LOKSATTA GREATER HYDERABAD (GHMC) ELECTION 6 POINT MANIFESTO

VOTE FOR  LOKSATTA  FOR A BETTER HYDERABAD CITY GOVERNMENT

6 POINT MANIFESTO

REVERSE OSMOSIS : SAFE DRINKING WATER. NO MORE DEATHS

Death sentence for drinking water? Not Acceptable
Safe drinking water for every area in Hyderabad
Reverse Osmosis Plants in polluted areas

CITIZENS CHARTERS

24x7 toll free Call Center for Handling Public Grievances

Birth and Death Certificate. House Plan, Property Tax, Water Connection
Tatkal service for urgent resolution

Fixed time to address requests for civic services
Rs 100 per day late fee in case of delay in resolution

Division Agenda: Local solutions for local problems

Identification of all issues within the colonies and bastis
90% of issues to be resolved within 1 year
Fix all major issues within the 5 year term

Happy Hyderabad. Livable Hyderabad.


Footpaths and parking facilities in all areas
Strengthen Public transport system
Traffic Jam free Hyderabad
Parks and sports fields in
Community police to ensure safety and security

LOCAL GOVERNMENT FOR EVERY WARD

Government at your doorstep. Governance you can see

Rs 2 Cr funds directly allotted per division annually
Work on bringing Rs 1000 per head annual state government funding

The ward manifesto prepared by CITIZENS will dictate how the funds are spent. You get to decide how to address local issues locally.

METROPOLITAN PLANNING COMMITTEE

Let's make Hyderabad the best 21st century city

Elected Metropolitan Planning Committee
Co-ordination of various city services. Central planning
Single umbrella for services such as Metro Water works, HMDA, HUDA

Loksatta The journey so far

Taking a step back to look at Loksatta past, present..

Lok Satta Party was established after a decade of work by its founder, Dr Jayaprakash Narayan, and others to create a people's movement that is alert to the pressing needs of today, and the genuine opportunities of tomorrow. At Lok Satta, we recognise that the great reforms we need in India cannot be achieved by mere tinkering of the existing political system. Instead, we need a whole new culture of politics. The aims and objectives of Lok Satta Party are to establish this new political culture which will place the citizen at the centre of governance; and to create a political, economic and social environment which will ensure equal opportunities for vertical mobility to all sections of society, irrespective of caste, ethnicity, religion, or gender.

Dr JP, as he is popularly known, served as a distinguished officer of the Indian Administrative Service for 17 years, before deciding to leave and launch the Lok Satta movement. In over a decade of work outside the government, he has won the hearts and minds of the people of Andhra Pradesh, and received repeated acclaim as a smart, purposeful and public-spirited leader. The organisation's reputation for integrity and perseverance has also created a clear impact, and the potential transformation of our political culture is now possible, thanks to the pioneering work of the last decade.

During the last 2 years, Lok Satta has been contesting elections within Andhra Pradesh, and now is increasingly focused on elections outside the state too. Our new politics is gaining momentum, as witnessed by JP's recent election to the Andhra Pradesh assembly from Kukatpally constituency, with 71,000 votes. In the upcoming Hyderabad Corporation (GHMC) elections, we believe we will do even better than we did in the assembly elections, where we received 8% of the vote city-wide. And we are actively working to follow this up with other electoral contests in Bangalore (BBMP) and other cities. Our work in Karnataka can be followed online at this URL - www.loksattakarnataka.org and on www.loksatta.org

We invite you, as a citizen concerned about various issues of development and governance, to follow the Lok Satta story, provide your inputs to guide our growth, and to participate in this journey. The destiny of India will be shaped by how much each of us is a part of reaching for it, and we hope you will join us in this quest.

More details on www.loksattakarnataka.org and updates on twitter.com/loksattablr

Loksatta in Bangalore

The LokSatta Movement started in 1996 brought about significant results in  governance and democratic reforms including RTI, disclosure of assets and criminal record, campaign funding reforms and many more.

Loksatta Political Party was formed in 2006 in order to establish a new political culture for new generation. Yes, we are in Politics!

Loksatta Party became household name in Andhra Pradesh during 2009 Elections. Founder and National Convenor,  Dr. Jaya Prakash Narayan (IAS) is now an M.L.A in the State Assembly and is voicing the opinions  of millions of common people  in the legislature.

Loksatta Party is now in Karnataka, with the sole aim of making namma citizens the center of governance. .

We welcome all citizens who dare to dream for a better India and willing to be the change they want to see.


Loksatta Party Karnataka State Unit
64/1 JayaMahal Extension 1st Main  Bengaluru
www.loksattakarnataka.org    +91 94499 94499
www.loksatta.org 

Updates on twitter.com/loksattablr

Loksatta Suggestions on Rain Water Harvesting in Bangalore

From: Loksatta Party Karnataka State Unit, 64/1 1st Main Jayamahal Extension, Bangalore

To: The Chairman, BWSSB 1st Floor, Cauvery Bhavan,K.G.Road Bangalore-560009

Dear Sir/Madam,

                             

         Subject:  Draft regulations for BWSSB Amendment to mandate rain water harvesting

Loksatta Party welcomes the recent amendment to the BWSSB act making rainwater harvesting mandatory in Bangalore. The legislature must be commended for passing the legislation which will help in recharging depleting ground water table as well as help storm water drainage system to cope with heavy rainfall.  The BWSSB circulated rules for this amendment last week and invited feedback from public. 

