UPA-II: Promises and Compliance
Posted : June 16, 2009 at 9:05 am [IST]
The compliance records of the Man Mohan government and its ministers have been dismal. I wrote about Chidambaram promises on the water bodies of the country. However, with no leftists to object, the nation hopes and expects a record compliance this time.
Here are some specific promises made by the government with a time frame in the President Address to the joint session of both houses of parliament:
(13)The Unique Identity Card scheme for each citizen will be implemented in three years overseen by an Empowered Group. This would serve the purpose of identification for development programmes and security. The Unique Identity Card scheme for each citizen will be implemented in three years overseen by an Empowered Group. This would serve the purpose of identification for development programmes and security. Many are skeptical about its implementation. Why can’t the government outsource the task to the top five IT companies of the country and let them prove their execution excellence?
(19) My Government will expand the Rashtriya Swasthya Bima Yojana to cover all families below the poverty line in the next five years. Dr. Devi Shetty has a successful model working, why can’t the same be emulated and implemented?
(21) My Government will recast the National Literacy Mission as a National Mission for Female Literacy to make every woman literate in the next five years. I wish the literacy will mean imparting of some basic knowledge too using the local language, and audio and visual digital aids to make them a responsible citizen.
(22) The Indira Awas Yojana, which exceeded the original target of sixty lakh houses for the period 2004-2009, will now take up double the target of rural housing to one crore twenty lakh houses to be completed in the next five years. I wish the houses are well-designed and constructed properly keeping the local conditions and climate and provide a good living condition all around.
- Rural Water supply programme will be completed by 2011 and handed over to be managed by panchayats in the next Plan. Will it be only hand pumps or include some sort of water treatment too to avoid water bearing diceases?
- The rural telecommunication target will be set at reaching 40% rural teledensity in the next five years and expanding broadband coverage to connect every panchayat to a broadband network in three years. Let the knowledge centre provide services such as those essential to improve the productivity in farm or skill at work.
(23) My Government’s effort would be to create a slum free India in five years through the Rajiv Awas Yojana.
(24) Every family below the poverty line in rural as well as urban areas will be entitled, by law, to 25 kilograms of rice or wheat per month at Rs. 3 per kilogram.
(26) The government will focus on the national skill development initiative that has commenced operation with the very ambitious goal of creation of 500 million skilled people by 2022.What is the target up to 2014? Has the government picked up the figure from some report?
(37) Coordinated action for energy would be guided by the integrated energy policy. The effort would be to see that at least 13,000 MW of generating capacity is added each year through a mix of sources -coal, hydel, nuclear and renewables. It has failed till date. What is new to ensure compliance?
Will the government keep the promises this time at those ones that are very specific? Will the voter in 2014 judge this government by the compliance of the promises? I wish the government and its ministers perform well at least on these counts.
- Indra
Category: Government Policy/Administration |
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