Chief Minister Y.S. Jagan Mohan Reddy on Tuesday recalled the key decisions his government had taken in the first three weeks in office, and said he wished to overhaul the system right from the village level to the Assembly. He was addressing the Assembly during a discussion on the Motion of Thanks to Governor E.S.L. Narasimhan’s address.
“The State is steeped in corruption from the village level. Studies suggest that the per capita income in the countries ranked low in corruption is high. By bringing down corruption and increasing the per capita income we can grow into a model not only for the country but also the world,” Mr. Jagan Mohan Reddy said.
‘SCS top on agenda’
He reiterated that Special Category Status (SCS) would be the State’s top priority.
Stating that his government would ensure transparency in governance, Mr. Jagan Mohan Reddy said the move to set up a Judicial Commission for the tendering process was a step in that direction.
Education reforms
The government would implement the Right to Education Act that was ignored so far and ensure that 25% seats in schools were reserved to the students from the economically weaker sections, he said. A ‘Fee regulatory and quality control commission’ would be constituted to review the school education system, he said, and added that the State’s illiteracy rate would be brought down to zero from 33% (as per the 2011 census).
Healthcare
Mr. Jagan Mohan Reddy also said the government had ordered for 350 new ‘108’ and 650 new ‘104’ ambulances. He said 25 lakh house pattas would be handed over to the beneficiaries on Ugadi day.
“Every government service will be offered at the doorstep of the people, and people can raise issues with the call centre integrated with the Chief Minister’s Office,” he said. Earlier, members of the Treasury and Opposition benches entered into an argument over various issues such as time slot, cases being faced by the ruling and Opposition leaders, development, hike in salaries, pensions, and loan waiver.
TDP charge
The TDP alleged that it was not given adequate time to speak in the House. Intervening in the debate, Legislative Affairs Minister Buggana Rajendranath Reddy said the Speaker allotted the time slot based on the strength in the Assembly. “The YSRCP, when in the Opposition, used to get more time compared to the TDP now in view of its strength then. The TDP has only 23 members now,” he reminded.
TDP MLA Gorantla Buchaiah Chowdary said the Governor’s speech was “without direction and lacked government’s policy and roadmap for the next five years.” There was no mention of the growth rate, which was highest in the country during the TDP rule. Neither there was mention of the government’s plans on financial resources and debts, he added.
Court cases
“The YSRCP members have been alleging that the TDP government is responsible for bankruptcy and deep-rooted corruption. None of the TDP leaders is attending court every week,” Mr. Chowdary said in an oblique reference to the Chief Minister. Replying, the Finance Minister said: “The government is concerned about implementation of manifesto rather than growth rate.”
Taking objection to the remarks on court cases, Mr. Rajendranath Reddy said such issues should not be raised in the House as they were sub judice. “Everyone knows why the Capital was shifted to Amaravati from Hyderabad overnight. What about the vote-for-note case?” he asked, referring to the TDP supremo’s alleged involvement in the scam.