Capt Amarinder calls for broader consensus on issues of state interest

Saturday, 15/10/2011

Punjab Pradesh Congress Committee President Capt Amarinder Singh today made an impassioned plea for a broader consensus between different political parties so that with the change of government policies are not changed for partisan interests at the cost of state interests. He promised that his party’s government will ensure that no project passed by this government is cancelled or investors harassed just because they invested during the current regime.

The former Chief Minister regretted that the current government had scrapped all the 399 mega projects passed by his government which sent a very bad signal to investors leading to loss of investments and jobs to Punjab. He called for an unwritten understanding between different political parties to ensure that policies are not changed for partisan reasons as it harms the interest of the state. He said, it was important that the policies formed by one government or continued by the other in the greater interest of Punjab.

Setting the agenda for the discussion at the Hindustan Times Leader Speak summit here today, he listed primary education and healthcare as his top most priorities and warned that Punjab was developing into two categories of haves and have-nots and said, this chasm needed to be bridged on top priority.
Referring to governance, Capt Amarinder called for changing the mindset for improving the governance in the state saying, “18th century laws, 19th century bureaucracy coupled with 17th century politics govern Punjab today”.

The PCC President attributed a number of problems Punjab was facing today to the disintegration of Punjab after the Punjabi suba movement that led to the natural resources and forest wealth going to Himachal Pradesh and industrial cities like Faridabad and Gurgaon going to Haryana. He remarked, “I have seen states expanding but never contracting as the Akalis did to ensure Sikh majority so that someday they could form a government in the leftover Punjab, which though, they never could of their own”.

The former Chief Minister painted a grim picture of the state of affairs in Punjab. Having an indirect dig at the ruling Badal family, he said, “this government has authored 7 new ways of corruption; keep everything to family, friends and favourites, compel others to withdraw from what they want to grab, otherwise register a case against them, ensure only that the CM and his family knows, and they alone benefit from all acts of Government, go for the grants, BLEED PSUs, cook the books and files and be business partner with one and all who are willing to invest in the State, without any capital contribution and if not then settle for gratification”. In the same context he alleged “rule by cable mafia, land mafia, liquor mafia, sand mafia and transport mafia”.

Calling for clean and transparent governance, he stated that at present there was over centralisation of power and as a result complete lack of governance.  He said, the present government was not allowing any established statutory or constitutional institution or structure to  function independently as per the Rule Book and right from police station, patwarkhanas, Punjab Public Service Commission to the highest institutions like state legislative assembly were misused for political purposes.

He said, the financial imprudence and mismanagement had let to Increased Debt Burden, increased interest liability on State’s Debt, increased Subsidies, increased Establishment Cost and Non-Plan Expenditure, decreased Plan Expenditure, increased Fiscal Deficit, increased Revenue Deficit and mis-appropriation of Plan Funds”. He said, Fiscal Responsibility Act would b made more stringent to ensure that state does not borrow beyond a particular limit.

Spelling out the road map for good governance he said new legislation will be enacted to strengthen Strong Lokpal Bill the statutory Vigilance Commission. He said, nearly 30,000 cases registered as a result of political vendetta by this government would be scrapped after a review by a Judicial Commission.

The former Chief Minister said, special legislation will be enacted to ensure transparency in award of contracts, statutory Grievances Redressal Mechanism will be put in place, Services Delivery Act would be strengthened and made more broad based and Antiquated/ Archaic legislation, rules and regulation would be weeded out.

Having a dig at the much hyped Right to Service Act, he said, “it is simply a continuation of the Suvidha Centres and we would amend it to make the minister concerned responsible for his department along with the concerned bureaucrat”.

Referring to power, he said, “the existing electricity production of the State will be doubled by 2017. We will further continue to add capacity both in the State and private sector, in a transparent manner, through the tender route rather than the current MOU route that lacks total transparency and power commitment to the State”.

He said, efforts would be made to ensure 24-hours uninterrupted power supply both to the industrial, rural and urban consumers of the State by buying power from the national grid till such time that our production meets our requirement.  He pointed out, “we need to provide good infrastructure to industry so that it does not move out and stays back in Punjab only”.

Capt Amarinder dwelt at length on education and healthcare in Punjab. He pointed out, the education infrastructure in the rural areas had collapsed as there was one teacher for 300 students and even that teacher seldom visited the school. He pointed out, no matter how many higher education institutions you set up, but unless and until you don’t have a strong base at the primary level nothing is going to work.

In order to improve education he said, greater thrust would be given to establish Central Schools at all block headquarters on the pattern of Kendriya Vidyalayas and Navodaya Vidyalayas and the girls’ education up to 12th standard would be free in all government and government aided schools.

On the healthcare, he said, Punjab needs to take major strides forward. He pointed out, entire southern Punjab was hit by cancer. He said, Punjab needed super-specialised cancer hospitals so that people don’t have to take the Cancer Express train to Bikaner for treatment. He said, government multi super speciality hospitals would be set up at all district headquarters.

He said, special courts would be established to prosecute drug dealing, female foeticide, violence against women and property disputes of the Non Resident Indians.