Welfare schemes in Andhra Pradesh are so poorly designed and badly implemented that they have been merely perpetuating poverty, ill health, and indebtedness among the so-called beneficiaries, said Lok Satta Party President Dr. Jayaprakash Narayan here today.

Talking to the media in the context of the Planning Commission’s reported indictment of Andhra Pradesh’s intolerable populist policies, Dr. JP said the criticism has not come a day too soon.

Dr. JP made it clear right at the outset that there can be no two opinions on the need for mitigating poverty and drudgery, alleviate suffering, averting starvation, promoting health and wellbeing and ‘empowering’ farmers. His only regret is that in the name of going to the rescue of the poor and downtrodden sections, the Government is mortgaging the future of the people for serving the short-term interests of the ruling party. It is tantamount to a hungry man feeding on own flesh or a farmer consuming seed meant for sowing for satiating his hunger.

Dr. JP cited the supply of rice at Rs.2 a kg and kerosene at subsidized rates, free power to farmers and the Aarogyasree scheme to underline his point that they could have been designed better to contribute to the welfare of the beneficiaries and wealth of the nation.

When Chief Minister N. T. Rama Rao launched the Rs.2-a-kg-rice supply scheme in 1983, the open market price of rice ruled around Rs.3 a kg. Today the price of rice has shot up to nearly Rs.30 a kg while the value of rupee has plummeted steeply. In other words, the Government is supplying rice at perhaps 50 paise a kg in real terms as 1983 prices, against the market price of around Rs.30. Almost 80 percent of families in the State have white cards even as lakhs of people complain they have been denied white cards. “This is nothing but a colossal failure of public policy.

Dr. JP said the State Government should identify the genuinely poor and make available food grains supplied by the Union Government through village panchayats. It could make cash payments to beneficiaries to ensure that they had access to rice at Rs.2 a kg.

Dr. JP said that criminal gangs are diverting more than 50 percent of kerosene supplied at subsidized rates for diesel adulteration. A bright engineer employed by a public sector oil company was brutally murdered when he sought to prevent diesel adulteration in Uttar Pradesh. He suggested that instead of subsiding kerosene supply solar LED lamps could be supplied at subsidized rates. Such lamps reduce dependence on fossil fuels, prevent pollution, and stimulate indigenous industry creating jobs instead of fattening criminal gangs.

Dr. JP said that unmetered free power supply to the agriculture sector has encouraged farmers to utilize scarce water for raising water-intensive crops and contributed to depletion of groundwater resources. That a farmer in Nalgonda district succeeded in striking water only after sinking 65 bore-wells spread over seven years and selling away 15 of his 24 acres underlined how free power is ruining farmers in the long term. In the short term, the farmer has to reckon with motors burning away because of low voltage power supply.

Dr. JP suggested that the Government impose a cap on free power a farmer can draw and charge regular tariff once he exceeds the ceiling. The Government could help the farmer better by opening agri clinics at the rate of one for every 3000 acres and supply technology and inputs and provide procurement, storage, and marketing support.

Aarogyasree again testifies to the State Government’s skewed priorities. It helps only 500 of the 20000 odd patients who are admitted to hospitals both in the private and public sectors in the State every day. All the others have to incur out of pocket expenditure. Aarogyasree with its focus on tertiary and super specialty care has enriched corporate hospitals even as it provided only a marginal benefit to a microscopic number of people. At one-tenth of the cost of Aarogyasree, the society stands to gain ten times more if the Government utilizes the money on preventive, primary and secondary care.

The Lok Satta Party today wholeheartedly welcomed the Union Government move to hold a single national entrance examination for admission to engineering, medical and commerce courses.

The proposal made by Union Human Resources Development Minister Kapil Sibal is long overdue, said Lok Satta leaders Katari Srinivasa Rao, V. Laxman Balaji and V. Vijayender Reddy at a media meet here today. A single examination would spare students from appearing for multiple examinations at multiple centers.

The Lok Satta leaders pointed out that nowhere in the world a regional approach to higher education is adopted in a federal country.

The Andhra Pradesh Government should lap up the proposal as it confers immense benefit on State students.

The Lok Satta leaders recalled that the Supreme Court had more than two decades ago ruled that all colleges offering professional courses should earmark 15 percent of their seats to students from all over the country. Andhra Pradesh and Jammu and Kashmir are the only two States which are not implementing the Supreme Court directive. Since Andhra Pradesh does not allocate 15 percent of seats in its colleges to outsiders, professional colleges in other States are denying the reservation to Andhra Pradesh students.

The skewed Andhra Pradesh policy has been doing immense harm to Andhra Pradesh students. Andhra Pradesh students have demonstrated over the years that they outshine students from other States in all competitive examinations for admission to professional colleges. For instance, they have been bagging a disproportionate share of seats in Indian Institutes of Technology because of the rigorous coaching they undergo and other reasons.

For instance, of the 30,000 seats in medicine in India, about 4500 seats are open for competition to students from all over the country. Since Andhra Pradesh does not throw open about 450 of the nearly 3000 medical seats in the State for outsiders, Andhra Pradesh students are denied the opportunity of competing for the 4500 seats elsewhere in the country. Similarly, they have not been able to get admission in some of the prestigious engineering colleges outside the State.

The Andhra Pradesh Government Order No. 57 providing for constitution of ward committees and area sabhas contravenes both the letter and spirit of JNNURM (Jawaharlal Nehru National Urban Renewal Mission) guidelines, the Lok Satta charged today.

The JNNURM had stipulated formation of ward committees and area sabhas with requisite resources and responsibilities as a condition for release of funds to States.

