IT bill to be passed during budget session: Pramod Mahajan

BANGALORE: The Information Technology (IT) Bill is likely to go either to the select group of Parliamentarians or the standing committee of Parliament and would be passed only in the budget session, Minister for Information Technology Pramod Mahajan said. Addressing the 79th annual general meeting of the Associated Chambers of Commerce and Industry, Mr Mahajan asked the industry to treat the Information Bill '99 as a ''draft bill" and come up with suggestions before it becomes a law.

Mr Mahajan said he has requested the Prime Minister to constitute a cabinet committee on IT comprising the telecommunication minister, information and broadcasting minister and IT minister so that the procedural problems relating to these ministries could be sorted out without loss of time. ''Ideally there should be one ministry, but it is not possible in a coalition. So the Cabinet Committee on IT is the answer," the minister said. He said the task force on the telecom headed by Finance Minister Yashwant Sinha would be dissolved before March 31, 2000 completing the work assigned to it.

Mr. Mahajan said since each and every statute would need to be changed for the digital economy, the industry should come forward with their suggestions rightaway. ''There will be new income tax laws, new customs laws and new criminal procedure code." Committing to make his ministry as a facilitator and not as a regulator, Mr. Mahajan said although the problems like connectivity did not come under his charge, he would try and help the entrepreneurs solve the problems at the government level. He said before January 26, 2000 all decisions relating to his ministry would be cleared and the issue of concessions could be taken care of in the next budget.