Bill, 2011 (PDF/541KB/40 pages), has today been introduced to the Lok Sabha (House of the People), the lower house of the Parliament of India. Its remit is to develop effective anti-corruption and grievance redressal systems so that an effective deterrent is created against corruption and to provide effective protection to whistleblowers. At its centre is the office of Lokpal, which is a combination of two Hindi words, together, meaning the protector of the people, i.e. ombudsman. However, the popular civil movement, India Against Corruption, is not satisfied that the bill goes far enough and the Times of India reports that copies of the bill shall be burnt in protest tomorrow.
