Political Diary

Andhra Pradesh Panchayatraj Minister B Satyanarayana today promised to transfer powers to Panchayat Raj Institutions (PRIs) as stipulated by the 73rd amendment to the Constitution.

Addressing his maiden press conference after assuming charge, Mr Satyanarayana said he would hold a meeting of all those concerned to look into all issues connected with the transfer of 29 subjects from the State Government to Rural Local Bodies, besides devolution of funds for their independent functioning.

The State Government had already passed orders for transfer of 11 subjects to local bodies, he pointed out.Maintaining the promises made in the poll manifesto were ’sacred’ for the ruling Congress, he said steps would be initiated to make Scheduled Tribe hamlets into ’’Gram panchayats’’ as promised in the election manifesto.

The State Government would provide all support to the local bodies for providing basic amenities, including pucca roads and safe drinking water.

The Lok Satta Party (LSP) today said it would restructure the party as part of its ’Project 2014’,with a view to come to power in Andhra Pradesh.

Addressing a press conference here, party President Jayaprakash Narayan said the restructuring would reflect the changed ground realities.

The LSP had generated tremendous enthusiasm and support for the party in sections like the elite, middle classes, youth and women in the 2009 elections, he said, adding the party, however, could not translate the support into votes because of organisational and resource constraints.

At a three-day session, the party had reviewed its strengths and weaknesses and decided to restructure itself by overhauling membership criteria and co-opting people with integrity and leadership qualities, he added.

Anand Sharma was named on Thursday as trade minister in the new government, a key post with responsibility for negotiating the country’s stand at the Doha round of global trade talks.

A government statement said Murli Deora had been reappointed oil minister, and Kamal Nath, trade minister in the previous government, would become minister for road transport and highways.

Sharma, who was the junior foreign minister in the previous government and has his roots in youth politics, has little experience of economic portfolios and is likely to toe the line set by his reformist boss, Prime Minister Manmohan Singh.

Sharma is an articulate speaker and defended a controversial nuclear deal with the United States in parliament last year.India is a leading negotiator for emerging nations in the struggling Doha round of talks, and its efforts to protect poor farmers have been one of the stumbling blocks to an agreement.

Sharma is unlikely to soften India’s pro-farmer stand at the talks but could be flexible in giving market access in other sectors, analysts said.

While the global financial crisis may have made market reforms unfashionable, it is the ruling Congress party itself that may prove a bigger obstacle to deep change.

Congress won the election not only because of four years of rapid growth but also because of a pro-farm policy that may make it difficult for the government to make a radical shift in its position at the Doha talks.

India expects the next round of negotiations at the World Trade Organisation (WTO) to start in January or February 2010.The appointment of Kamal Nath, who is seen as pro-business, as road transport and highways minister signals the government’s intention to speed up the implementation of infrastructure projects which had slowed under the previous government.

She made these announcements after assuming charge amid a huge crowd of admirers in the J block of the Secretariat. The low-profile, soft-spoken science graduate from Koukuntla village in Ranga Reddy district, Ms. Sabitha (46) was given a red carpet welcome by her followers from Maheswaram Assembly constituency. As she took charge, priests chanted Vedic hymns and performed pooja. A. K. Khan, Additional DGP (Law & Order), and other senior officers were present.

Ms. Sabitha thanked Chief Minister Y. S. Rajasekhara Reddy for choosing a woman for the first time to be his Home Minister, and said “this is an honour to all women in the country, and to me in particular”. She said the inspiration to set up a helpline came from a woman of Srikakulam, one of the several hundred people, who called up on telephone to compliment her.

The helpline would respond to all complaints of domestic violence, eve-teasing and atrocities. She would make efforts to increase strength of women in police force through a separate recruitment if possible.

This decision was taken in view of instances of exploitation of labour by contractors, who retained the workers with meagre amounts after giving loans to them.

While N Balakrishna and Jr NTR, who were both star campaigners during the elections, gave the pep talk and advised party leadership to infuse young blood into the party, president N Chandrababu Naidu announced that the entire state committees stand dissolved with immediate effect and that the party would go in for organisational elections soon.

Jr NTR once again proved to be the star speaker and did not mince words in expressing his feelings about the future course of the party. Asking party workers not to get demoralised, he said victory and defeat in polls was a common thing.

“Abraham Lincoln lost elections many times before he became the US president. Nelson Mandela had to spend several years in jail before he could come to power. To serve the people it is not necessary that one should be in power.

We don’t need mine owners or big contractors to serve the people. Dedicated and sincere workers and leaders by their hard work can win the confidence of the people just as Mahatma Gandhi became the father of the nation,’’ he said.

Balakrishna called upon the cadre to continue to work for the party’s ideals and programmes. He said though the party failed to come to power, it did pretty well and increased the number of seats in the assembly. There are several reasons for the party not being able to come to power, he said.

Later during a chat with media, he said he was willing to contest from anywhere and enter the assembly if the party feels so. Reacting to this, Gudivada MLA Kodali Nani offered to quit in favour of Balakrishna but he turned down the offer.

The deal was clinched by chief minister Y S Rajasekhara Reddy at an emergency meeting with various officials concerned held in New Delhi on May 24, when both the Centre and the state were immersed in ministry formation. The NTPC-BHEL Power Projects Private Ltd (NBPPPL) will be the first PSU in the state in the last 27 years after the Vizag Steel Plant, which was commissioned in 1982.

It will also be the first PSU in the Rayalaseema region to which the chief minister belongs.

Set to come up in Mannavaram village in Chittoor district, the foundation stone for the plant will be laid next month, Busi Sam Bob, principal secretary, industries, told TOI. “The plant will manufacture power equipment for coal-based thermal power stations up to 1000 MW including super critical, hydro-based power stations and gas-based units, besides matching generators, boilers etc,” Sam Bob said. In fact, the unit will make all equipment related to power projects in India and abroad and the first batch will be ready for shipment by 2014, he added.

Officials present at the New Delhi meeting on May 24 included Union power secretary H S Brahma and Union industry secretary Satyanarayana Dash, besides the top brass of NTPC and BHEL. According to sources, while in the midst of finalising the state cabinet with Congress president Sonia Gandhi, YSR managed to convene the emergency meeting on Sunday afternoon.

The manufacturing unit would require 700 acres of land for the plant and another 250 acres for the township. The NBPPPL was set up by NTPC and BHEL with 50:50 per cent equity last year with a proposed initial investment of Rs 6,000 crore for the Chittoor plant. According to Sam Bob, the unit will provide direct employment to 6,000 people along with an indirect employment to about 25,000 to 30,000 people.

With at least seven states including Tamil Nadu vying for the PSU, clinching the deal can be considered a feather in the cap of the chief minister, especially when it came just at a time when both the governments at the Centre and the state were taking over.