 

Loksatta party strongly feels that in order for active public participation in review of draft regulations, more time is necessary and requests the deadline to be extended by 2 weeks.

Loksatta party has the following suggestions to the draft regulations:

1. We think the amendment has a serious short coming.  Existing buildings built on sites of more than 2400 square feet are expected to implement rainwater harvesting within a time period of 9 months from the commencement of the act.  Similarly, all new constructions on a sital area of more than 1200 sq. feet are expected to implement rain water harvesting. Loksatta Party is of the opinion that 9 months is too short a time for completing installation of water harvesting in all applicable buildings in Bangalore because

a. Licensed plumbing contractors and their staff need to be trained in the scientific implementation and best practices
 

b. Public awareness and education program must be part of the implementation so that implementation is done effectively.

2.  The rule makes no distinction between small and large consumers of water. The current draft rules require a RWH storage or recharge capacity of 20 liters per square meter of building roof area.  It would be advisable to put a larger burden on bigger consumers.  A larger requirement could be placed on multi family dwellings or multi storey buildings.  Similarly, large consumers of water could be asked to provide a higher provision for rain water storage and ground water recharge.

3. Loksatta Party suggests that government reconsider the enforcement authority being vested on BWSSB.  BWSSB may not be appropriately staffed and capable of effectively enforcing the rapid addition of rain water harvesting systems across the city in comprehensive manner with fairness and transparency.   The current amendment puts the onus on the BWSSB to enforce the implementation of systems in non-compliant buildings and to recover costs through the land revenue department.  The government should ask itself on whether this idea is really practical.

4. Finally, since the rules envisage the recharge of ground water through open wells and borewells, it is imperative to have clearly defined standards as well as inspection to ensure that surface pollution does not contaminate ground water through poor design.  In the normal course, water percolates through the soil and has a chance to be cleaned off many of its contaminants through this process before hitting the ground water table.  The direct recharge process  poses a danger of ground water pollution if not implemented properly. All these issues must be carefully considered.  Proper training of the implementing plumbers and contractors as well as inspection and monitoring is vital for the safety and enhancement of our ground water supplies through rain water harvesting.

The government and the BWSSB would be well advised to give some more thought to the aforementioned aspects of the new rain water harvesting law.  The Lok Satta party looks forward to the opportunity to work with the administration to promote the successful implementation of rain water harvesting in Bangalore and shortly and the whole state in the future.

sincerely,

K.Rama Lakshmi

Convenor,
Loksatta Party Karnataka State Unit
Phone: 94499 94499
E-Mail: info@loksattakarnataka.org
Web: www.loksattakarnataka.org

Executive Member Training : Katari Srinivasa Rao

Katari Srinivasa Rao, General Secretary of Loksatta Party visited Bangalore office on Sept 13th 2009

We invited him to Bangalore to give us his inputs on building the party here  and
share his valuable experiences for the past 12 years he has been associated with Loksatta.
All LSPK Executive Members were invited to this training/interaction with Mr. Katari.

The session started at 10:30AM and ended at 3:30PM with a brief lunch break.  Katari spoke on a wide range of topics; from organizational activity to leadership; from doing field level surveys to campaigning for elections. From preparing manifestos to posters and other material. Almost every aspect of his talk is drawn from personal experiences from recent past and this made the entire
event extremely interesting and all of us had a great time listening, learning and asking questions.

The main focus was on identifying  and running political activities. Katari enthralled us with real life experiences from field and every example he quoted made a great impact on all of us.  It is indeed a great  experience for all members to listen to Mr. Katari who took on the role of a Professor
(some of you know, he is actually a Computer Science Professor at CBIT but taking a rather long break from his faculty position at the moment) and had his students actively engaged in listening and interacting for more than 4 hours.  About 45 executive members of LSPK attended this session.

More Photos posted here: 

http://picasaweb.google.com/loksattakarnataka/KatariInLSPBangaloreOffice

JP in Bengaluru : A quick summary

It has been a wonderful weekend at Loksatta Karnataka Chapter. Dr JP was in town for several events, a conference in Jain University, a talk at IISc (Indian Institute of Science), several press interviews (see our website ) and LSP Members meet.

Details will be posted later, but I realized lot of folks are looking for some news from here browsing the Orkut Official Loksatta community (I discovered this just today, thanks to Raj, sounds like an exciting place to be for all of us LSP members! More power to Orkut!)

The main event undoubtedly is our very first  'members only' meet on Saturday. See [Pictures here ]

When we first decided to do this meeting for members only, we were little worried about the response since attending a public meeting (like we had on the 17th July in Koramangala ) is quite different from enrolling as a member (that too with not a user friendly title "Executive Member") and being a card carrying member of a political party.  But we now learned not to underestimate the passion for LSP!

