Kejriwal to announce Delhi statehood draft bill this week

New Delhi, May 16 (IANS) Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal will formally announce the draft bill on full statehood for Delhi this week, a government official said on Monday.

"The chief minister will make a formal announcement on the draft bill, after which it will be put in the public domain for eliciting suggestions and comments from the public,” the official told IANS here.

Thereafter, the draft bill will be sent to the state cabinet for approval and tabled in the assembly, he said.

"Once passed by the assembly, the bill will be sent to the Centre for parliamentary approval."

Kejriwal has been pushing for full statehood for Delhi -- one of the poll promises of his Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) -- as he says it will help him implement his plans for the national capital in a better way.

The AAP leader last month said on microblogging site Twitter that the draft bill was ready and will soon be put in the public domain for people's comments and suggestions.