Press Releases Archive

Lok Satta Announces Election Results (Other than State President)

Mr. Nandipeta Ravinder was today declared elected President of the Greater Hyderabad Lok Satta unit with a majority of 1262 votes over his rival. The election took place on January 4 and the counting today.

Mr. V. Ramachandraiah, Chairman, and other members of the Lok Satta Party’s Election Authority declared the results of the internal party elections, which took place between January 4 and 7. It is for the first time that a party’s leaders have been chosen in voting by secret ballot. The result of the election to the post of the State party President will be declared tomorrow, as the counting was still in progress.

The counting of votes in the election to the posts of the State President and the Greater Hyderabad unit took place in the party headquarters.

The following were elected district unit Presidents in the keenly contested elections (with their majority given in brackets:

Srikakulam: K. Poli Naidu (Majority-957)

Vizianagaram: Bhisetty Babji (Majority-793)

Visakhapatnam City: Sivakumar (Majority-902)

East Godavari: Ramakrishna Paramahamsa (Majority-2910)

West Godavari: G. Janaki Ramaraju (Majority-836)

Ananatapur: Srinath (Majority-777)

Nizamabad: Jameel Syber (Majority-8,102)

Warangal: S. Venkata Raju (Majority-1304)

The following were elected district unit Presidents unanimously:

Visakhapatnam Rural: K. V. Suresh Kumar

Chittoor: Malyadri

Kurnool: R. Narasimhulu

Kadapa: Venugopal

Guntur: Umamaheswar Reddy

Friday, January 9, 2009 - 18:36

Lok Satta tells Chiru: Say 'no liquor for votes'

Welcoming Praja Rajyam President Chiranjeevi's declaration that his party would ban unauthorized liquor shops (belt shops) if elected to power, the Lok Satta Party today asked him to go one step further and pledge against inducing voters with liquor.

Party spokesman Katari Srinivasa Rao and Working Committee member N. Ravinder asked Mr. Chiranjeevi to recognize that belt shops had proliferated because the Government viewed liquor as an important source of revenue.

Talking to the media, the Lok Satta leaders said the Praja Rajyam Party should, therefore, focus on changes in the liquor policy as well. They recalled the Lok Satta Party had for the last 18 months been agitating against the liquor menace, which is next only to corruption in playing havoc with people's lives.

Thursday, January 8, 2009 - 14:42

Dr. JP demands a thorough probe into Satyam fraud

Lok Satta Party President Dr. Jayaprakash Narayan today demanded a thorough investigation by all regulatory agencies into the monumental accounting fraud in Satyam Computers and stringent punishment of all the guilty.

In a statement, Dr. JP pointed out that the colossal failure of the internationally reputed auditing firm PwC in the Satyam case reminded one of the role of Arthur Andersen in the Enron case and undermined people’s faith in corporate governance.

"It is possible that other corporate bodies too may have been resorting to accounting jugglery. It is high time that the Government and regulatory agencies thoroughly reviewed the accounting practices of all big corporate entities in the next few weeks and plugged all loopholes. An exercise on a war-footing is necessary to restore public confidence in Indian corporate governance both nationally and globally."

Dr. JP said that people, who forgot that real wealth creation lay in the production of goods and services fomented speculative bubbles in sectors like the stock market and the real estate. In the process, innocent people lost their all in chasing the mirages created by manipulators.

Dr. JP said that the quest for prominence and fear of losing power or position or influence made people resort to unethical practices and commit monumental blunders both in the corporate world and pubic life in general. A big corporate firm like Satyam had sought to maintain the illusion of profits instead of accepting and confronting the realities honestly. "It is a classic case of hubris and tragedy that overtakes when appearances become more important than realities."

Dr. JP said: "The one message that comes out loud and clear from the Satyam episode is that there is no point in shutting our eyes to realities. Despite the universal knowledge that corruption and malpractices have become integral to our public life we are feigning surprise each time something surfaces and after appropriate initial shock and horror, we forget about them. The real sufferers of our refusal or unwillingness to take note of the decay at the core are the poor and the marginal sections. We have to take stock of our failings collectively, acknowledge them honestly and address them swiftly and decisively."

Thursday, January 8, 2009 - 12:48

Lok Satta Welcomes Urban Health Mission

The Lok Satta Party today welcomed the Government of India decision to introduce the National Urban Health Mission on the lines of the National Rural Health Mission, although belatedly. Lok Satta Party President Dr. Jayaprakash Narayan, as a member of the National Advisory Council, had played a pivotal role in conceiving and drafting the scheme.

Lok Satta Party spokesman Katari Srinivasa Rao and Working Committee member Laxman Balaji told the media that nearly 80 percent of migrants to urban areas led miserable lives and as a result fell prey to ill health. About 3.7 percent of people slipped into poverty every year as they incurred debt at to meet medical expenses. About 60 percent of urban children went without immunization in their first year. Youngsters remained weaklings. The proliferation of slums contributed to the outbreak of diseases affecting everybody. The introduction of the NUHM is, therefore, welcome against such a backdrop, the Lok Satta leaders remarked.

The Lok Satta leaders wanted the Government to focus on prevention of disease and provision of primary care. Formation of ward committees with resources and powers to implement and oversee all schemes concerning health care and sanitation would go a long way in curbing corruption and faster delivery of health services.

Tuesday, January 6, 2009 - 22:01

Government to blame for cotton growers distress

The Lok Satta Party today accused the State Government of having badly let down cotton farmers by not counselling them against going in for cotton because of the likely glut, supplying poor quality BT seed and by not ensuring purchase of the produce at a remunerative price.

The yield went down because of inferior seed and unseasonable rain even as the farmers had to spend more on pesticide as the crop was vulnerable to pests. At a time the cotton farmer was in distress, the Cotton Corporation of India had stopped purchases on the ground its warehouses were overflowing in the wake of the fall in exports and left the farmers to the mercy of private traders. On top of it the banks deducted farmers’ loan dues from out of the delayed CCI cheque payments.

Talking to the media, party spokesman Katari Srinivasa Rao and State Working Committee member Laxman Balaji demanded that the State Government immediately intervene, ensure that the CCI resumed purchases and render justice to farmers. A permanent solution to such problems lies in starting agri-clinics which will guide farmers from the time of sowing to the marketing of produce and ensure supply of quality inputs.

Tuesday, January 6, 2009 - 21:59

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