Talking to the media, party leaders Katari Srinivasa Rao and Karthik Chandra said the Government had issued GO No. 57 more to fulfill a formality than to empower people.

While the JNNURM envisaged elected ward committees, the Andhra Pradesh Government planned nominated committees. Formation of area sabhas at the rate of one for every 5000 people without reference to geographical boundaries defies any understanding. The proposal to allocate 20 percent of the corporation budget for maintenance works of urban services is too meager.

The Lok Satta leaders recalled their party had fought the GHMC elections proposing formation of ward committees as virtual ward governments. The party promised a per capita grant of Rs.1000 to every ward so that the local ward committee could address local people’s problems with the funds at its disposal.

In contrast, the corporation nominated ward committees would be confined advisory role.

The Lok Satta demanded that the ward committees be elected, and an area sabaha constituted for each polling booth and a per capita grant of Rs.1000 be made to each ward.

Lok Satta Party President Dr. Jayaprakash Narayan today appealed to common and middle class people to immediately call off their indefinite fasts or fast unto death all over the State as part of their agitation either for separation of Telangana or against State’s bifurcation. They should not risk their lives and future as also that of their near and dear by being carried away by momentary passions since none will bother about them after the frenzy dies down. The rich and the powerful might stand to gain in many ways by resorting to indefinite fasts but not the common and middle class people. “Don’t become scapegoats in the games being played by political parties for short-term political gains.”

Dr. JP also appealed to people not to resort to bandhs and rasta and rail rokos which are playing havoc with the lives of daily wage earners, those in need of critical medical care and the studies of students. People could express their opinion through non-violent agitation without hurting others. “They are welcome to turn their wrath against political parties which have played with their lives by rousing their primordial loyalties.” He requested the media to help cool down tempers among people and the thinking people in all parties and organizations to shed their silence and work for restoring sanity in public life.

He was addressing the media after his return from Delhi where he met Prime Minister Dr. Manmohan Singh, UPA Chairperson Sonia Gandhi, Opposition leader L. K. Advani and Union Finance Minister Pranab Mukherjee as part of his mission to defuse the present political crisis in the State.

His dialogues with national Government and party leaders, he said, had convinced him that the Government of India would come up with a solution that takes into account the aspirations and concerns of people in all the regions of the State. The Government of India is fully cognizant of the gravity of the situation.

Dr. JP said that “there is no magic formula that can simultaneously accommodate the demands for the State’s division as also for keeping it intact. Any solution will involve a give and take on the part of all the stakeholders. The Government of India cannot be expected to backtrack on a stand it has already announced in public but at the same time it is in no position to impose its will on a major State in a federal setup by riding roughshod over public opinion. There won’t be any winners or losers in democracy. A win-win formula that takes into account the views of all stakeholders in all the regions has to be worked out”.

Dr. JP repeated his contention that the formation of a separate State would neither be a calamity not a panacea to people’s problems.

Lok Satta Party President Dr. Jayaprakash Narayan today warned that attempts at changing the Presidential Order or misinterpreting the Supreme Court judgment on it would merely promote discord among people of different regions in the State.

"Bereft of any meaningful agenda other than naked quest for power, politicians of different hues are trying to fragment the State in the name of region and language or caste and religion."

Addressing the media on the 'free zone' controversy, Dr. JP clarified upfront that neither the Presidential Order nor the Supreme Court judgment carried the word 'free zone' anywhere. The loosely-coined word emanated from an administrative tribunal and it had no relevance.

The Presidential Order emanated directly from Article 371 D of the Constitution as amended by the 32nd amendment and is virtually an extension of the Constitution. It overrides all other statutes.

The Presidential Order Of November 1, 1975 sought to ensure fairness, equity, regional balance and opportunities for all in Government jobs. It specifically exempted the all posts in the Secretariat, offices of heads of department, special offices or establishments, State-level offices or institutions, other than non-gazetted posts in major development projects and all posts as defined in the Hyderabad Police Act from zonal criteria for recruitment.

The Supreme Court, Dr. JP pointed out, unequivocally upheld the Presidential Order in a case filed by some police personnel. It dismissed the contention of the State Government that the order would not apply to Hyderabad police since they had not been appointed under the Hyderabad City Police Act and since the Government of India had not notified the local cadres of the Hyderabad police.

The Supreme Court in its judgment pointed out that the local cadres had not been notified precisely because the Presidential Order exempted the Hyderabad police from zonal regulations. Again, the Presidential Order was not concerned about the way the police were recruited. It exempted the police as defined under the Hyderabad City Police Act.

If zonalization were to be extended to the Hyderabad police, Dr. JP explained, a person from say Adilabad cannot be a sub-inspector pf police or a or even a person from Ranga Reddy district cannot be a constable in Hyderabad city, , leave alone those from Coastal Andhra and Rayalaseema districts.

Dr. JP said he was amazed that some employees demanded reservation of jobs for local people in Hyderabad City police citing their backwardness as justification.

Hyderabad is the most progressive district in terms of both education and per capita income. Therefore, seeking reservation in terms of backwardness of Hyderabad would not hold water.

It was is true that parts of Telangana as also some areas in Coastal Andhra and Rayalaseema continued to be backward. Who was to blame if some regions had remained backward 53 years after the formation of an integrated State and 62 years after the country attained Independence? Were not employees who were supposed to provide quality education and health care to people partly responsible?

Dr. JP said the Lok Satta Party abided by the Presidential Order and its interpretation by the Supreme Court. Any attempt to get the order revised would undermine State's unity and promote discord among different regions.

He also made it clear that the Andhra Pradesh Government's bid to get the Supreme Court review its verdict would not succeed because a revision could be considered only if there were any gross factual errors in it. Such was not the case now.