విజయేందర్ రెడ్డికి లోక్ సత్తా ఘననివాళి

Loksatta tribute to Vijayender Reddy

Loksatta Party leaders and workers paid tributes to Mr. V. Vijayender Reddy, the party’s Telangana Co-convener, who died in a road accident near Hyderabad on June 23. The body was brought to the party headquarters in Banjara Hills to enable party workers to have a last look at him.

They placed garlands and showered flowers on Mr. Vijayender Reddy’s body which was draped with a party flag.

Among those who paid floral tributes to Mr. Vijayender Reddy were Loksatta Party State President Katari Srinivasa Rao, the party’s Telangana and Andhra Pradesh Conveners Bandaru Ramamohan Rao and D. V. V. S. Varma, Greater Hyderabad unit President Dosapati Ramu, Mahila Satta leader N. Saroja Devi, and Mrs. Radha Rani, wife of Loksatta Party national President Dr. Jayaprakash Narayan.

Tributes were paid also by party leaders G. Raja Reddy, P. Bhaskara Rao, K. Gita Murthy, Marri Ramireddy, V. Ramachandraiah, D. Lakshmi, P. Kodanda Ramarao, V. Laxman Balaji and G. Gattayya.

City leaders of the TRS, BJP and Aam Aadmi parties -- Ravinder, Vinod and Chennaiah – were present.

Mr. Vijayender’s body was later taken to his native place Chelimedu in Nalgonda district and cremated. Party leaders Bandaru Ramamohan Rao, Katari Srinivasa Rao, Dosapati Ramu, Chennupati Vazir, G. Venkateswara Rao, Mrs. Durga and others took part in the last rites.

రోడ్డు ప్రమాదంలో లోక్ సత్తా పార్టీ అగ్రనేత మృతి

Top Loksatta leader dies in road accident

Mr. Vemireddy Vijayender Reddy, Loksatta Party’s Telangana Co-convener, was killed in a road accident near Bata Singaram village on the Hyderabad-Vijayawada National Highway this afternoon.

Mr. Vijayender Reddy, aged about 48, was returning from his native place Chelimedu village near Munugodu in in Nalgonda district to Hyderabad when the Scorpio vehicle he was steering jumped over the road divider and hit a truck coming in the opposite direction. There were no other passengers in the vehicle.

He was pronounced dead on being brought to Aware Global Hospital in LB Nagar in a 108 ambulance.

Associated with the Loksatta movement right since its inception, Mr. Vijayender Reddy joined the Loksatta Party when it was launched in 2006. He served as President of the Loksatta Party’s Nalgonda district unit and later as Secretary of the undivided State unit.

He leaves his wife, a son and a daughter, both in college.

Loksatta Party national President Dr. Jayaprakash Narayan, State unit President Katari Srinivasa Rao, Telangana unit Convener Bandaru Ramamohan Rao and other leaders, who visited the hospital, expressed their profound shock over the tragic death of Mr. Vijayender Reddy. They recalled his outgoing and friendly nature, sense of humour and commitment and dedication to the party.

Mr. Vijayender Reddy’s last rites will be conducted at his native place tomorrow.

మద్యం విధానంపై మాట తప్పడం తగదు, ప్రభుత్వమే మద్యం దుకాణాల్ని నిర్వహించాలి: లోక్ సత్తా

AP Government reneging on Liquor policy: Loksatta

The Andhra Pradesh unit of the Loksatta Party today charged the Telugu Desam Government with going back on its word to overhaul the liquor policy keeping the interests of the poor in mind.

The party’s AP Convener, Mr. D. V. V. S. Varma, recalled in a media statement that the Government had promised to study the liquor policy prevalent in States like Tamil Nadu, Kerala and Delhi and usher in a new policy. Instead, it has chosen to stick to the old lottery system for allocation of liquor shops.

Mr. Varma said that the Government could have continued the old policy for three or six months if it felt it had no time to bring about changes. The Government should strive to restrict liquor consumption, instead of viewing it as a source of revenue.

The Loksatta leader described the Government’s promise to abolish belt shops or illegal liquor vends as a mere eyewash. Past experience has eloquently demonstrated that belt shops are bound to proliferate so long as the liquor business is in private hands.

Mr. Varma demanded that the Government take over the liquor business and run a limited number of shops with restricted timings. Panchayats, municipalities and women’s groups should be empowered to removet belt shops and clamp down on illicit liquor. The Government should open de-addiction centres and launch a campaign against the liquor menace.

Mr. Varma said that continuation of the old liquor policy would ruin more and more families in the State. It is ridiculous that a Government which facilitates free flow of liquor claims to launch schemes for people’s welfare, he added.

సమస్యల పరిష్కారానికి తెలంగాణ, ఆంధ్రప్రదేశ్ ప్రతినిధుల కమిటీని ఏర్పాటు చేయాలి: లోక్ సత్తా

Form a committee of officials to address Inter-State disputes: Loksatta

The Loksatta Party today suggested that the newly formed Governments in Telangana and Andhra Pradesh constitute a joint committee of officials to resolve routine administrative issue before they erupt into major controversies.

