Dance of Democracy 2014

Author never endorse any political party and not supported by any political parties. Views written in this article is his own. Said article never claimed that the views of all 3 parties has been draw in their own manifesto are as the same.

BJP:
Does Narendra Modi actually have a great Gujarat model, or just well packaged hype? Critics say that Gujarat has grown fast, but some others have grown faster.

Gujarat is the best state in pendency of corruption cases, and in the proportion of non-violent crime. It is close to the top in completion of police investigations. It scores poorly in judicial vacancies and recovery of stolen property.

It’s quality of government spending is high: it has the lowest ratio of administrative GDP to total GDP. Spending is focused on infrastructure rather than staff. Modi’s repeated state election victories show that his approach produces high voter satisfaction. It has large, expanding public sector companies, and substantial taxes on capital and commodities.

It has many subsidies, though fewer than in other states. Still, business thrives in its business-friendly climate. It always take more than six months and several visits (and payments) to ministries for industrial approval. But in Gujarat, the ministry concerned called him the day before his appointment, asking for details of his proposal. Next day, he found the bureaucracy had in advance prepared plans of possible locations for his project, and settled the matter on the spot. This was unthinkable elsewhere, and showed both efficiency and honesty. Corruption has not disappeared in Gujarat, but is muted.

Congress:
"History will be kinder to me than the contemporary media," Manmohan Singh told reporters at a press conference earlier this year. Sanjaya Baru's book 'The Accidental Prime Minister: The Making and Unmaking of Manmohan Singh' isn't a revisionist exercise that will change public opinion about the PM who abdicated. In fact, it only reinforces the image of a 'puppet PM'. But it does paint a portrait of an earnest, hard-working PM who let his loyalty — "misplaced and unrewarded" — to the Gandhi family get the better of his judgment. Baru, who was media advisor to the PM between 2004 and 2008 written in his book. Later after Baru's release there was another socking release for Honorable Prime Minister Mr Manmohan Singh that let down his chair and more than his chair the institution on he sat for 10yrs in a row. But in my thought these books saved Mr Manmohan Singh rather than harm his public figure. Because these books says that he has nothing to do so he can say India that I don't have anything in my hand to do, so whatever has been done in last 10yrs it was the agenda of one family.

AAP:
History has been made in country a year old party came into force in power, but much hyped government showed that they feel lack of experience in governing the government. But in my opinion it could be better and they can learn if they continue the government instead of leaving the people of Delhi in dilemma. In later Convenor of party said that it was wrong decision to do the same. So we can say that they gradually become experienced in Indian politics. With doing you can’t be experienced. So I can say that “Failure is the pillar of success”, so they must continue with governance to deal with these kind of in-experience

Comparison of Manifesto among BJP/Congress/AAP:

Governance
BJP: Set up an effective Lokpal institution; committed to strengthen self-Governance at the local level and will empower Panchayati Raj Institutions with extensive devolution of the 3Fs – Functions, Functionaries and Funds; governance policies will be people-centric, policy-driven, and delivered in a timely fashion. The focus will be on minimum government and maximum governance.
Congress: Jawaharlal Nehru National Urban Renewal Mission-II will be continued with the aim of providing more funding and more powers to local governments to strengthen human and institutional capabilities, local planning and improvement in governance; ensure the enactment of the Judicial Appointments Bill; pass the Right of Citizens for Time Bound Delivery of Goods and Services & Redressal of their Grievances Bill; ensure passage of anti-corruption bills including the Prevention of Corruption (Amendment) Bill.
AAP: Pass the Jan Lokpal Bill as well as the Swaraj Bill; create a Judicial Appointments Commission both at the State & National level; set up fast track courts at all levels of judiciary; double the number of courts and judicial strength at subordinate level in 5 years; improve infrastructure in courts via computerization; bring down minimum age to contest elections to 21 from 25; implement Supreme Court judgments on police reform; introduce electoral reform via the “Right to Reject” and “Right to Recall” option; internal functioning of political parties to be regulated and accounts scrutinized by CAG approved auditors.

