<b>Office of Profit Bill:</b> Govt plans no changes

Prime Minister Manmohan Singh  will meet President A P J Abdul Kalam later today to apprise him of the cabinet decision on bringing in the Office of Profit (OoP) Bill in the Parliament without changes.

The Parliament (Prevention of Disqualification) Amendment Bill, passed by the Lok Sabha on May 16 and the Rajya Sabha the following day, provides for exclusion of 56 posts including that of National Advisory Council (NAC) chairperson from the purview of the offices of profit.

The Bill was sent to the President for his assent on May 25, but Kalam sent it back to the Parliament with a message that it should be reconsidered for a "comprehensive and generic" criteria.

Parliamentary Affairs Minister P R Dasmunsi said that since the Parliament session starts on Monday and because Rajya Sabha was the final house to pass it, the message would be brought to the Upper House first. "Since the Rajya Sabha will adjourn on the opening day on July 24 after obituary reference, the message is likely to be read out in Rajya Sabha the next day," he said.

He also said that MPs would respond to the message as they feel and equally it was the duty of the government to respond to the motion.