Press Releases Archive

Arogyasri is not a cure-all: Lok Satta

“The State Government is focusing its attention on extending Arogyasri coverage to all the people without realizing that Arogyasri has not guaranteed health to even to those who are covered by it, charged the Lok Satta Party here today. Arogyasri is not a cure-all.

“Thousands of people all over the State falling victim of diseases like malaria and dengue are today forced to incur huge expenditure by incurring debts on treatment in private, corporate hospitals as Arogyasri covered only certain diseases and not all.”

Talking to the media, party spokespersons V. Laxman Balaji and Mrs. K. Gita Murthy said a solution to the health crisis in the State lay in taking preventive measures and strengthening primary and secondary care. Instead, Arogyasri aimed at providing tertiary super specialty care to a microscopic section of the State’s population.

The leaders quoted the National Sample Survey to point out that 1,10,000 people who needed some medical care or the other every day in Andhra Pradesh chose to go without treatment. Another 17,500 people visited hospitals both in the private and public sector and a majority of them met the expenditure on treatment out of their pocket. The Government washed its hands of providing health care by ensuring that a few hundred people underwent surgeries mostly in private hospitals every day. The Arogyasri scheme had merely enriched a few private hospitals but not ensured health even to cardholders and their families.

As of today, the Lok Satta leaders said, 85 percent of the people are eligible to avail of benefits under Arogyasri. Extension of coverage to the remainder of 15 percent of people would not be a big deal.

“The need of the hour is a comprehensive health care policy which ensures quality and free health care to all the people.” The Government should have constituted a committee of health care experts to evolve such a policy, instead of a committee of Ministers to consider extension of Arogyasri even to pink card holders.

Friday, October 23, 2009 - 17:56

People voted for the lesser evil: Dr. JP

Lok Satta Party President Dr. Jayaprakash Narayan said today that the Congress, despite its incompetent, corrupt and centralized rule, got away with victories Maharashtra, Haryana and Arunachal Assemblies because of people’s aversion to parties which sought to divide them on the basis of caste, religion, region and language.

Talking to media representatives, Dr. JP said that unlike in the past people pondered over their future without being swayed by momentary emotions as they exercised their franchise. Since there was no party which represented their quest for change, they were forced to vote for the least dangerous party. The Congress success in State elections did not signify people’s endorsement of its policies.

In Maharashtra, Dr. JP pointed out that the voters regarded both the Congress and the BJP as the two sides of the same coin. There was little difference between the two parties’ policies and the players continued to be the same old ones or their successors, although they might have switched parties. Yet, the people voted for the Congress because it was the lesser evil.

Dr. JP expressed concern over the indifference of voters to elections and their outcome because of the absence of a party which mirrored their quest for change. In their perception, the third front too comprised parties which are akin to the Congress and the BJP. People’s indifference posed a threat to democracy itself, he warned and said that a proportional representation system in place of the present first-past-the-post system would pave way for the emergence of new parties pursuing alternative politics.

The elections once again underlined that a victory or defeat is not determined by the incumbency factor alone and that multiplicity of parties would not come in the way of the victory of a party in which people reposed faith.

Thursday, October 22, 2009 - 17:05

Dr. JP sees bid to fragment State Following SC verdict

Lok Satta Party President Dr. Jayaprakash Narayan today warned that attempts at changing the Presidential Order or misinterpreting the Supreme Court judgment on it would merely promote discord among people of different regions in the State.

"Bereft of any meaningful agenda other than naked quest for power, politicians of different hues are trying to fragment the State in the name of region and language or caste and religion."

Addressing the media on the 'free zone' controversy, Dr. JP clarified upfront that neither the Presidential Order nor the Supreme Court judgment carried the word 'free zone' anywhere. The loosely-coined word emanated from an administrative tribunal and it had no relevance.

The Presidential Order emanated directly from Article 371 D of the Constitution as amended by the 32nd amendment and is virtually an extension of the Constitution. It overrides all other statutes.

The Presidential Order Of November 1, 1975 sought to ensure fairness, equity, regional balance and opportunities for all in Government jobs. It specifically exempted the all posts in the Secretariat, offices of heads of department, special offices or establishments, State-level offices or institutions, other than non-gazetted posts in major development projects and all posts as defined in the Hyderabad Police Act from zonal criteria for recruitment.

The Supreme Court, Dr. JP pointed out, unequivocally upheld the Presidential Order in a case filed by some police personnel. It dismissed the contention of the State Government that the order would not apply to Hyderabad police since they had not been appointed under the Hyderabad City Police Act and since the Government of India had not notified the local cadres of the Hyderabad police.

The Supreme Court in its judgment pointed out that the local cadres had not been notified precisely because the Presidential Order exempted the Hyderabad police from zonal regulations. Again, the Presidential Order was not concerned about the way the police were recruited. It exempted the police as defined under the Hyderabad City Police Act.

If zonalization were to be extended to the Hyderabad police, Dr. JP explained, a person from say Adilabad cannot be a sub-inspector pf police or a or even a person from Ranga Reddy district cannot be a constable in Hyderabad city, leave alone those from Coastal Andhra and Rayalaseema districts.

Dr. JP said he was amazed that some employees demanded reservation of jobs for local people in Hyderabad City police citing their backwardness as justification.

Hyderabad is the most progressive district in terms of both education and per capita income. Therefore, seeking reservation in terms of backwardness of Hyderabad would not hold water.

It was is true that parts of Telangana as also some areas in Coastal Andhra and Rayalaseema continued to be backward. Who was to blame if some regions had remained backward 53 years after the formation of an integrated State and 62 years after the country attained Independence? Were not employees who were supposed to provide quality education and health care to people partly responsible?

Dr. JP said the Lok Satta Party abided by the Presidential Order and its interpretation by the Supreme Court. Any attempt to get the order revised would undermine State's unity and promote discord among different regions.

He also made it clear that the Andhra Pradesh Government's bid to get the Supreme Court review its verdict would not succeed because a revision could be considered only if there were any gross factual errors in it. Such was not the case now.

Wednesday, October 21, 2009 - 17:15

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