UPA government's Agenda

UPA government has been elected to power for second time in a row and it has huge hurdles to overcome on the path of development of the nation which are clearly top priority of this goverment here are few important issues in UPA government Agenda.

1. Major shift in governance practices :

one, ongoing, independent evaluation and public reporting of progress in implementing government schemes; two, big strides in e-governance; three, decentralisation and empowerment of panchayats and non-government organisations to implement and monitor government schemes; four, breaking barriers between departments and schemes to achieve synergy, integration and better utilisation of existing resources;

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five, innovative regulation of health, education and provision of public services; six, liberal use of technology in welfare transfers and achieving public awareness; and, seven, institutionalisation of the government’s basic commitments by requiring all Cabinet notes to specify how their proposals would enhance the goals of equity or inclusion, innovation and public accountability.

2. Disinvestment, FDI lead reforms roadmap:

The government will push ahead with economic reforms, pursue disinvestment, encourage FDI and increase public spending without giving up fiscal prudence. It will also provide tailor-made booster packages for specific sectors to pull the economy out of the slow lane of growth. “Our immediate priority must be to focus on management of the economy that will counter the effect of the global slowdown by a combination of sectoral and macro-level policies. This must be accompanied by measures to achieve a counter-cyclical expansion in public investment in infrastructure sectors,” President Pratibha Patil said.

Disinvestment of up to 49% in state-run companies will be key to removing those funding constraints. The government will ride piggyback on IPOs by PSUs to offload its shares to public.

3. Zero tolerance for terror :

The second Administrative Reforms Commission (ARC) had earlier recommended UIC for checking illegal immigration and terrorist infiltration. In fact, a pilot project for a Multi-purpose National Identity Card (MNIC) has already been implemented in 13 districts.

“The scheme will be implemented in three years, overseen by an Empowered Group. This will serve the purpose of identification for development programmes and security,” Patil said. According to the ARC, the card is imperative also for delivery of services to citizens. Patil said the government had already prepared a detailed plan to address internal security challenges which would be implemented in a time-bound manner.

4. Food security act :

The government committed itself to coming true on its ‘aam aadmi’ poll agenda with the President promising a national food security Act backed by a new BPL survey which could alter the ambit of those under food schemes.

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While the UPA government has been at work to revamp the method of identifying below poverty line beneficiaries for various social sector programmes, its move to provide 25 kilogrammes of rice or wheat at Rs 3 per kg could heighten the need to redo the list systematically.

5. One rank-one pension report :

After tying itself in knots over the long-standing demand for one rank-one pension (OROP) for armed forces during the run-up to the general elections, the UPA government has promised to resolve the contentious matter by this month-end. President Pratibha Patil said the committee headed by cabinet secretary K M Chandrasekhar had ‘‘already commenced its work and expects to complete it by the end of June 2009’’.

The UPA government, however, is promising only a partial implementation of OROP at best, with the defence ministry acknowledging that full implementation is simply not feasible ‘‘administratively’’.

6. Home stretch for urban poor :

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The government plans to take a slew of measures to uplift the living conditions of the poor in fast-expanding cities. A major thrust on affordable housing is on the cards, President Pratibha Devisingh Patil said. She said the government will propose Rajiv Awas Yojana for slum dwellers and the urban poor on the lines of Indira Awas Yojana for the rural poor.

Over 15-lakh homes are being made for the urban poor. Meanwhile, the housing ministry has asked developers to list the sops they expect from the government for building low-cost houses. The ministry is keen on reviving tax benefits for real estate developers who construct houses for the economically-weaker sections (EWS). The scheme was discontinued last year.

7. Realistic power generation goals :

The government has pared the target for increasing power generation to make it more achievable but that may put paid to its poll promise of making electricity available to all Indians by 2012. By the end of the Eleventh Five Year Plan (2007-12), the government plans to add 52,000 MW new capacity, a 34% drop from the original target of 78,600 MW.

“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,” President Pratibha Patil said. Total capacity addition in the first two years of the 11th Plan was 12,700 MW, virtually half of the targeted 23,100 MW. The government’s performance was dismal in 2008-09, when a mere 3,500 MW was added, 68% less than the target of 11,061 MW.

8. Women’s quota bill :

Government would hold consultations with all political parties to get around the resistance from the OBC outfits which have held up implementation of the landmark measure insisting on a separate quota for OBCs and Muslims within the larger women’s quota.

9. Right to education law on anvil :

Along with the formulation of a “brain gain” policy, work on the National Council for Higher Education will be initiated in the first 100 days. Other areas of concerted action include enactment of the Right to Free and Compulsory Education Bill, setting up of a National Female Literacy Mission, strengthening of the scholarship and education loan provisions.

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The focus is on higher education. The efforts will not be limited to mere expansion, but reform in the regulatory framework. There is a proposal to attract talent from across the globe — the “brain gain” policy will find expression through 14 new universities that are being set up over the Eleventh Plan period.