Information service of the Pontifical Mission Societies since 1927
New Delhi (Agenzia Fides) – It will be a challenging summer for the Indian Parliament and especially for the government coalition in power in India, the United Progressive Alliance (UPA), formed by the Congress Party, led by Sona Gandhi, and other minor partners. In July, in what is traditionally called the "monsoon session" of parliamentary proceedings- with clear reference to climatic events - the government plans to approve some very important measures for Indian society, which in recent months have mobilized opinion public: a law regarding food security, one on land expropriation, one against corruption and the law on inter-community violence, which gives power to the central government to intervene in the national states. It is an agenda that contains big challenges" notes a source of Fides in the Indian civil society, underlining that, after some internal problems, the government intends to give a signal of strength and compactness.
The first measure is to ensure the population's food security and support (through the distribution of grain by the state) large groups living below the poverty line. A second bill proposes a significant increase of compensation to individuals, especially peasants and farmers, in cases of expropriation of land by the state to create public works (as in the recent case of a new highway project in Uttar Pradesh). The law against corruption (the so-called "Lokpal Bill") was the focus of reflection and public discussion in recent months, and has seen widespread mobilization of civil society - and even the Catholic Church - to ask for a new legislation that effectively combats corruption in the country (see Fides 07/04/2011).
Finally, the "Communal Violence Bill, the bill against violence against minorities or specific ethnic or religious communities, was approved in recent days by the National Advisory Council (see Fides 24/5/2011) and will incorporate in the coming days proposals from the civil society to make any improvements. The opposition has strongly criticized the law, while the Christian and Muslim minorities in India have welcomed it in the hope that it will weaken the Hindu extremist groups (PA) (Agenzia Fides 27/05/2011)