Infrastructure
BJP: Launch an integrated public transport project, which will include roadways, waterways, and railways; expedite work on freight and industrial corridors, connect all villages through all-weather roads; National Highway construction projects will be expedited, especially Border and Coastal highways; set up gas grids, implement a low-cost housing program and set up a National Optical-Fiber Network up to village level; modernize railways and invest in port and airport construction & development.
Congress: Connect all the million-plus cities of the country by High Speed Rail; independent regulator to monitor the allocation of natural resources; development of Regional Rapid Transit Systems; invest close to $1 trillion in infrastructure over the next decade in partnership with PPP (Public Private Partnership) models; 100% electricity access in urban areas and 94% in rural areas; new infrastructure for air travel across the country and upgrade logistics and infrastructure of ports.
AAP:  Create world-class infrastructure in both urban and rural areas; participation of private sector in infrastructure development.

Business/ Industry
BJP:  Ensure a conducive, enabling environment for ‘doing business’ in India; focus on cutting the red tape, simplifying the procedures and removing the bottlenecks; ensure logistics infrastructure, including stable power; move towards a single-window system of clearances both at the Centre & State.
Congress: Implement the National Manufacturing Policy on priority basis to enhance the share of manufacturing in GDP to 25% by 2022; creation of a patent pool, which will ensure that small medium Indian enterprises are able to access world-class technology at affordable cost.
AAP: Create an eco-system where every enterprising citizen or community has access to capital, information, infrastructure, such that innovative and productive entrepreneurship becomes the new engine for accelerating growth in India; encourage active participation of private sector to allow enterprises to thrive and create jobs.

Internal Security
BJP: Revive anti-terror mechanism, strengthen the role of the National Investigation Agency (NIA) and put a system in place for swift and fair trial of terror-related cases; reform the National Security Council.
Congress: Equip police force with modern weapons and technology; state resources will be mobilised to maintain law and order; security forces posted in LWE (Left Wing Extremists) affected areas will be strengthened; development agenda to empower people in LWE affected areas, deployment of specialist battalions and recruitment of additional personnel.
AAP: Review and reform laws like the Armed Forces Special Powers Act (AFSPA) to make them time-bound and humane; zero-tolerance towards cross-border terrorism especially in areas like Kashmir; naxalite issue to be approached in terms of multi-lateral dialogue, social and economic development, and effective political decentralization in addition to modernization of security forces.

Foreign Policy
BJP: Pursue friendly relations in the neighborhood however, where required, will not hesitate from taking “strong stand and steps”; work towards strengthening regional forums like South Asian Association for Regional Cooperation (SAARC) and Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN); continue dialogue, engagement, and cooperation with global forums like BRICS, G20, IBSA, SCO, and ASEM.
Congress: Work towards improving relations with Pakistan while stressing on the need to act against the perpetrators of 26/11; continue to extend all possible aid to rehabilitate Sri Lankan Tamils. Work with China to resolve differences of perception over Indian borders and the Line of Actual Control; mobilize support for India’s permanent membership in the UN Security Council.
AAP: Coordinate bilateral and multilateral efforts to prosecute terrorists and for better border management; reduce political hostilities in our immediate neighborhood through confidence building, and providing development and relief assistance to our neighbors; develop border areas as zones of high economic engagement to create a larger constituency for peace on both sides and tackle illegal immigration; supplement India’s meaningful engagement with the US, with that of other blocks such as the BRICS, and IBSA; advocate UN oversight of all global commons and promote its legitimacy and power.

Education
BJP: Performance audit of Sarva Shiksha Abhiyan; content and process of school education to be reviewed to make it dynamic and stress-free; special attention will be given to differently-abled students; universal secondary school education with an emphasis on rural, tribal, and conflict areas; UGC will be restructured and transformed into a Higher Education Commission; autonomy with steps to ensure accountability for institutions of higher learning; revisit Apprenticeship Act to facilitate youth to earn while they learn.
Congress: New focus on secondary education to ensure universal enrolment, and reduce dropout rates in middle and secondary levels with a special emphasis on girls and those from minority communities; Rashtriya Uchhatar Shiksha Abhiyan to improve College and University infrastructure; open up higher education system to investment from India and abroad; independent regulatory mechanism to oversee state and private institutions to ensure standardization and quality of education; scale up skill development and training to open up new opportunities for upward economic mobility; completion of program to convert 200 existing educational institutions into community colleges; strengthen facilities for children with special needs.
AAP: State provision of equitable access to high quality of education for all children irrespective of their financial condition; special provisions for girls, first-generation learners, students from poor families and social disadvantaged communities; involvement of local community in the creation of a context-rooted curriculum and management of schools with accountability passed on to Gram/Mohalla Sabhas; Establish numerous world-class, public-funded institutions of higher education; recruitment of teachers will be done in a transparent manner, adequately compensated, continuously trained, and made more accountable; roll back the Four Year Undergraduate Program introduced in Delhi University; introduce numerous vocational training institutes throughout the country.

