Focus On Power Shortage, Education: Dr. JP

Dr. Jayaprakash Narayan, Lok Satta Party national President and Kukatpally MLA, on Monday, appealed to all parties to focus their attention on some of the vital and urgent issues which are plaguing the state, during the Legislature's budget session beginning on 13 March.

In a media statement, Dr. JP expressed regret over the fact that legislatures in India do not have regular schedules. "They meet infrequently for a total of 40 or 50 days in a year, and even when they meet, 90% of their time is lost in adjournments or disruptions. In contrast, in most mature democracies like the USA and the UK, legislatures meet for 150 to 220 days in a year," he said.

"Even when the legislature meets, there is an unspoken compact between the ruling party and the opposition. Both the opposition and the ruling parties seem to believe that disruption of the functioning of the legislature is to their advantage. As a result, people have been losing faith in legislature and politics," lamented the MLA.

Dr. JP exhorted political parties to focus on five vital issues in the ensuing session. They are - "perpetual power shortages and the deepening crisis in the energy sector, which call for both short-term and long term solutions; the drinking water crisis caused by the depletion of reservoirs and declining groundwater tables, which calls for concerted efforts including utilization of the National Rural Guarantee Scheme funds for conserving every drop of water; elections to local bodies after an enormous delay, as the elections will become a farce without empowerment and devolution of funds; the appalling standards of education - although an annual expenditure of Rs. 18,000 a year is incurred on every student in government schools, the standards are abysmal and call for immediate attention; and growing corruption - corruption can be combated only if there is a strong and independent Lokayukta, an autonomous Anti-Corruption Bureau, independent prosecutors, special courts and provisions for confiscation of property. Efforts should be made to ensure that the Service Guarantee Act proposed by the Union Government is applicable to the state. In the alternative, the state should enact a similar law providing for citizen's charters." (INN)