It was overwhelming to see more than 150 "Executive" members (did I mention 'Executive?') all in one room with Dr. JP for more than 4 hours.  Best part is many of them stayed long after meeting got over
to chat with others and see what they can do next! We are certain that this meeting is going to make a huge difference for our upcoming activities and help us go to the next level!

We started the event with couple of speeches from LSP Karnataka Members. Mr Yogiah, who is one of the first members of LSP in Bangalore, spoke passionately about the door-to-door campaign he started along with a bunch of other volunteers. His team's experience has been terrific in creating the awareness about LSP with local folks who might have never heard of LSP before. Mr. Yogiah is ready to contest the upcoming BBMP polls!  Dr. Meenakshi who is renowned Gynecologist and also spearheading solid waste management activities in Malleshwaram spoke about why she is willing to come into public life and our duties as responsible citizens and leaders.   Dr. JP announced formally that Dr. Meenakshi became an executive member and will be contesting the upcoming BBMP elections in Bangalore. This is indeed a big boost for LSP and we look forward to the upcoming election.

Dr. JP started his speech by lighting a lamp to celebrate Dr. Sarvepalli Radhakrishnan's birthday and speaking briefly about  fundamental rights (fascinated by his deep reverence to our constitution)
and our executive membership model and course of action for near term future.

Since this is designed to be an 'internal' meeting, the members asked extremely relevant questions about building the party, taking our message to people and highlighting our weaknesses etc. We will be posting a summary of questions and responses soon..

One of the common questions we get from new members is 'So, I became a member, what do I do now?' or "I have very little time, how can I contribute?" - we designed the venue in such a way that there are booths set up (somewhat like a conference exhibition) for each of the 'teams' we have created here in Bangalore. For example, a booth for 'Fund Raising', 'Volunteer Management' "Media and PR" , 'Women's group' etc.

We put up brief descriptions of what these groups are supposed to do and volunteers were present to explain the role of each of these groups. New members could discuss with existing members, understand
what the expectations are and then sign up to one of the groups they want to contribute their time to.

Based on my own conversations with more than 40 new faces, I think this went well.  Folks appreciated the clarity and our attempt to make them join a group of their preference rather than asking them on work on something they may not feel comfortable with or not have much passion about!

Many thanks to Mr. Purandhar for providing lunch for all the members at the venue.

More later..

Rare occasion : agree with YSR!

A.P Chief Minister YSR says "TDP in finished"  -  it appears that way to me too..

Indian Express "TDP is finished : YSR"

Not because of so called Operation Akarsh or other political games,  but because..

1. People of A.P are sick and tired of choosing a better evil

2. TDP does not seem to understand the role of a political party in democracy. see this:

Dr. JP pointed out that the budget envisaged a daily outlay of nearly Rs.283 crore. Yet, the Assembly passed all the demands without any debate on the last day of its session by voice vote.

3. There are viable alternatives to Congress now in A.P gaining momentum not just in
educated middle class but in all sections of society.

I think you know what that alternative is.

Special Teacher's Day in Bangalore

.. for all Loksatta Members.

Loksatta Members meet with Dr. JP on Saturday, Sept 5th at 9AM

Venue : Inner Ring Road, Domlur Flyover - Behind Nandhana Restaurant

More info at www.loksattakarnataka.org

What does it mean to "Own and Lead the Party?"

how about:

• being able to ask questions about our promises?
• having direct response from the leader of the party?
• your criticism and the response being put on public domain ?

Few weeks ago a friend of mine told me he is not sure if Loksatta is any different from other parties and whether we really understand the issues and offering realistic solutions. I asked him to put this thoughts on paper and send it to us.  

Few days later I was pleasantly surprised to get an email response from Dr. JP and the entire conversation posted on loksatta.org for the benefit of everyone.  It is indeed gratifying to see our leader take the time to respond to concerns in a detailed fashion. 

Thank you Dr. JP for being transparent and forthcoming.  for being accessible to all members.

See this link on loksatta.org site 

some excerpts from the response:

Dear Keshav,

 

Thank you for your email on Lok Satta’s agenda and commitments. As you said, we share the same concerns, and therefore I accept your criticism in that spirit, and offer my comments and perspectives briefly.

 

First, we must recognize that access to quality education is the greatest guarantor of human dignity and opportunity to fulfil human potential. India’s failure in this sector is appalling when compared to any other large, modern society with aspirations to global power or economic prosperity. The issue is only partly linked to resources. We certainly need more money, but even more important is the way we deploy resources. Public institutions are not a panacea, but abdication of the state is unpardonable and unacceptable in a civilized society.

 

We are not guaranteeing equality of outcomes, nor are we assuring equality of opportunity in every minute detail. But the least we should, and can, do is to ensure that the minimum acceptable quality of education is available to even the poorest children, and there are minimum levels of learning attained by every child.

 

In order to accomplish this goal, we require investment, public-private partnership, independent evaluation and sample-testing, competition, choice, parent control, and a host of other mechanisms. Even now public expenditure per child at school in AP is of the order of Rs 10,000 per annum. While it is not vast, it is by no means an insignificant sum relative to our per-capita income and the purchasing power of rupee.

