People's Democracy

ANDHRA PRADESH

CPI(M) Suggests

Measures To The New Govt

M Venugopala Rao

THE state committee of the CPI(M) made 37 suggestions to the newly formed Congress government in Andhra Pradesh to solve the immediate and long-term problems of the people and for balanced development of the state.  A delegation of the CPI(M) consisting of Koratala Satyanarayana, polit bureau member, B V Raghavulu, state secretary, M V Narasimha Reddy, central committee member, and state secretariat members, Dr Y Radhakrishna Murthy, Alluri Satyanarayana, P Madhu and Y Venkateswara Rao met the chief minister, Dr Y S Rajasekhara Reddy, and submitted a memorandum containing these suggestions on May 28.

Congratulating the new government and the CM, the CPI(M) delegation pointed out that the people of the state have rejected the World Bank dictated wrong policies followed by the Telugu Desam Party, ensured a grand victory to the opposition   and expressed their wish through their verdict that the Congress Party would come to power and solve their problems.  Reminding that the Congress had promised to provide a pro-people rule contrary to the misrule of the TDP-BJP the CPI(M) hoped that the new government would try its best to fulfill the aspirations of the people.  Promising its complete cooperation to the efforts of the government for implementation of its assurances given to the people, the CPI(M) requested it to take appropriate decisions in accordance with requirements of different sections of the people and regions, keeping its financial position in view and implement the same.  Summarising different suggestions that had come up in the meeting of the state committee of the party, the CPI(M) submitted the following suggestions to the chief minister and pointed out that these were issues that could be solved to the benefit of the common people without much financial burden on the government and also issues that could be solved on long-term basis with requirement of financial resources.

• Review the agreements on “structural adjustment reforms” the erstwhile government had with the World Bank.  Make public different reports prepared by the World Bank (relating to pension scheme, power to agriculture, agricultural markets, amendment to labour laws, maintenance of medical sector, etc.).  Abolish the implementation secretariat set up for privatising public sector units immediately.

• If land issue is solved, lakhs of families would get benefit.  There are several kinds of land issues. There are banjar, forest, endowment, lowlying tank-bed lands, alieanated tribal lands, ceiling lands, etc.  These lands covering lakhs of acres can be distributed to the poor.  Pattas should be given to those who are already enjoying these lands.  Settle quickly the disputes relating to such lands. There are many acts and government orders relating to land distribution. Bring about necessary amendments to them and implement strictly. Reorganise the present assignment committees intended for solving land issues. Give representation to political parties and agricultural workers’ unions along with officers in those committees and empower them to take decisions. Land distribution should be taken up as a movement and completed within six months.

• House sites should be distributed to all the eligible people.  Without auctioning urban lands, a special scheme be formulated to distribute the same to the urban poor.

• Give identity cards to all the sharecroppers and provide them loans and other governmental facilities on that basis.  Give protection to the sharecroppers of endowment lands whose crops are damaged due to floods, drought and other natural calamities.

• Bring about a special legislation for the protection of agricultural workers and unorganised workers.  Take up necessary schemes to guarantee work for 180 days in a year to agricultural workers. Increase the amount of pensions to old people, handicapped people and widows and sanction the same to all the eligible people. Start distribution of kerosene and rice on new ration cards immediately.

• The erstwhile government had done irreparable injustice to the employees and workers. The new government should try to correct all that and hold a meeting with unions of employees and workers for solving their problems.  Solve the problems of employees employed in different departments on a temporary basis immediately.  Solve problems of staff like anganwadi and village servants working on honorarium. Pay dearness allowance to the pensioners.

• Strengthen the department of labour. Restore supervision by officers of the department of labour. Ban appointment of temporary staff for permanent works. Abolish all the labour advisory committees and reorganise them.

• Appoint a committee with powers to examine the problems of major and medium industries, which are closed down and take necessary measures for their revival.

• Reduce the burden of Motor Vehicle Tax on APSRTC.

