VIJAYAWADA: With the local body elections around the corner, the State government has decided to effectively implement the Model Code of Conduct (MCC) to curb the flow of cash and liquor used to entice voters.
Contestants for the posts of Sarpanch, MPTC, ZPTC and Councilor found trying to bribe voters will not just be disqualified, but also have to face imprisonment for up to three years and pay a fine of Rs 10,000.
Till now, the punishment for such irregularities was imprisonment for between three and six months. But the State Cabinet, under the chairmanship of Chief Minister YS Jagan Mohan Reddy, met in the Secretariat on Wednesday and decided to amend the AP Panchayat Raj Act and provide for a harsher punishment. Even if charges are proved after the election, the guilty public representatives will be disqualified.
“To ensure the effective implementation of the MCC in the local body polls, the Cabinet also reduced the time to complete the election process — right from issuing a notification to conducting the polls — to 13 days for panchayats and 15 days for municipal bodies,” Information and Public Relations Minister Perni Venkatramaiah said.
The time to the campaign has been reduced to five days for panchayat elections and seven days for municipal polls, he added, and asserted that no other State has taken such revolutionary steps to ensure free and fair elections.
The Cabinet agreed that sarpanches would be responsible for the sanitation and greenery of villages. It would be mandatory for them to stay in the villages and discharge their duties from the panchayat office.
Sarpanches are also empowered to take independent decisions in times of calamity and to overcome the drinking water crisis without waiting for a resolution by the panchayat body.
All decisions taken in the case of panchayats would also be applicable to municipalities as the Cabinet decided to amend the Municipal Corporation Act to this effect.
The Cabinet also decided to reserve all seats of sarpanches, ZPTCs and MPPs for persons from Scheduled Tribes in ST-notified areas.
The Cabinet further decided to set up the AP State Financial Corporation Limited, which would be a non-banking finance corporation to enable departments to deposit surplus funds and get an interest.
The AP State Agricultural Council, meanwhile, will act as a regulating body to help farmers. It will also ensure supply of quality seeds, fertiliser and pesticides to farmers. The Agricultural Council would also supervise and regulate the functioning of agriculture and horticulture colleges in the State and accord recognition to them. It would monitor the functioning of public and private organisations.
It was also decided that the AP Green Energy Corporation Limited (APGECL) will set up a 10,000 MW-capacity solar power production project under the aegis of AP Genco. The government provides free power for nine hours in the daytime to the agricultural sector and sells it at a subsidized rate to aqua farmers, causing a financial burden of Rs 10,000 crore to the government each year. As power companies already face a Rs 32,000 crore debt, the Cabinet gave its approval to set up the APGECL at an estimated cost of between Rs 35,000 crore and Rs 40,000 crore.
Meanwhile, the Central Non-conventional Energy Resources Ministry provides financial assistance of Rs 20 lakh per MW. The Cabinet also agreed to sanction 18 posts including that of chairman and managing director for the APGECL. The Cabinet agreed to increase the compensation to the orchards that have incurred a loss. It decided to set up a new fire station at Vempalli in Kadapa district.
Time to conduct elections cut
The entire process — from issuing a notification to conducting the polls — has been reduced to 13 days for panchayats and 15 days for municipal bodies. The time to the campaign has been reduced to five days for panchayat elections and seven days for municipal polls
Non-banking corp for depts
The Cabinet decided to set up the AP State Financial Corporation Limited, a non-banking finance corporation to enable departments to deposit surplus funds and get an interest