 

Lok Satta has a fairly comprehensive approach to school education, and the details are available on the web. Briefly, we need to convert the existing so-called primary schools (two-room, two-teacher, neighbourhood facilities) into play schools for 3-6 years age group, and build/ promote decent schools with 5-10 class rooms and teachers for every 5000 or so population. We have now about 60,000 primary schools. Instead we will have 60,000 play schools and about 15,000 decent primary schools with proper monitoring and support, and free public transport where necessary. A strong inspection mechanism, random sample testing, parental monitoring, and focus on communication and language, civic education, arithmetic and environment will be integral to primary schools.

 

Similarly, there will be a good quality high school – public or private – available to every 10,000 – 20,000 population, with integration of 11th and 12th grades (Intermediate) with the school. The school will become the hub of the community, and the point of convergence for many services.

 

Your critique overstates the cost of infrastructure. The truth is, to build about 5000 high schools, we need a capital cost of Rs 5000 crore, which is under 5% of the state’s annual expenditure. The state even now spends about Rs 12000 crore annually on education alone! Money is not the key constraint. Political will, meaningful reform to create the right kind of incentives, and sustained public and media attention are the real constraints.

 

Regarding weightage to rural and poor students, there are always going to be challenges. But we need to move from the present quotas to weightages, and from caste-based affirmative action to means-based support. The problem of targeting can be addressed by applying criteria like parental education and the kind of school the child goes to, both of which are verifiable. The issue should be seen in the larger context of cracking the complex, zero-sum-game problem of reservations as practiced now without adequate benefits to society.

 

Regarding healthcare, free and universal care is both necessary and eminently feasible. Please refer to Lok Satta’s detailed documents on healthcare – ‘Public-Private Partnership’ and ‘Towards a national health service’. All these have been costed, and together they will constitute less than 2% of GSDP. Again money is not the key constraint. The design of the system, incentives, and cost-effectiveness are the challenges. You will find many details in Lok Satta Party literature (www.loksatta.org).We are opposed to the AP government’s Arogyasree precisely for the reasons you have stated – that it will bankrupt the state without improving the health of the people. Lok Satta’s primary focus is on primary and family care, and nutrition and immunization are integral parts of primary care.

 

Lok Satta has been persistently opposing wasteful, populist, expensive measures, and has repeatedly supported painful measures to enchance revenues or reduce subsidies. Our opposition to expensive lift irrigation projects like Pranahita-Chevella, loan waiver to farmers, free power, free television sets, Rs 2000 every month to families, and Arogyasree are very well known. All these are expensive and ineffective in meeting our challenges. Similarly, we are the lone party in India to support increase of fuel prices (petrol and diesel) and oppose farmers’ loan waiver. All these are mere illustrations of Lok Satta’s commitment to fiscal prudence.

I deeply appreciate your concerns. I am sure you will find that your concerns are more than adequately addressed in the overall approach and policy framework of Lok Satta. My speech in the Assembly on the AP Budget, which is available on the Youtube amply illustrates the responsible and innovative approach of Lok Satta.

 

Let us continue the debate. Meanwhile, all of us need to act together to help transform India. Some minor differences are bound to persist. But the challenge is to avoid the ‘narcissitm of small differences’ and focus on the goals we all believe in.

 

With warm regards

Jayaprakash Narayan

Traffic, Rain, 500+ Attendees, 170 Questions and overwhelming support for Loksatta in Bangalore

Press Note on Dr. JP's Bangalore Meeting on 17th July

Dr. JP: We require new politics for a new generation of Indians!

Delivering the key note address to a gathering at the  Kalyana Mantapa in Koramangala, Dr. Jayaprakash Narayan (JP) of Lok Satta Party urged the people to work together to create a political transformation in the country.  India requires a new politics for a new generation. The 500 seating in the hall was overflowing with people comprising youth, men and women and senior citizens, some having to sit uncomfortably in passageways. 

The introductory address given by Dr. Ashwin Mahesh, editor India Together and member of AbiDe Taskforce, said Dr. JP cannot be introduced as a statesman or a politicians as this would not cover a range of other possibilities that he can do. Three things he has noticed in course of his long association with Dr. JP is his respect for politics and that it represents a way of giving voice to aspirations of people, he being a national person and he fact that he is touched by human suffering at a very personal level. His work as a member of the National Advisory Council (NAC) and his contribution to the drafting of the Right to Information (RTI) legislation is scarcely recognised.

Initiating his address Dr. JP thanked the audience for their overwhelming presence inspite of it being a working day in Bengaluru, in the midst of bad weather and peak traffic. The diversity of people that have come show the resilience of all people for a change. When India got independence in 1947, it constituted 2% of global GDP. This dropped to 1% in 1991 and by 2009 has only recovered enough to reach the 2%. But the potential of India is to reach 18-20% of global GDP, second only to China. However, to make this happen first world economy cannot be sustained by third world politics. In the present state of affairs, politics will derail the economy.

