March, 2005

The Union Cabinet has recently approved the draft National Rural Employment Guarantee Bill, ensuring at least 100 days of casual employment at a prescribed wage rate annually to one member of every poor rural household.

The Cabinet has also cleared the draft Right to Information Bill, 2004, which will replace the Freedom of Information Act, 2000. The Bill, when passed, will give citizens the right to seek information from Government establishments.

Another important decision taken was to amend the Hindu Succession Act, 1956, giving equal rights to daughters in ancestral property. The Child Marriage restraint Act, 1929, will also be repealed and a new Prevention of Child Marriage Bill, 2004, introduced. The enactment of the proposed legislation will implement the recommendations of the National Human Rights Commission and the National Commission for Women substantially and would help usher in social change.