In a media statement, Loksatta Party Telangana State Convener Bandaru Ramamohan Rao pointed out that adoption of a confrontationist posture by the two Chief Ministers on administrative issues like scrapping of power purchase agreements by the Andhra Pradesh Government and release of 10 tmc ft of water for the Krishna delta by the Telangana Government are undesirable.

Since such issues are bound to arise in future too in the wake of bifurcation of the united Andhra Pradesh, formation of an officials’ committee to address them is essential. They can be resolved at the lower level without the Chief Ministers being dragged into the picture.

Mr. Ramamohan Rao recalled that people have elected the TRS in Telangna and the TDP-BJP combine in Andhra Pradesh to power with great expectations. They should focus on governance instead of frittering away their time and energies on avoidable controversies. They should initiate measures on a war footing to provide good governance, create employment opportunities for youth and strive for development of all regions. The two States should fight together for greater allocation of funds by the Center for their development. If, instead, they sling mud at each other and look up to the Center to resolve their disputes, they will lose their clout.

Mr. Ramamohan Rao said that the two Governments should cooperate with each other for development of Telugu people by exploiting all the opportunities open to them. Otherwise, other States will gain at the expense of the two warring States.

నూతనత్వం లేని ఎక్సైజ్ విధానం

Courtesy: Eenadu

ఉపాధి హామీ పథకంలో మార్పుల్ని స్వాగతించిన లోక్ సత్తా

Widen rural jobs scheme to cover Agriculture sector: Loksatta

The Loksatta Party today welcomed the proposed overhaul of the Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Scheme by the Union Rural Development Ministry.

The focus on creation of durable assets and allocation of a higher proportion of funds towards materials are commendable, said Telangana Loksatta Party Convener Bandaru Ramamohan Rao and Co-convener V. Vijayender Reddy in a media statement. They suggested that the scheme’s scope be widened to cover the agricultural sector too considering the steep increase in costs of production.

The two leaders recalled that united Andhra Pradesh was the biggest beneficiary in terms of allocation of funds under the scheme. Yet, the funds went down the drain as they had not been utilized to create durable assets or to improve the groundwater table in upland areas of the State, despite forceful pleadings by the Loksatta both in the Assembly and outside.

The newly formed Governments in Telangana and Andhra Pradesh should exert pressure on the Union Government to bring agriculture too under the purview of the scheme.

The scheme’s objective to provide employment to workers in the countryside should not be diluted by extending its coverage even to the skilled. Unemployed youth should definitely be provided opportunities to improve their skills and gain employment by focusing on improvement of infrastructure and revival of the manufacturing sector, the Loksatta leaders said. India has to create employment opportunities to at least one crore of youth every year, they added.

ఓటమిపై ప్రజాభిప్రాయ సేకరణ

Courtesy: Eenadu

Lok Satta Times June 1st-15th, 2014

Lok Satta Times June 1st-15th, 2014 can be downloaded from the following link.

http://www.loksatta.org/cms/documents/lstimes/lstimes-2014-06-01-15.pdf

లోక్ సత్తా పార్టీ కార్యవర్గ భేటీ రేపు

Courtesy: Eenadu

Governments Must Be Prudent - Katari Srinivasa Rao

Most political parties all over the country have been cynically indulging in competitive populism with an eye on garnering votes in elections and coming to power.

They also resort to luring voters with money and liquor and appeal to their primordial loyalties based on caste and religion, region and language.

The situation in Telangana and Andhra Pradesh is no different. Both, the Telangana Rashtra Samiti and the Telugu Desam, that have come to power in Telangana and AP respectively, not to mention the Congress and the YSR Congress that were trounced in both states, have been liberal in offering short-term sops.

The entire public and political discourse is apparently centred on these sops. In the end, it seems that the public got the same old politics even in the new states!

Take for instance the promise of both the TRS and the TD to waive farm loans. Agriculture has been in a crisis for a long time as is evident from hundreds of farmers ending their lives unable to repay their debts.

Instead of addressing the basic problems afflicting the sector, the ruling parties have offered to waive farmers’ loans.

They forget that the UPA government’s waiver of farm loans worth Rs 65,000 crore did not put an end to farmers’ suicides.

When resources are limited, governments have to use them with prudence and not squander them away on populist, short-term and unproductive schemes.

If those who have defaulted in repaying bank loans are extended loan waiver, it amounts to punishing those who have honestly repaid the loans. As the State Bank of India chairperson put it, farmers in future will not be eager to repay loans in anticipation of another loan waiver.

Have the political parties thought of the repercussions of a loan waiver on the banking system?

The governments in both state cannot fulfil the aspirations of people if they fritter away precious resources on unproductive schemes.

The Loksatta has all along argued that a government has to enable people to lead a life of dignity by standing on their own feet, and not by depending on crumbs thrown at them.