• Take steps for filling up all the vacant posts in the government. Fill up all backlog posts and implement reservations in promotions.

• Appoint a high-power committee to prepare a comprehensive plan in a scientific manner for the development of backward areas and propose necessary measures. The committee should submit its report within six months.

• Activate the state planning board. Appoint regional development boards.

• To bring the spirit of the 73rd and 74th constitutional amendments into effect transfer powers, resources and duties to the local bodies. All parallel institutions, which weaken the local bodies should be brought under the control of the latter.  Abolish the nodal set-up.

• Scheduled areas be formed into an autonomous district.

• Take steps to form Lambada thandas into special panchayats.

• Hold elections immediately to cooperative bodies. Take immediate steps for revival of urban cooperative banks. Take measures to see that the big defaulters, who are responsible for bankruptcy of the banks, pay their dues of loans. There are 52 banks with lakhs of depositors and hundreds of employees in Hyderabad alone. Already ten banks were closed down and three banks are in crisis officially. The other banks also are facing several problems. Examining the working of the banks comprehensively, the government should take necessary steps.

• Review reforms in the power sector started by the Telugu Desam government.

 Take necessary steps to improve efficiency of the power sector and see that the burden of power tariff is not increased. Abolish surcharge imposed on the power bills for the months of November and December last.

• Give agricultural power connections immediately against pending applications.  Give free supply of power to the agricultural lift schemes.

• The Telugu Desam government neglected the irrigation sector. Repair immediately the 8000 tanks, which have not been repaired. Take up construction of minor and medium irrigation projects in the backward areas immediately. Prepare a project report for a major project for proper utilisation of Godavari waters and take up its construction at once. Complete all the pending projects within five years on the basis of priorities.

• Suicides of farmers are increasing day by day in the state. The main reason for this is increased indebtedness. Prepare a necessary scheme for reducing the indebtedness of the farming community and implement the same.  Meanwhile, impose a moratorium for one year on payment of dues of government and private loans.

• Take appropriate steps for protection of dairy industry.

• Provide marketing facility through appropirate storage facility to products of horticulture and vegetables.

• Take steps for removal of all (liquor) belt shops. Review the excise policy and formulate excise policies in such a way as to discourage consumption of liquor.

• Take necessary steps to develop DWCRA groups into productive institutions.

• Withdraw cases registered against the workers of the party and the people in connection with different movements during the regime of the Telugu Desam party.

All the decisions of victimisation taken against the teaching and non-teaching staff and students in Andhra University should be withdrawn immediately.  All the cases foisted on the employees of the Tirumala Tirupathi Devasthanam as a measure of victimisation should be withdrawn.

• The government and the People’s War group should start negotiations without any pre-conditions.

• Release all the tribal prisoners languishing in jails unjustifiably forthwith in tune with the new CrPC.  Improve facilities and rights of prisoners in jails.

• Conduct a high-level inquiry into scandals of food-for-work programme, stationery, scholarships, timers and allotment of lands.

• To protect handloom industry, procure all the accumulated stocks through APCO and pay all the dues.  Supply subsidised yarn.

• Provide special facility for sanctioning loans to the families dependent on service vocations.

• Conduct elections to the unions of students.  Bring about appropriate regulations in the form of legislation to prevent the increasing commercialisation of education.

• Start implementation of mid-day meal scheme from the 1st July itself.

• Make efforts to set up IIT at Basara. Set up a special committee to continuously pursue the work relating to achieving the IIT.

• Take stringent measures to prevent atrocities on Dalits and weaker sections. Give judicial powers to the SC, ST Commission to end caste discrimination.

• Increase budgetary allocation to the minorities at least to Rs100 crore. Take necessary statutory measures to protect properties of the Wakf.

• Solve the long-pending problems of pension to the freedom fighters by discussing the same with the government of India.

• Start protected water supply schemes to the flouride-affected villages immediately.