The government has invited applications for the post of chairperson and for eight posts of members in the Lokpal.
An official release said that out of the eight members, four posts are for judicial members, while the remaining four posts are for persons who are not judicial members.
The release further indicated that 50 percent of the members of the Lok Pal shall be from amongst Scheduled Castes, Scheduled Tribe, Other Backward Classes, Minorities and Women categories.
The government has circulated these vacancies to the Registrar of the Supreme Court, the Registrars of High Courts, Chief Secretaries of State Governments and Secretaries in the Central Government Departments and Ministries, calling for nomination of eligible candidates by February 7, 2014.
The new enactment is indicative of the resolve of Parliament and the government to give the nation an effective anti-corruption framework.
The historic Lokpal and Lokayuktas Act, 2013 passed by Parliament (December 17, 2013 in Rajya Sabha and December 18, 2013 in Lok Sabha) paves the way for setting up of the institution of Lokpal at the Centre and Lokayuktas in states by law enacted by the respective state legislatures within one year of coming into force of the Act.
The new law provides for a mechanism for dealing with complaints of corruption against public functionaries, including those in high places.
Another significant feature of the Act is that it has taken its present shape after repeated consultations with all stake holders, including civil society.
The Lokpal and Lokayuktas Act is perhaps the only legislation in the history of independent India, which has been so widely discussed, both inside and outside Parliament and has, thus generated so much awareness in the public mind about the need to have an effective institution of Lokpal to tackle corruption.
The government has also decided to expedite some of the pending important anti-corruption legislations such as Whistle-blowers Protection Bill, 2011, Foreign Bribery Bill and Private Sector Corruption, Amendments to the Prevention of Corruption Act and Right to Time-bound Delivery of Goods and Services Bill in the Parliament.
