Govt against Oppn bid to send Whistle Blowers Bill to select panel

Opposition parties in the Rajya Sabha on Monday made a strong pitch for referring the key Whistle Blowers Bill to a Select Committee, while opposing the proposed changes in it, even as the government downplayed the demand. Members of the Congress, CPI(M) and Samajwadi Party wanted the government not to rush the discussion and passage of the Whistle Blowers Protection (Amendment) Bill, 2015, with Congress member Jairam Ramesh alleging that “a very major dilution” was being made in the legislation.

MoS in PMO Jitendra Singh, however, dismissed the charge, saying it was “not appropriate” to say that the government was trying to curtail the scope of the Bill and said the amendments only aimed at putting the safegaurds, which were not there earlier.