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Thursday, February 27, 2014

Cabinet, CCEA to get busy before poll code kicks in


NEW DELHI: These could be hectic few days for the UPA government before the model code of conduct kicks in, which will stop it from announcing anything that is seen as influencing voters. The Cabinet and the Cabinet Committee on Economic Affairs (CCEA) have a heavy duty agenda for Friday, the last day of the month, as the government plans to make several announcements before the code of conduct kicks in. 

The rules that the government and political parties need to follow come into force from the date of the announcement of election schedule by the Election Commission and are operational till the elections are over. The commission is expected to announce the poll schedule in the first week of March. With Parliament having been prorogued on Wednesday, the government is in a position to issue ordinances to promulgate interim law. 


The Cabinet is likely to take up on Friday a proposal to increase the minimum number of work days under the Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Act by 50 days to 150 days for scheduled castes and tribes, and another to withdraw a conciliation offer made to Vodafone Group over a tax dispute. 

The CCEA is set to consider changes in the urea investment policy and a proposal to raise the fixed cost for urea plants. A proposal on increasing dearness allowance by 10% for central government employees is also on the list. 

It is also expected to consider re-promulgating an ordinance to empower the Securities and Exchange Board of India to act against pyramid schemes. The ordinance, which lapsed for the second time on January 18, was issued after the standing committee on finance asked the government to take stringent action against ponzi schemes and impose a blanket ban on investment schemes promising unreasonable returns. 
The ordinance empowers Sebi to regulate any money pooling scheme of Rs 100 crore or more and gives it power to attach assets in cases of non-compliance. It also gives the market watchdog power toattach assets in cases of non-compliance. It also gives the market watchdog power to seek information, such as telephone call data records, from any persons or entities with respect to any securities transaction it's investigating. The amendment bill could not be taken up in the just-concluded Par-liament session as the standing committee on finance has not yet submitted its report. 

The Cabinet is expected to bring in ordinances on two anticorruption bills - Prevention of Corruption (Amendment) Bill and Right of Citizens for Time-Bound Delivery of Goods and Services and Redressal of their Grievances Bill. The Congress has been projecting its vice-president Rahul Gandhi as an advocate of these anti-graft legislations, more so after the Aam Aadmi Party made a stunning electoral debut in Delhi assembly polls by launching an anti-corruption movement. 

Apart from this, it may bring in ordinances to activate the SC/ST (Prevention of Atrocities) Amendment Bill and Rights of Persons with Disability Bill and Security Laws (Amendment) Bill. 

The government could soon decide on relaxing the curbs on gold imports that have hurt the gems and jewellery sector and increased local gold prices. If the curbs are not removed before the code of conduct kicks in, then the industry will have to wait till the end of the elections for a relaxation in import restrictions. It is also expected to consider a proposal to relax rules for foreign direct investment in the housing and construction sectors. 

Ministries are meanwhile speeding up some decisions before the code of conduct comes into force, said a government official. 

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