Friday, April 20, 2018

'Wake Up Call' to check decay of democracy


Former AP Chief Secretary’s book flags issues weakening democratic institutions

Hyderabad: Retired IAS officer and former Andhra Pradesh Chief Secretary Ajeya Kallam said citizenship is not only a right but also a duty. It is time for the people, particularly youth, to lead the charge and put ‘derailed democracy’ back on track, restore autonomy of institutions and check worsening corruption, he said.

In his book titled ‘Wake Up Call’, Mr. Kallam flagged several issues and possible solutions to strengthen collapsed systems for a robust democracy. “The idea is to flag these issues to common people and work out an agenda for transformative politics to reverse the present course of Monarchic democracy and dynasty politics and strengthen the institutions,” he said.

The book release function here on Wednesday provided the platform for speakers to look at the ills afflicting polity, governance, mounting corruption and reverse the course of governance in the States and the Centre back to democratic ways.

Raising the issue of defections, Justice P. Lakshman Reddy wondered how Legislative Assembly Speakers could fail to disqualify MLAs defecting to another party after elections, even as the 10th Schedule of Constitution was clear on disqualification.

Lok Satta founder president Jayaprakash Narayan, who released the book, said voters should stop looking at elections as a match between two parties. A voter should understand the link between the vote, good governance and better quality of life for citizens. Politicians should not solely be blamed, as some of them were as much victims as villains and were trapped in a vicious circle of spending lakhs and crores of rupees to win elections.

M.V.R. Sastry, former ditor, Andhra Bhoomi, said democracy was not just smooth transfer of power once every five years alone. Two political parties, mired in various scams and corruption sharing power alternately was not democracy, he said.

Explaining what prompted him to pen the book, Mr. Kallam said people had been witnessing political executive consciously weakening all the democratic institutions from 1980s onwards. Every time there was a change of guard at the political level, there was more suffocation and a feeling of being further let down.

He said debates titled ‘Mana Kosam Manam’ (We for ourselves) would be organised in every district, starting from Anantapur on April 21, to make people think and do their bit to change the situation for the better.

Courtesy: The Hindu

వ్యవస్థలో మార్పు అవసరం: జేపీ


రాచరిక ప్రజాస్వామ్యం


వ్యవస్థలపై నమ్మకం సన్నగిల్లింది


సమాజాన్ని చీలుస్తున్న కులమతాలు, ప్రాంతీయ తత్వాలు


Wednesday, April 11, 2018

CM should lead fight for SCS: Lok Satta Chief


Political rivalry should be limited to elections


అందరూ కలిసి పోరాడాలి


ప్రభుత్వ పెత్తనం వల్లే ప్రగతికి దూరం


రాజకీయ లబ్దిని పక్కన పెట్టాలి


పాడి అభివృద్ధికి జానకీరామయ్య కృషి చిరస్మరణీయం


ఉమా, జేపీ మాటల యుద్ధం


ప్రత్యేక హోదాపై కలిసి పోరాడాలి


సహకార రంగానికి ఆదర్శం.. మండవ


Saturday, April 7, 2018

Letter to AP CM on Clinical Establishment Act by Dr.JP

7th April, 2018

Sri Nara Chandrababu Naidu
Chief Minister of Andhra Pradesh
Chief Minister’s Office, Block – I,
AP Secretariat, Velagapudi
Amaravati

Dear Sri Chandrababu Naidu garu,

I congratulate you on your wise decision to refer the Clinical Establishment Act, 2010 as enacted by Parliament under Article 252 of the Constitution to a Select Committee of the State Legislature.

At the request of the then Health Minister, Foundation for Democratic Reforms had held a series of consultations and discussions with stakeholders and prepared a draft Bill and sent it to the AP government. Kindly find enclosed our report and the draft Bill and background material.

In particular, I draw your attention to Article 252(2) of the Constitution: “Any Act so passed by Parliament may be amended or repealed by an Act of Parliament passed or adopted in like manner but shall not, as respects any State to which it applies, be amended or repealed by an Act of the Legislature of that State”

In light of this, if the State Legislature adopts the law of Parliament on a State subject, the State will have no power to amend or repeal the law; Parliament alone will have such power. In effect adopting a law of Parliament on a State subject under Article 252 means the State has voluntarily ceded the power of legislation on a State subject to Parliament and will have no capacity to legislate on the subject in future until Parliament repeals the law. This provision is entirely against the spirit of federalism and severely abridges the State’s powers even on a State subject under 7th Schedule.

Therefore I urge you not to adopt the law of Parliament, but to enact fresh legislation for the State of Andhra Pradesh on the lines prepared by Foundation for Democratic Reforms, which has taken a balanced position to protect public interest without creating a license raj and inhibiting private investment.

With warm regards,

Sincerely,

Jayaprakash Narayan

కేంద్ర చట్టాన్ని తీసుకోవద్దు.. ఏఫ్ డీ ఆర్ బిల్లు నమూనాలో కొత్త శాసనం చేయండి - క్లినికల్ ఎస్టాబ్లిష్ మెంట్ చట్టంపై ఏపీ ముఖ్యమంత్రికి జేపీ లేఖ