Dr. JP brought out the five challenges faced by India today

* Abject poverty

* Poor education system

* High degree of centralisation in administration

* Endemic corruption

* Political parties today are captive of feudal families

JP recollected that India can boast of more leaders during the independence period than any other country. But today the finest in India are moving away from political engagement. True politics is a noble endeavour and we cannot shun it. Afterall Mahatma Gandhi and Nelson Mandela were also politicians. It has to be redefined as new politics for a new generation of Indians. He urged people to contribute to this in varying degrees depending on their commitments. 

He emphasised that Lok Satta is eagerly looking for leaders. Bengaluru which has shown the way forward to the world in important sectors, can also bring out leaders to transform politics in the state!

The interactive session following the address saw an overwhelming response. There were more than 170 written questions from the

audience and the volunteers had a tough time managing time. The interactive discussion touched upon a wide range of topics, including the National ID project, caste based reservations, leadership in LSP and  analysis of recent elections in A.P.

Dr. Meenakshi Bharath concluded the meeting by urging the attendees to become part of new politics for the new generation.

JP in Bangalore

For many of us working in Loksatta Karnataka, this Friday is a BIG DAY.

We are having our first public meeting in Bangalore when our fearless leader Dr. Jaya Prakash Narayan (JP) is in town.


We welcome all individuals and groups committed to better governance and clean politics.

More information on our website http://www.loksattakarnataka.org

Venue : Koramangala, Mangala Kalyana Mantapam (Police Choultry) Near Forum
Mall, 80 feet Road, 5th Block, Koramangala

see you there!

Kukatpally Polling Agent Training April 12th 2009

When is the next election?

we should all pray that we get pretty badly hung assembly and parliament this time around
so that we can have an election pretty soon.

we need elections to keep the economy growing. don't take my word for it. check it out

From New York Times:

http://www.nytimes.com/2009/05/15/business/global/15rupee.html?_r=1&ref=world

NEW DELHI — India’s monthlong nationwide election is often called the world’s largest exercise in democracy. It could also be regarded as a big economic stimulus engine.

Candidates and parties spent $3 billion on everything, including transportation, advertising, celebrity endorsements and cash bribes over the course of the campaign, according to economists and political analysts. In comparison, the last United States presidential campaign cost an estimated $2.4 billion.

....

The programs are so extensive that the amount of money spent in India will give a 0.5 percent boost to the country’s gross domestic product for two quarters of this year, says Kotak Securities, a brokerage firm.

...

did you know?

but my nail polish will vanish...

that was a real answer to "can you tell me why you did not vote?"

of course.

in life, you get what you deserve.

Outlook Survey: Why people Elect not to vote?

Thank you Mauritius

India Inc. has had a fantastic run and continue to be relatively strong despite of global recession.

We, as in everyone who has interest in India Inc doing well, who  has stocks and mutual funds must take a moment to thank one tiny little country that makes it all happen :  Mauritius

why? 

43% of FDI (that's Foreign Direct Investment) coming into India is coming from Mauritius.

The people of Mauritius believe in the growth story of India so they invest millions in India

In fact they invested Rs 1, 52, 767, 0000000 (yeah crores) between April 2000-Jan 2009

in India 43% of all such investments coming from outside India.

btw, population of Mauritius : 12, 75, 000  (not crores)

what's the point you ask?

Mauritius is the perfect place to convert black money to white.   Black money makes its way to Maurtius and comes back into India as an FDI.  The tax laws are favorable for such 'round tripping' and before you know it, all kinds of people are moving their money to Mauritius and bringing it back (as squeaky clean white as it gets) to India.   

shall we change FDI to  IIDI  (Indian In Direct Investment)??

Economic Times

capital investment

It has been reported that A.P elections were the most expensive election ever in the media. approximately 2000 crores spent 

the following story reports that 32 crores spent in one constituency (out of 294)  by the  3 candidates belonging to the major parties.  If each of them had spent a fraction of that money,  the entire voting population would have gotten drinking water, sanitation at the very least..

read on..

---

Vijayawada: Scene-I: People at Ramnagar in Chirala constituency did not cast their vote till 4.30 pm on the polling day on April 23 in protest against non-disbursement of cash by the candidates. Realising that polling would be over even if they did not turn up to exercise their franchise, few women went to the polling booth and smashed the EVMs only to invite re-polling and three full days of time to bargain.

Scene-II: Voters at a slum in Guntur took Rs 500 per vote from two candidates and still did not move to the polling booth. For, they were angry with the third candidate who, they believe, had disbursed cash in their neighbouring colony but did not turn up at their ward.

Scene-III: A Congress activist argued with the party leaders at New Rajarajeswaripet in Vijayawada for ‘insulting’ him by not giving cash for his vote. When the leaders told him that he as a party activist should feel ashamed to take the money, the activist retorted saying that his rating among the locals would come down if he was not rewarded.

Scene-IV: People staged a dharna in front of a local cable TV office in Ongole along with the slips (worth Rs 2 crore) issued by the poll managers of PRP candidate P Anand demanding the disbursement of cash. They argued that they were told that they would be given the amount on producing the slips after casting the vote. Anand is a majority stake holder in the cable TV network and said to have distributed the amount subsequent to the protests.

