Lokpal Bill will be introduced in current session: Chidambaram

With pressure mounting on the Centre for enacting a strong anti-graft legislation, Home Minister P Chidambaram on Saturday said the Lokpal Bill will "certainly" be introduced in the Winter Session of Parliament.

"Lokpal Bill will certainly be introduced in the ongoing Parliament session", Chidambaram said at a function to celebrate Congress president Sonia Gandhi's 66th birthday.

Team Anna has stepped up pressure on the United Progressive Alliance government for passing the bill in the current session and threatened to intensify protests, including an indefinite fast by Anna Hazare, if it was not done.

Besides Lokpal Bill, Chidambaram said a host of other bills, including the Food Security Bill, would be introduced in the session. "I hope the draft Food Security Bill will be cleared in the Cabinet on Monday," he said.

Claiming that the UPA government has implemented progressive schemes and legislations, he said all these measures were borne out of the UPA Chairperson's vision. "The progressive steps taken by her needs to be celebrated…", he said.

Before implementing a progressive scheme, she discusses the pros and cons of the measures and once decided, there is "no going back" (by her), Chidambaram said.

Earlier, he recalled the UPA government's significant initiatives like Right to Information Act and Right to Education Act among many others.