Healthcare
BJP: Will bring in ‘National Health Assurance Mission’ with a mandate for universal healthcare; will initiate the New Health Policy; set up AIIMS-like institute in every state; high priority will be given to address the shortfall of healthcare professionals; modernize government hospitals, upgrading infrastructure and installing latest medical technologies. Focus on rural healthcare delivery; utilize the ubiquitous platform of mobile phones for healthcare delivery and set up the ‘National eHealth Authority’ to leverage telemedicine and mobile healthcare for expanding reach and coverage; ensure a ‘Swachh Bharat’ by 2019 by creating an open defecation free India, setting up modern, scientific sewage and waste management systems, introducing Sanitation Ratings that measure and rank cities and towns on ‘sanitation,’ and make potable drinking water available to all.
Congress: Will bring into effect a Right to Health Act; raise healthcare spending to 3% of GDP; expand the Rashtriya Swasthya Bima Yojana, a cashless insurance scheme to include primary, secondary, as well as tertiary care; strengthen primary infrastructure; provide 5 state-of-the-art mobile health care vans in every district, equipped with x-ray and other equipment to provide health care checkups including, mammography, blood tests, etc..Launch focused intervention to improve the Child Sex Ratio, within an overall “National Strategy for Care and Protection of the Girl Child” from birth to adolescence; reduce the number of HIV infections and provide comprehensive care and support to all personals living with HIV/AIDS; provide a functional toilet in every school and every household; ensure effective implementation of all health-related initiatives by working to strengthen the primary health workforce; ensure universal coverage of routine immunization through campaigns and effective monitoring in districts throughout the country.
AAP: Introduce a comprehensive ‘Right to Healthcare’ legislation enabling access to high quality healthcare for all citizens; improve accountability of public health systems towards its users by decentralization of funds, functions and functionaries to the appropriate level of local government; guarantee that all essential drugs are available on a regular basis to public health facilities and made available free of cost to the people; improve the accountability of private healthcare providers and ensure that the government to honor their commitment to the aam aadmi subsidises it; greater public investment into research in Ayurveda, Yoga and Naturopathy, Unani, Siddha and Homeopathy.

Women Empowerment
BJP: Pass Women’s Reservation Bill; strict implementation of laws related to women, particularly those related to rape; introduce self-defense as part of the school curriculum; provide a fund for rehabilitation of rape victims; establish a welfare fund for acid attack victims; make police stations women friendly, and increase the number of women in police at different levels; set up a dedicated W-SME (Women Small and Medium Enterprises) cluster in every district.
Congress: Pass Women’s Reservation Bill; earmark 30% of all funds coming to local bodies for development of women and children; fast-track courts will be established with ‘in-camera’ proceedings facilities in State headquarters and regional centers, whose sole purpose will be to address crimes against women.25% of the total police officers, sub-inspectors and constables at every police station in the country will be women; increase the number of women police stations from 500 to 2000 within the next 5 years; “One-Stop Crisis Centre’s for women in all hospitals; work in conjunction with women self-help groups to distribute free sanitary napkins to adolescents.
AAP: Implement comprehensive and long-term public education programs to end the culture of gender-based discrimination and violence (via SMS, radio, and TV public service campaigns etc); zero tolerance approach towards sex selective abortion and work towards its complete elimination by strengthening and implementing legislation against its practice; ensure secure, dignified, remunerative employment for women. Equal pay for equal work in all sectors; work with state governments to provide comprehensive services to women who are victims of violent crimes right from helping them to fund and set up one-stop to establishment of fair fast track courts; support 33% reservation for women as well as the adoption of a Code of Conduct to end misogynist comments and behavior in the Lok Sabha; strengthen the autonomous functioning of the National and State Commissions for Women.

