Constitution review panel gets eight months extension

Constitution review panel gets eight months extension
PRESS TRUST OF INDIA

NEW DELHI, FEB 13: Government today extended the term of Constitution review commission by eight months up to October 31.

The term of the commission was to expire on February 21.

The decision was taken at a meeting of the Union cabinet there today, parliamentary affairs minister Pramod Mahajan told reporters.

The ten-member commission headed by justice M N Venkatachalaiah was constituted on February 22 last year to examine how the Constitution had in the past responded to the changing needs of governance and the socio-economic development of the country within the framework of parliamentary democracy.

The commission is also required to recommend changes in the provisions of the Constitution without interfering with its basic structure or features.

The commission has identified ten areas of immediate concern including strengthening of the institution of parliamentary democracy, electoral reforms, Union-state relations, decentralisation and devolution of powers and legal control of fiscal and monetary policies.

It proposes to bring out 20 consultation papers for public debate of which seven have already been released.