Monthly white paper on power to be issued

By Our Special Correspondent

HYDERABAD, JAN. 24. The Government plans to issue a white paper on the power position every month and weekly bulletins at the local level setting out complete details.

As part of the power reforms now under way to strengthen the AP Transco and AP Genco, training sessions will be arranged to improve staff efficiency.

These steps were outlined by the Chief Minister, Mr. N. Chandrababu Naidu, at a two-day broad-based meeting of the Telugu Desam which opened here on Monday.

Members of the Cabinet, Politburo, State executive, MLAs, MPs, ZP and municipal chairpersons, district presidents, presidents of affiliated bodies, ex-MPs and MLAs and other select functionaries numbering 800 are attending the session mainly intended to discuss reports of the 12 Cabinet Sub-Committees on key issues and devise strategy for the municipal elections.

Mr. Chandrababu Naidu said urgent steps were called to arrest mounting losses of the power sector, now put at around Rs. 3,500 crores, by minimising pilferage, transmission losses and optimising collections.

He dropped subtle hints at the inevitability of enhancing power rates, but said it was for the statutory Tariff Regulatory Commission (TRC) to decide. Even if the TRC hiked the rates, the Government was empowered to continue subsidies to priority sectors to cushion the burden.

The Chief Minister also dwelt on the finances of the State, saying several other States and the Government of India also were in a similar plight. Spiralling establishment costs and heavy spending on welfare sector caused the stringency.

The State spent Rs. 1,550 crores on implementing revised pay scales and another Rs. 250 crores on DA. Little money was available for development.

It was in this context that the Government was for the first time going for ``zero-based budget'' with focus on realistic and need- based outlays.

Mr. Naidu referred to the continuing strike by junior doctors and a never-before stipend hike of 50 per cent offered to them. Yet, he noted, they were not satisfied. It should be remembered that the Government spent Rs. 5 lakhs on every medico and another Rs. 5 lakhs on PG.

Junior doctors were offered stipend ranging from Rs. 4,800 to Rs. 5,200 despite the financial stringency. He contrasted this with the unprecedented demand for old age or destitute pensions in the rural areas.

The Telugu Desam president said the party was ready to face elections to municipalities and local bodies. ``We are not afraid of any elections because we are always with the people and in their midst. It was the TDP which organised elections to them in 1986 and 1995''.

Janmabhoomi and other programmes were being constantly reviewed to make them serve the people better. As part of an unprecedented information-gathering exercise, multi-purpose household survey was done and data in respect of 312 mandals computerised.

Students were involved in the household survey under Janmabhoomi micro-planning exercise. The GIS (geographical information system) data was ready.

Data from these sources would be integrated to form the basis for planning for future. The data would ensure that welfare benefits reached only the genuine.

The GIS profile of the entire State, giving full details of the local infrastructure, was ready. It would be put on the web and released in a day or two, he said.

The beneficiaries would also be given `social security' cards akin to the multi-purpose identity card with photograph.

The Chief Minister said habitations, mandals and districts would be graded under Janmabhoomi evaluation and the best among them developed into models for others. Industrial houses and voluntary agencies would be involved in the exercise.

Send this article to Friends by E-Mail

Section  : Regional
Next     : Tremors in Warangal