Political parties must focus on development and community-centric welfare: FGG
HYDERABAD: There is an acute need to maintain a balance between welfare and development, feels Forum for Good Governance (FGG). The manifesto of any political party should focus on development and community-centric welfare and not voter-centric welfare programmes. However, various political parties are loading their manifesto with welfare programmes with the sole aim of luring voters.
If all the announced welfare programmes are added up, they will cost more than the entire annual budget of the State. The manifestos, if implemented may leave the State bankrupt, the FGG says, adding that it is nothing but luring voters with public money.
The political parties must calculate the funds required for all the promises made in their election manifesto and tell the people where they intend to get the funds from.
Keeping in view of the situation, the FGG has prepared a ‘’Peoples Manifesto’’ after consultations with students, farmers, employees and a cross-section of society.
Based on the opinions expressed, as many as 35 issues were flagged. The People’s Manifesto demands 25% of the State budget be earmarked to health and education. Budget allotment to welfare programmes should be limited to 30% of the annual budget of the state. Funds released to gram panchayats and municipalities as recommended by the State Finance Commission, and taxes reduced on petrol and diesel.
Rythu Bandhu should be limited to landholdings up to 10 acres. If a tenant farmer is cultivating the land he should be given Rythu Bandhu, crop insurance to cover all farmers in the State. Free electricity to farmers should be limited to three borewells. There should be strict control on spurious seed supplies, cultivation of oil seed and millets to be encouraged.
A high-power technical committee should be constituted to inquire into all the irrigation projects taken up during the last 10 years regarding their technical soundness, cost-effectiveness etc. White paper on power sector, transparency in working of government, controlling corruption in the administration, economy in administrative expenditure, maintains of cordial relations with the Union government.
MLAs, ministers and chief minister should make public their annual property statements. There should be clear guidelines for the selection of beneficiaries in welfare programmes, persons with criminal records should not be given the tickets. There should be a total ban on the sale of government lands, and price control on essential commodities. Skill development and employment generation.
‘’The way things are happening people are losing confidence in democracy. Political parties have become law by themselves. It is happening because who wins, wins all. Politicians are abusing each other in an uncultured and uncivilised manner,” retired Supreme Court judge, Justice B Sudharshan Reddy said, releasing the Peoples Manifesto.
‘’The manifestos issued by various political parties have no legal sanctity. They are just waste paper. People should not be carried away by the assurances mentioned in the party manifesto while casting their vote,’’ retired High Court judge, Justice Ramalingeswara Rao said.