This is the fifth time that the CA has missed a deadline under the calendar of events charted out on November 25, 2008 to speed up the task of constitution-writing. The calendar was last rescheduled on April 29.
As per the schedule, the CA should have completed by mid-July its deliberations on all the concept papers and preliminary drafts from the 10 thematic committees and one constitutional committee. This deadline has now been extended to September 6 as the CA has finished discussions on reports submitted by just three committees -- Committee for the Preservation of National Interests, Committee to Determine the Basis for Cultural and Social Commitments, and Committee to Protect the Fundamental Rights of Minorities and Marginalized Communities. The CA on Thursday started debating reports submitted by the Committee to Determine Constitutional Bodies.
The deadline for the Constitutional Committee (CC) to prepare a preliminary draft of the constitution has also been extended, from September 10 to November 21.
In the changed calendar, the CA has allocated a period of two weeks -- starting November 22 -- to deliberate on the draft constitution prepared by the CC. Earlier, the CA had allocated four weeks for the purpose-- starting September 10.
The CA also shortened to four weeks the duration for collecting public feedback and interacting with people in the districts and constituencies over the draft constitution. As per the new schedule, CA members will reach their districts and constituencies from mid-December to mid-January for this purpose. The CA had originally allocated 12 weeks.
Origionally the CA had also planned to submit the first draft of the constitution, with amendments as per the feedback from the people, on February 22, 2010. The CA had allocated five weeks for this task. The new calendar allows only three weeks and the new deadline for submitting the draft is March 16, 2010.
Likewise, the CA originally allowed itself eight weeks for clause-wise deliberations on the constitution bill and amendments. Now this duration has been reduced to seven weeks and CA deliberations will start on May 28, 2010.
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