Courtesy: Deccan Chronicle

Lok Satta Times May 15th-31st, 2014

Lok Satta Times May 15th-31st, 2014 can be downloaded from the following link.

http://www.loksatta.org/cms/documents/lstimes/lstimes-2014-05-16-31.pdf

ఆంధ్రప్రదేశ్ కి ప్రత్యేక కేటగిరీ హోదా కల్పించటాన్ని స్వాగతిస్తున్నాం, కానీ అది చాలదు: జేపీ

రోడ్డు ప్రమాదాల నివారణపై దృష్టి పెట్టేలా ముండే దుర్మరణం ప్రభుత్వాన్ని కదిలించాలి: జేపీ

Extension of special category status to AP Welcome, but not enough: Dr. JP

The Loksatta Party today expressed satisfaction over the Union Government and the Planning Commission fulfilling the solemn commitment made by former Prime Minister Dr. Manmohan Singh in Parliament on according special category status to residuary Andhra Pradesh following its bifurcation.

In a media statement, Dr. JP recalled that it was the Loksatta Party which had proposed grant of special category status to Andhra Pradesh. The status was warranted since residuary Andhra Pradesh would start off with a significant revenue deficit with the loss of Hyderabad and the huge revenue it generates. Most industries and businesses are concentrated in Hyderabad. If industry is to be promoted in residuary Andhra Pradesh exemptions in corporate income tax and excise duties have to be extended on par with those in special category States like Himachal Pradesh and Uttarakhand. Backward regions like north coastal Andhra and Rayalaseema deserve special assistance for improving infrastructure and combating poverty.

Dr. JP said that mere extension of special category status to residuary Andhra Pradesh for five years is not enough. The Union Government has to meet Andhra Pradesh’s revenue deficit for 10 years. Tax exemptions should be extended to all new industrial units to be set up in the next ten years and not five years, and the units should be enabled to enjoy tax exemptions for 20 years.

Dr. JP would like the new Government in Andhra Pradesh to focus on improving infrastructure, stimulating investment and encouraging productive activities. If precious resources are squandered on unproductive, populist and short-term sops, the State will be forgoing a golden opportunity to unveil a bright future for its youth.

Munde’s death should drive Government to focus on preventing road accidents: Dr. JP

Conveying his deepest condolences to the family, colleagues and co-workers of Union Minister Gopinath Munde who died in a tragic road accident in New Delhi this morning, Loksatta Party national President Dr. Jayaprakash Narayan described him as an influential and popular politician.

“It is unfortunate that death snatched away an outpspoken politician at the height of his political career. It will be a significant loss to Maharashtra, the BJP and national political life.”

Dr. JP said that the ghastly accident should spur the Union and State Governments to focus on preventing countless deaths in road accidents all over the country every year. The accident rate as also the number of fatalities per thousand vehicles in India is the highest in the world. Annually, not less than 150000 people, most of them young, are dying in road accidents, not to mention the lakhs of people who are maimed and disabled.

కొత్త ప్రభుత్వానికి నిర్మాణాత్మక సహకారం అందిస్తాం

Dr. JP greets Telangana people on State formation

Conveying his good wishes for the happiness and prosperity of 3.5 crore Telangana people following the formation of a separate State, Loksatta Party national President Dr. Jayaprakash Narayan today pledged to extend constructive cooperation to the new Government headed by TRS President K. Chandrasekhara Rao.

Underlining the need for both Telanagana and Andhra Pradesh Governments working together to ensure a bright future for their youth, Dr. JP said that a geographical division on a map is not going to obliterate their common civilization and culture, language, literature and history, Dr. JP said at a media conference.

Celebrating the formation of Telangana State at the party headquarters, Dr. JP hoisted the national tricolor and Mr. Bandaru Ramamohan Rao the party flag after offering floral tributes to the portraits of B. R. Ambedkar and Mahatma Gandhi.

Dr. JP said that formation of Telangana has opened a new era in Telugu people’s history. It marks the culmination of sacrifices made by hundreds of people for decades.

He recalled that the Loksatta Party had declared unequivocally in the Assembly that formation of a Telangana State is necessary and inevitable. And it has had the distinction of laying the foundation for a bright future for the people of the two States.

The recent general elections once again demonstrated that Indian people are mature enough to elect stable Governments. The Constitution which has preserved unity amidst complex diversity in the country has also facilitated formation of Telangana State.

Describing himself as an eternal optimist, Dr. JP hoped the two States would be in the forefront of economic development in the next one decade in the country. Members of Parliament belonging to the two States should fight together to preserve and promote Telugu people’s interests. The two Governments should maintain cordial and amicable relations and enter into a healthy competition. If they follow the policy of ‘an eye for an eye’ both will go blind and other States will march ahead of them.

There might be hiccups between the two States initially over division of river waters, financial resources, employees etc. But such problems are not intractable. In fact, they appear to be trivial when compared to the challenges the two Governments face in living up to people’s expectations.

The two Governments will have to focus on improving infrastructure including power supply, attracting investments, promoting manufacturing, decentralizing power and providing good education and skills to youth and not on offering short-term sops to cling on to power.

Dr. JP referred to the absence of Andhra Pradesh leaders at the swearing-in ceremony of Mr. K. Chandrasekhara Rao as Telangana Chief Minister and hoped that such mistakes would not be repeated in future.

Party leaders Katari Srinivasa Rao, P. Ravi Maruth, P. R. Rao and Mrs. Geetha Murthy took part in the media conference.