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Govt aims for universal elementary education; to introduce Lok Pal Bill
in winter session

The cabinet on Thursday finalised an integrated programme for universal elementary education through community participation that aims to give all children in the 6-14 age group five years of primary education by 2007. The programme is expected to cost over Rs 1,000 billion over 10 years.

The Cabinet also resolved to present the much delayed Lok Pal Bill, which would establish an autonomous body to check corruption among elected Members of Parliament, Union ministers, probably the prime minister and the higher judiciary, in the winter session of Parliament.

The Group of Ministers, which is presently studying the draft bill, has been asked to speed up the final draft. "Government is determined to present the bill in the winter session of Parliament," Information Technology Minister Pramod Mahajan told reporters after the cabinet meeting.

The Union Cabinet also finalised amendments to several other Acts, including those which would reduce the majority stake-holding of government in nationalised banks. Another amendment aims to end years of discrimination suffered by Christian women under the divorce laws.

Talking to reporters after the meeting, Mahajan said, "The Sarva Shiksha Abhiyan (Total Literacy Campaign) is an integrated programme for achieving universal elementary education." It will have a governing council chaired by the prime minister. The Union human resource development minister will function as its vice chairman.

Article 45 of the Constitution provides for free and compulsory education for all children up to the age of 14 years.

Initially, the major thrust of the campaign, Mahajan said, would be to ensure that 'all children between the age of 6-14 are enrolled in school/employment guarantee centres/bridge courses by 2003'.

In the next phase, the government wants to see 'all children in the 6-14 age group complete five years of primary education by 2007' and in the final stage 'children in this age group should complete eight years of schooling by 2010'.

The programme will concentrate on districts 'having low female literacy and Schedule Caste and Schedule Tribes".

The project will be community based and village education plans will be prepared in consultation with panchayat raj institutions, he said.

According to the latest statistics, nearly 70 per cent of the children in the age group of 6-14 are attending school. The National Family Health Survey of 1998-99 showed that 80.2 per cent of boys and 67 per cent girls in the 11-14 age group are attending schools.

In an attempt to end the anomalies in divorce cases among Christian couples, the Cabinet approved the introduction of Indian Divorce (Amendment) Bill, 2000. This Bill is intended to amend the Indian Divorce Act 1869.

Under Section 10 of the present Act, a man seeking dissolution of marriage needs to prove only adultery on the part of his wife. However, in case of the wife, she will have to prove some other marital offence in addition to adultery to obtain divorce. The amendment will correct this anomaly, Mahajan said.

The cabinet also approved the indigenous construction of a meteorological satellite (METSAT) at an estimated cost of Rs 750 million, the foreign exchange component being Rs 390 million, Mahajan said.

The decision may have been prompted by the loss of INSAT 2B recently. The satellite will be launched from India by a modified indigenous Polar Satellite Launch Vehicle and the launch is targeted for sometime in October, 2001.

Its minimum life span will be 5 years while the maximum would be seven years, the minister said.

The Cabinet also approved the new wage board for journalists with minor amendments. This would bring the journalists' salary structure in government accredited media organisations to somewhat similar levels of that recommended by the 5th Pay Commission for central government employees.

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