Good Governance Award To AP, Joke Of The Year: Lok Satta

The Andhra Pradesh government bagging India Today's "Best Performing State in Governance" award is the biggest joke of the year, commented Lok Satta Party Vice President D V V S Varma on Saturday.

Varma said it was strange that India Today chose to confer the award upon Andhra Pradesh in which the Cabinet has not been able to meet regularly, the legislature cannot conduct its sessions smoothly, employees have gone on long-drawn strikes, the common man's life has been disrupted, and almost all key issues continue to remain unresolved.

"Absence of governance is perhaps tantamount to good governance in India Today's assessment," commented Varma wryly.

Varma pointed out that the Kiran Kumar Reddy government, which revels in announcing one scheme after another, has miserably failed in implementing them.

The Chief Minister, who announced the Rajiv Yuva Kiranalu scheme promising 15 lakh jobs to youth in three years to boost his image, has not been able to provide even 4 lakh ordinary jobs, Varma commented.

He asked whether the Chief Minister who talks of extending three percent and interest-free loans to self-help group women can claim that they have become economically self-reliant. Is he unaware of the plight of women who have become victims of microfinance institutions and their spouses to liquor addiction, he wondered.

"He has not been able to fulfill his promise to provide bank loans to tenants, either. There is a wide chasm between Kiran Kumar Reddy's promises and performance," Varma said.

Varma added that it was pertinent to point out that the Union Rural Development Minister told the Chief Minister to his face that the latter's government had failed to devolve powers and resources to local governments.

To assert that a Chief Minister who cannot draw a distinction between development schemes and populist sops had provided good governance was ridiculous, concluded Varma. (INN)