These are only a few of many such instances that took place during the elections. In fact, Election-2009 has not only increased the volume of spending by the candidates, it has also sowed seeds of a dangerous trend where voters are demanding bribe to exercise their franchise. In clear contrast from the past, people have not hesitated to accept the bribes offered by the candidates, but also insisted for on-the-spot payments.

“I am shocked to see the trend in the city. I have never come across such instances in my two-decade long political life,” admitted transport minister Kanna Lakshminaryana, who shifted to Guntur city from the rural Pedakurapadu segment. Though the minister was not ready to divulge the amount he spent on the election, he blamed the media for the trend.

“If people really insist for instant rewards, who will going to work for their problems in future,” he sought to know. The poll watchdog ‘Election Watch’ has put the Guntur (West), where the minister contested, as the second-highest election expenditure constituency. It stated that PRP candidate Tulasi Ramachandra Prabhu spent a whopping Rs 14 crore, TDP nominee Chukkapalli Ramesh Rs 12 crore and minister Lakshminarayana ‘ Rs 6 crore.

Expressing concern over the matter, senior TDP leader in Prakasam district Karanam Balaram has said he would not contest any direct election in future. Balaram, who is a contemporary of TDP chief N Chandrababu Naidu and chief minister Y S Rajasekhara Reddy, analysed that only businessmen could contest the elections in future.

“Unfortunately, people are not worried about the work and accessibility of the candidates. If the amount paid on the eve of the polling is the only criteria to vote, I am not going to contest,” Balaram said.

Courtesy: TimesOfIndia

Dance of Democracy

After being an 'observer' and 'arm chair analyst' and 'political news junkie' and many other things, I finally got to experience the action, i.e election. first hand.  I had more than the usual share of curiosity and inclination to participate in electoral politics for a long time and when the rare opportunity  presented itself in the form of Lok Satta, I jumped all over it and packed my bags to volunteer for the election.

I'm part of the LokSatta team that is responsible for one of the 7 divisions in Kukatpally constituency. The last few days have been very hectic, to put it mildly; but these few days will be forever etched in my memory; the acquaintances  made, the camaraderie of the volunteers, the intricacies of election day procedures, the last minute surprises, the mid-flight course corrections during the day, meeting the candidate that has potential to CHANGE our society in our lifetime, calling for help when things got tense and folks got threatened...

I saw people wait in line on a hot summer day for more than 3 hours to vote

I saw senior citizens (over 80!) anxious to figure out why their name is not in the list

I met people who are bounced around from one booth and still kept searching for their booth

I noticed lot of mothers bringing their kids with them

I observed the cops as they went about their business quietly and efficiently. with respect.

I was proud of our EC.  The scale of the operation is probably equivalent to a google search and they pulled it off.  Hats off!

there is so much to write and so little time. 

later.

WE NEED YOU

JP IN YOUR HOME

Candidate profiles

Here are few candidate profiles mostly from Hyderabad. Thanks to Anand Mohan

If any of you have profiles of other candidates, please post them here as comments.

--------------------

Hyderabad: Lal Bahadur Nagar Constituency - Anugu Rama Rao
Issues the candidate cares for in the constituency:

1. Address water pollution and seepage of drains into lakes
2. Improve roads and eliminate corruption in public works.
3. Regulation of commercial buildings

Laws the candidate will fight for:

1. Laws for police reforms and reduced political interference in police
2. Laws making education a basic right in the State
3. Stringent laws for implementation of Citizen Charters.
4. Stricter anti-corruption laws

Source of funding: Donations from public

Age: 45

Education: BA LLB (Osmania University)

Work Experience: Advocate in Ranga Reddy Distt. Member of Lok Satta since 1999. Member of Red Cross.

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Qutbullapur Constituency - Nandipeta Ravinder
Issues the candidate cares for in the constituency:

1. Pollution
2. Improve higher education infrastructure - set up colleges in the constituency
3. Combat corruption
4. Improve civic amenities like play grounds

Laws the candidate will fight for:

1. Decentralisation and empowerment of local governments
2. Stricter laws for implementing Citizens' Charters.
3. Anti corruption laws.

Source of funding: Donations from public. Candidate specifically says "I do not need unethical money. I need ethical money for ethical politics".

Age: 46

Education: BA from Osmania University

Work Experience:
Associated with Lok Satta since 1997
Janata Dal District Party President in early 1990s


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Musheerabad Constituency - Parsa Rohit Kumar
Issues the candidate cares for in the constituency:

1. Address traffic jams
2. Improve drainage system
3. Initiatives to improve usage of footpaths, overhead bridges, subways

Laws the candidate will fight for:

Stronger civic laws

Source of funding: Candidate uses a unique scheme of "give money and give votes". Public donate money and promise to vote for clean politics.

Age: 35

Education: LLB (Osmania University), MBA from Australia

Work Experience: Managing Director Springsoft solutions. Has previously contested in by-elections.