Minorities
BJP: Priority to Scheduled Castes (SC), scheduled Tribes (ST) and other backward classes (OBC) in public and private sector; introduce a Uniform Civil Code and a National Madrasa Modernization Program; introduce the Van Bandhu Kalyan Yojna at the national level to empower tribals.
Congress: Create a national consensus on affirmative action for SCs and STs in the private sector; prioritize the passing of the Communal Violence Bill; introduce legislation to provide reservation for backward minorities; bring a law to decriminalize consensual sexual relations between adults of the same sex.
AAP: Reservation should be religion-neutral; majorities who are minorities in other states should be treated as such; support existing constitutional provisions of reservations in higher education and government jobs; those who have already availed the benefits of reservation should be placed at the end of queue in order for it to go to those who are most needy; widespread public education to change the mindset of caste-based inequality and untouchability; neither majority beliefs nor minority rights should be used to justify practices, which are in violation of the basic rights and values for all men and women per the Indian Constitution.

Black Money
BJP: Plan to set up task force to bring back black money to India.
Congress: Set up special envoy to pursue black money.
AAP: Ensure the return of black money.

Financial Reforms
BJP: Strictly implement fiscal discipline, without compromising on funds availability for development work; undertake Banking reforms to enhance ease and access, as well as accountability.
Congress: Bring down fiscal deficit to 3% of GDP by 2016-2017; set up an independent National Fiscal Responsibility Council that will submit an annual report to the Parliament on the progress made in achieving fiscal commitments.
AAP: No concrete measures outlined by the Party.

Price Rise
BJP: Set up a price stabilization fund; Special Courts to stop hoarding and black marketing; simplify Food Corporation of India (FCI) into procurement, storage, and distribution for greater efficiency; evolve a single ‘National Agriculture Market’ and leverage technology to disseminate real-time data, especially to farmers – on production, prices, imports, stocks, and overall availability.
Congress: Reserve Bank of India (RBI) needs to strike a balance between price stability and growth while formulating monetary policy; continue to provide higher; minimum Support Prices to increase profitability of agriculture for farmers; expand the focus of the current food security schemes to include subsidized pulses and cooking oil for beneficiaries of Antyodaya Anna Yojana.
AAP: Stringent measures will be taken to prevent hoarding and profiteering in retail, wholesale businesses and in black marketing; corruption in ration shops and public distribution systems (PDS) will be brought to an end with the involvement of ‘mohalla sabhas’; direct transfer of ration materials to the families will be ensured and will include dal and oil in the PDS.

Foreign Direct Investment (FDI)
BJP: Opposed to FDI in retail but open to it in other sectors.
Congress: Open for Foreign Direct Investment in any sector.
AAP: Opposed to FDI in retail.

Job Creation & Economic Growth
BJP: Remove ‘policy paralysis’; focus on both job creation and entrepreneurship in rural and urban areas.
Congress: Outline a detailed ‘Jobs Agenda’ within 100 days of forming government that will create 10 crore new jobs and entrepreneurship opportunities for the youth; achieve 10% growth in the manufacturing sector and create 10 crore jobs in this sector alone within a decade under the ‘National Manufacturing Policy’ of the UPA.
AAP: Create employment and livelihood opportunities for young women and men in honest enterprises across agricultural, manufacturing, or services sector; focus on job creation by promoting honest enterprises, which will be achieved by reducing corruption, lowering compliance costs etc.

Agriculture:
BJP: The party says it will waive agricultural loans to farming community. It will set up a commission to study the entire gamut of farmers' loans and come up with an actionable solution to the deepening crisis within six months. To set a maximum ceiling of 4 per cent interest for agricultural loans to farmers from banks. BJP to introduce a pension scheme for aged and helpless farmers.
Congress: The party says it will expand schemes for improving well-being of farmers and their families. In addition to continuing the program that were launched over the past five years, the party promises that every small and marginal farmer in the country will have access to bank credit at lower rates of interest. Congress will implement comprehensive crop insurance schemes. The Congress says it is committed to ensuring that farmers get, at a very minimum, market rates for the land that is acquired for industrial projects.
AAP: Affordable institutional credit to all, especially tenant and women framers and not just landowning farmers; reducing the cost of cultivation by promoting and incentivizing low input cost methods and diversification of income generating activities including agro-processing, livestock, value addition and agriculture-related services.

Review of 2013 Year in Blogging

The WordPress.com stats helper monkeys prepared a 2013 annual report for this blog.



Here's an excerpt:

A San Francisco cable car holds 60 people. This blog was viewed about 2,800 times in 2013. If it were a cable car, it would take about 47 trips to carry that many people.

Click here to see the complete report.