Indian cabinet clears anti-rape bill: Report

NEW DELHI (AFP) - India's cabinet on Thursday gave the green light to a bill for harsher punishments for rapists, reports said, following a brutal gang-rape in New Delhi that sparked outrage and demands for tougher laws.

Premier Manmohan Singh's cabinet cleared the Criminal Laws (Amendment) Bill a day after a ministerial group gave its assent to the proposals, which will be discussed by political groups on Monday, NDTV television station said.

"The anti-rape bill has been cleared and all recommendations of the group of ministers accepted," IBNLive TV station quoted Law Minister Ashwini Kumar as saying.

The bill provides for a minimum prison sentence of 20 years for rape, which can be extended to natural life of the convict in jail, the Press Trust of India said, adding that the draft law also provided for the death sentence in the event a rape victim died or was in a "persistent vegetative state".