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Amberpet Constituency - Chintaboina Vinod

Issues the candidate cares for in the constituency:

1. Drinking water problems
2. Education for all in the slum areas
3. Roads and traffic issues

Laws the candidate will fight for:
1. Stricter civic laws

Source of funding: well wishers, party funds
Age: 32
Education: B.Com from Ambedkar University
Work Experience: Own an event management business unit. Worked extensively for the previous by-elections that Lok Satta contested.



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Yes, I gave money to a POLITICAL PARTY!

add a comment below if you contributed to Lok Satta

LokSatta == JP?

When I was growing up it was said that "India is Indira and Indira is India" this is probably thanks to the '71 victory and lot of people bought into it sincerely. Oh well, we know what happened later. (sorry if you are born in the late '80's- you need to catch up on '70s)

I'm concerned if there is an analogy here with Lok Satta and JP. The media certainly plays it that
way. As JP himself said (heard him live on this one!) media does not consider anyone who is not an ex MLA, ex Minister, ex MP to be interesting enough to interview or cover. This makes it very difficult for a young party like LokSatta which does not have people who are "in" politics and most of the candidates, officers are regular people like you and me with a day job.

To some extent, I believe even the supporters of Lok Satta are also contributing to this. It is impossible not to be intimidated by a personality like JP but the party got to be larger than any one individual. Every opportunity they get, they need to promote and bring visibility to rest of the folks in the party. Quote people other than JP. Volunteer for local candidates. Figure out local issues and make those your discussion topics.

I liked Katari Srinivasa Rao, for example, who spoke at one of the meetings I was at and demonstrated beyond any doubt that there are capable folks at the helm of the party. He is running from SeriLingampally. Here's his [website]

More info (thanks to Anand Rao for posting elsewhere)

Serilingampally constituency - Katari Srinivasa Rao

Issues the candidate cares for in the constituency:

1. Drinking water
2. Drainage system
3. Roads and infrastructure

Laws the candidate will fight for:

1. Statutory empowerment of local bodies with 2 crore/ year funding.

Source of funding: Donations from public

Age: 49

Education: MCA from Nagarjuna University

Work Experience: Assistant Professor in Computer Science, CBIT; Associated with Lok Satta from 1996.

opportunity knocking

If you are going to be in A.P on April 16th (Phase 1 polling) or 23rd (phase 2) you might want to grab an opportunity of life time.

Lok Satta is looking for volunteers to work as booth workers and poll agents. We need 1000 people per constituency so lot of room for all of you. What better way to make your presence felt in the biggest festival of democracy?

I'm going to be there. Are you?

Investment ideas for election season

based on "buying" trends and forecasts coming out of A.P here are some ideas you can use today to start your business 

1. Cricket Kits :  a bat, few balls, stumps, pads (high quality), guards, gloves ..

2. Sweet Packets : small cardboard boxes that can carry cash and small liquor bottles. The label should be  "Sri Sweets"  and does not need to actually carry any sweets. Any other innovative packaging products that can conceal the actual contents can have a huge market.

3. Biriyani - if you can design and deliver a instant biriyani making machine tomorrow, you can retire in 4 weeks.

4. Masks : thanks to Modi, this seems to be the in-thing now. Though volumes may not reach as much as other ideas, margins could be great as there are thousands of chamchas willing to buy 'em and whatever price you quote.  

5. Liquor : duh!  believe me, the existing companies cannot make them fast enough. there is room for more players in this market segment.  

6. Shirts, Kurtas.  Must be White.  Khadi is good.  Khadi look alike works.

 

I'm not kidding. Take a look

"It's raining currency notes in Andhra Pradesh"

"Rs 45 Lakh is the price of democracy in Andhra"

but there is hope after all

"Efforts of Election Watch to sensitise voters on these issues paying off"

What can I do?

Assuming you agree that LokSatta is now a platform solid enough to stand on and participate in electoral politics, I sincerely believe you can contribute  to advance the cause regardless of where you are. Here are some ideas

1. Volunteer. Contribute time. This is relatively new in India but I'm happy to report that I've seen 100s of full time volunteers who took time off from their jobs, schools in some cases, families, to volunteer in various activities surrounding the election.  Just walk into any LokSatta office around the state and they will be happy to get you on board.  

You can also help remotely  but everyone is so busy with whatever they are doing, it is hard to get someone to be on the phone and explain the work items etc at this point of time. Remember, that the election is just one milestone, LokSatta will go on.

2. Donate. I'll write a separate post on How LokSatta spends its money but you should know that running a clean campaign that doesn't involve liquor and giving freebies and outright cash also requires money.  Think the TV and Print ads that are running now.  Thanks to these ads, LokSatta is able to reach main stream.  It is no surprise that many people in the state know what LokSatta is.  LokSatta is committed to adhering to spend limits set forth by Election Commission. I read recently that even deposit money (Rs 10,000) for candidates came from public donations! Contrast that to the number of 'dummy' nominations major party candidates file (to avoid errors etc)..

I was told that LokSatta has less money to spend for the entire state than what major parties would spend in just one assembly constituency! 

