The Union government would soon bring a bill to check tainted persons from becoming members of higher judiciary, Union Law Minister Veerappa Moily said at the 8th Pravasi Bharatiya Divas meet here on Friday.
“To ensure reforms in the judicial system, we are bringing in the Judges Standard and Accountability Bill, which will ensure that not a single tainted person becomes part of the higher courts. We are making sincere efforts to ensure that the rule of law in India is one of the best in the world. We are making all efforts to improve our governance,” he said.
Urging the NRIs and people of Indian origin (PIO) to invest in the country and help in its development, he said, reforms in governance and judicial system would also benefit the diaspora. “We are planning to set up special courts to settle commercial issues at a minimum possible time frame, say a maximum of five to six months. We are committed to improving our dispute redressal mechanism and make India as the preferred destination for international arbitration,” he said.
The Minister pointed out that the Centre had set up the Administrative Reform Commission to suggest ways and means to improve governance and it had made a series of recommendations. Out of this, almost 95 per cent were under implementation. “Today India is one of the fastest growing democracies in the world. I am confident we will soon achieve a double digit growth rate. We hope the engagement of the diaspora in the national development process would be more intense in days to come.”
Pranab’s call
Earlier, Union Finance Minister Pranab Mukherjee said the country could achieve 9-10 per cent growth, and urged the diaspora to play an important role in the nation’s development. The Minister released a book, Idea of Giving, which focuses on stories of the PIOs, who had given back to the country by sharing their fortunes and expertise.
Union Minister for Road Transport and Highways Kamal Nath said the 90s’ was the decade of information technology, while the current decade would be that of infrastructure. Asking NRIs to help India achieve its infrastructure development goals, he said: “The target was to build 7,000 km of road every year. For this, an investment to the tune of $50 billion was required, which was an investment opportunity for the Indian diaspora.”
Similarly, Sam Pitroda, Adviser to the Prime Minister, said, opportunities for the diaspora also existed in the areas of information technology, knowledge and innovations. “The IT sector, enabled by the telecom revolution of the 80s, has today become an industry with exports to the tune of $ 60 billion.” The IT sector could also play an important role in addressing issues related to governance and inclusive growth. “The opportunities in the education sector were also immense. We plan to set up 30 new national universities, 14 innovation universities and the skill development projects that provide attractive engagement opportunities for the diaspora,” he said.
