PUDUCHERRY: Former Lok Sabha member and economist M Ramadass said the Assembly session, besides passing the Vote on Account on Wednesday, should consider two important resolutions. He added that the Central government should be urged to include Puducherry under the ambit of the Central Finance Commission and a resolution should be passed against the privatisation of Electricity, its distribution and transmission.
Saying that it is necessary to draw the attention of the Central government to two contemporary but vital issues that concern the welfare of the people of Puducherry, he added that the first resolution is to request the Centre to abandon its proposal to privatise the public utility of Puducherry electricity. "The employees of the electricity department and the people of Puducherry largely agitate against the move and these sentiments should be articulated by the representatives of the people in the Assembly," Ramadass said.
Citing the history of the department, he said that the electricity department has grown into a mammoth energy infrastructure today. It does not suffer from any of the serious deficiencies warranting privatisation. Since the department does not generate electricity, the question of loss in the generation of electricity does not arise. Likewise, there is no major problem in the distribution of electricity and the power cuts are restricted to the minimum.
"Power is being distributed to different sections of the society at affordable rates thereby promoting the public good of the people. The department has started earning profits in the last three years. The reforms advocated by the Central government have been faithfully carried out by the department making it smarter. Electricity is for the public good, so its purchase and sale should be in the hands of the public authorities. Therefore, the Assembly, which is the custodian of public welfare of the people should unanimously resolve to request the Government of India to drop its plan of privatising this public utility of Puducherry," said Ramadass.
Talking about the second resolution, he said given the enveloping serious financial crisis, the Central government should be requested to include Puducherry under the ambit of the 15th Finance Commission as was done in the case of the Union Territory of Jammu and Kashmir. Puducherry, for all practical purposes, is a State. It has an Assembly, it has opened a separate public account in the Reserve Bank of India (RBI), it is a Member of the GST council, it discharges all the functions envisaged in the State and Concurrent lists, it is recognised for three-tier governance, it contributes to central revenues and it participates in the Presidential election, added Ramadass.
"Puducherry should have been graduated into a State when Goa was accorded this status and should have been included in the Finance Commission. Puducherry has suffered serious financial transfers due to the failure of the Central government. Therefore, the Assembly of Puducherry should resolve to request the Central government to amend Article 280(3) of the Indian Constitution and include Puducherry under the recommendations of the Finance Commission," he said.