NEW DELHI: The Union Cabinet on Thursday approved one-year extension for the Second Administrative Reforms Commission, headed by Congress leader Veerappa Moily.

The terms of reference for the commission, set up on August 31 last year, cover a wide range of issues, from organisational structure of the Central Government, ethics in governance, refurbishing of personnel administration, strengthening of financial management system, promotion of e-governance, and crisis management to better administration at the State, district and local self-government and panchayat levels.

The commission is in the process of submitting its reports in phases. It presented its first report on right to information to Prime Minister Manmohan Singh on June 9. It is expected to shortly submit reports on crisis management, public order and National Rural Employment Guarantee Scheme.

In the second phase, it has proposed to submit reports on organisational structure of the Central Government, ethics in governance, refurbishing of public administration and local self-government and panchayati raj institutions.

The commission was expected to complete its work within one year and submit all reports by August 31 this year.

Considering the volume of the work involved, it was felt necessary to extend its tenure.

The commission was set up in keeping with a promise made in the National Common Minimum Programme to prepare a detailed blueprint for revamping the public administration system.

The Cabinet also gave its nod for increasing the pension under the National Old Age Pension Scheme from Rs. 75 to Rs. 200 a beneficiary a month for destitutes aged 65 and above.

The increase will be effective from April 1, 2006.

It will entail an additional outgo of Rs. 1,430 crore a year from the exchequer.

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