Here's how you can donate: [website]   

Pick up the phone +91 040 4040 5050

LokSatta TV ads can be seen [here]

3. Talk to people. Your circle is bigger than you think. Discuss LokSatta with friends and family.  If they do not know about it, bring awareness. If they do, ask them what might stop them from voting this time and convince them that every vote counts.  Some of the common reactions are 'what difference does my vote make?' 'even if I vote, they won't win' 'I don't think any one can change the system now'  

Can we fix the 'failing system'?

“I see a system failing,” Ms. Menon said. “It is doing something, but it is not solving the problem.”

From NY Times, March 2009 "As Indian Growth Soars, Child Hunger Persists"

Malnutrition in India is worse than in many African nations, stunting the growth of children

In India, despite robust growth and good government intentions, the malnutrition rate is 42.5 percent (42.5% of children under 5 are under weight). Malnutrition makes children more prone to illness and stunts physical and intellectual growth for a lifetime.

In another alley, Ms. Menon met a young mother named Jannu, a migrant from the northern town of Lucknow. Jannu said she found it difficult to produce enough milk for the baby in her arms, around 6 months old. His green, watery waste dripped down his mother’s arms. He often has diarrhea, Jannu said, casually rinsing her arm with a tumbler of water.

Ms. Menon could not help but notice how small Jannu was, like so many of Jahangirpuri’s mothers. At 5 feet 2 inches tall, Ms. Menon towered over them. Children who were roughly the same age as her own daughter were easily a foot shorter. Stunted children are so prevalent here, she observed, it makes malnutrition invisible.

“I see a system failing,” Ms. Menon said. “It is doing something, but it is not solving the problem.”


From IndiaTogether : http://indiatogether.org/photo/2004/pov-malnutr.htm

Do you want a 5 year vacation?

No kidding. It can be possible. Read on..

1. According to 2006 Swiss Banking Association report, Indians have nearly USD1.46 Trillion (with a T) in the banks of Switzerland. This is the highest among all nations… the second highest is from Russia… USD 450Billion (1/3rd of what Indians have in there). But wait..

2. Former Joint Director of CBI B.R.Lall writes in his book – Who owns the CBI? “I had attempted to investigate and analyze the Swiss banking chain alone and had assessed Indian wealth in that single country at $5 trillion. There are some other well known ‘slush parks’ like St Kitts, Antigua, Bahamas, Isle of Man and Liechtenstein that multiply such holdings manifold.”

3. Germany approached India couple of years ago to open up the accounts in the principality of Liechtenstein because majority of its deposits are from India and they are worried this could be used for Money Laundering by terrorists – Mr.Singh’s govt. didn’t respond.


Summary: India’s annual GDP is $1.5Trillion. Total black money out there is 5 times our GDP…. There is no country in the world that has this distinction..

If we can find a way to get that money out :

No Indian has to work (produce) for 5 Years. But can keep getting paid as usual.

Government doesn’t need any Tax revenues for 5 years and still can continue to spend just like it is spending now.

Each state in India spends more money on its elections than both Obama & McCain spent over 2 years.. Imagine all the money spent on ONE election is used for Infrastructure development?

Did I mention there are 5 Million people in the state of Andhra Pradesh alone without access to a toilet!

(this entry is based on an email from KP)

A rare opportunity

When citizens in Andhra Pradesh go to polls this April for electing their representatives to State Assembly and Parliament, they have an opportunity that millions of Indians have been waiting for years.

A New Age Party is going to be on the ballot paper. A Party built by people who do not consider politics as a business proposition. By people who did not want to give up on electoral politics because 'we can't do anything now'. By people who are like you and me. Educated, Middle-class, Young professionals with day jobs, Retired folks who got sick of the system and with a strong desire to 'do something' instead of analyzing the rotten state of politics and criticizing the 'system' folks that have made it big in society and are eager to "give something back" I can go on and on but the most important thing that binds them I think is the fear of leaving a bleak future to our next generations and the realization that it is not too late for us to get involved.

These people are true believers of " Be the Change You want to see in Others"

Lok Satta is founded by JayaPrakash Narayan (fondly referred to as "JP" but not the '70s JP you might know) many years ago after spending years in the Government as an IAS officer, not as a political party but as civic awareness organization. Over the years, they have done amazing things to introduce legislation and reforms to voter rights, voter registration, RTI among other things. Like many other NGOs, they stayed away from 'active' politics but one fine day, the reality dawned upon them that broad 'systemic' changes can only happen when we participate in the democratic process and reignite the spirit of public service that was once responsible to unite this entire country to stand up against a much larger enemy and emerge victorious. The enemy is entirely different now but the damage can be much larger. No wonder it strikes a chord when JP says 'we need to be ready for the 2nd Freedom Movement'

In my humble opinion, Lok Satta offers a rare opportunity to the people of Andhra Pradesh. Vote for candidates that you believe in bringing about a change. Vote for a party that you know is committed to public service and understands the role of government. Vote for people that do not believe in 'investing in elections' in order to make 'returns' when they elected. Vote for people that are not interested in public office because it will 'help' their business interests.

Are we ready to use this opportunity?