Driving Naari Programme launched in Chandigarh
Jalandhar/ Chandigarh, 28 Feb: The first year of the AamAadmi Party government in Delhi has been historic on several fronts. The electricity tariff was halved with more than 30 lakh families getting the benefit of reduced tariff. In addition, for the first time in a decade the power tariff was not increased. This was possible because of CAG audit ordered by the AAP government and initiation of a transparent power policy. It is to be noted that the power distribution companies (DISCOMs) were riddled with corruption and both the Sheila Dixit government and the BJP as principal opposition party had been blocking the audit process. The audit ordered by the AAP government has unearthed a scam of Rs 8000 crores in Delhi’s power sector. The common man in Delhi was the direct victim of this massive DISCOMs scam. Within a few months of coming into power the government fulfilled its promise of providing water upto 20,000 litres a month per family absolutely free. The residents of as many as 237 colonies, which had not seen the piped water supply in their life, are now getting piped water. The work to make piped water available in every household is underway and shall be completed by December 2017. At the time of the formation of the AAP government, more than 30 percent people in Delhi were not getting piped water supply.
In the first two months the government through its Anti Corruption Bureau carried out a massive crackdown against corruption and graft. To derail AAP government’s anti-corruption agenda and to protect powerful people, the Central government forcefully occupied the ACB by sending in the paramilitary forces. The NDA government carried out this brazen exercise under the garb of Delhi not being a full-fledged state. The Delhi government has challenged the Centre’s illegal takeover of ACB in Delhi High Court and the matter is currently being heard.
Even as the AAP government was working towards making Delhi the first corruption free state of India, the Congress and BJP were busy carrying out a malicious propaganda against AAP. In an utter disregard to the public interest, the two parties have formed a joint front to obstruct the functioning of the AAP government at every step. But the people have rejected the negative and vindictive politics of both BJP and Congress. The latter was reduced to a cypher in the 2015 assembly polls. While they have miserably failed in all their attempts to discredit AAP in Delhi, they have started the malicious campaign to mislead the people of Punjab. Today’s press conference by Delhi Congress Chief Ajay Maken was one such attempt. While AAP would not want to engage in a tu tu-mai mai with the Congress Party, it thinks it is important to lay out in detail the work done by its government in the national capital.
Here is a detailed list of our government’s achievements:
Health
1000 MOHALLA CLINICS
Delhi government opened the capital’s first Mohalla clinic in July in Peeragarhi. The Mohallah clinic provides crucial primary OPD consultation. It’s built in a space of 50-60 sq meters and consists of a doctor, lab technician and a pharmacist. Mohalla clinics will provide primary health-care and for easing the rush in OPDs of hospitals, the polyclinics will function as a link between primary and main health care. The construction of 1000 such clinics is underway. The work contracts have been awarded and within two years there would be on average 15 such clinics in every constituency.
100 POLY CLINICS
Chief Minister ArvindKejriwal inaugurated the government’s first polyclinic in East Delhi’s Kanti Nagar in November last year, converting a 30-bed maternity home into an out-patient department facility with multiple specialties. This was an existing 30-bed maternity hospital that has now been converted into a diagnostic centre and has facilities for OPD services including, breast cancer detection, gynaecology, paediatrics, ENT, eye care, orthopaedics, ECG, X-Ray and ultrasound.Twenty more such polyclinics were inaugurated by Chief Minister Kejriwal on 14 February this year. A total of 100 such clinics are being set up across Delhi.
REVIVAL OF DISPENSARIES N HOSPITALS
Government is also going to revive around 150 dispensaries, presently housed in run-down buildings, over the next fewmonths where specialist care would be provided to reduce dependence on hospitals. Eleven existing hospitals will be upgraded and remodeled to add 4,000 beds.
FREE MEDICINES
From February 1 all medicines prescribed by doctors at Delhi government hospitals made available free of cost at the pharmacies. The government is trying to ensure that all consumables such as gloves and gauze among others, apart from the chargeable consumables such as stents, are available free of cost.A helpline launched which people can use to inform about shortage of medicines at a hospital.
FREE MEDICINES FROM MONEY SAVED
The decision to provide the services free of cost has been made possible by efficiency of the city’s Public Works Department (PWD), headed by Home MinisterSatyender Jain, which the CM claimed “has saved Rs 350 crore” in construction of the three flyovers. “Jain and I had estimated that if we want to provide facilities such as x-ray, ultrasound, blood tests and medicines for free in government hospitals we would have to set aside around Rs 350 crore. Now the money saved in building the elevated corridors will be used for this purpose which is your right,” Kejriwalhas said.
REMOVING USER CHARGES FOR CHEAPER TESTs
The government is also planning to remove user charges, charges for the OPD prescriptions and for various tests. “We will review all the costs and waiver certain user charges because the cost of collection is higher than the revenue earned,” the CM said.
Three Tier Health Structure
In the wake of the dengue crisis in the national capital, the AAP government has planned a three tier structure, thus giving boost to the primary healthcare sector. The patient would first visit the Mohalla clinic for consultation and if further diagnosis is needed, they are referred to the polyclinic. If they further need a surgery, the patients are then referred to a multi-speciality hospital.
INCREASE IN NUMBER OF BED AND HEALTH BUDGET
Promising to add 10,000 beds to government hospitals in Delhi over the next two-three years, the Delhi government announced a 45 per cent increase in the plan budget of the Health sector for the next fiscal. In his budget speech, Finance Minister Manish Sisodia said, “I propose total expenditure of Rs 4,787 crore on Health in 2015-16. This includes plan budget of Rs 3,138 crore which is 45 per cent more than the plan expenditure in 2014-15 which was at Rs 2,164 crore.” Chief Minister ArvindKejriwal said, “We will add as many beds to Delhi’s hospitals as there have been over the last 65 years.” The government is in the process of procuring 10 new plots of land from the DDA for augmenting its health infrastructure.
EDUCATION
BUDGET ALLOCATION
AAP government stuck to its word to set aside 24% (Rs. 4,570 crore) of the total plan outlay, for education. More than double (106%) last year’s plan expenditure of Rs. 2,219 crore, this is the biggest chunk this sector has ever claimed in Delhi. Total allocation for the sector is Rs. 9,836 crore.
INFRASTRUCTURE OF SCHOOLS
10,000 new classrooms shall be added to the existing Delhi Govt schools by July this year. The construction work is in full swing. Additionally, 21 new schools that were green field projects have been built. Twenty-five more new schools are in the process of getting constructed and the work on them shall be completed soon.
MODEL SCHOOLS
The policy to convert government schools into model schools has been started. The idea is to provide quality education in government run schools and bring them at par with the best in the private sector. In the first year the scheme has been launched into 54 select schools. In the coming year more schools will be enrolled under this mission.
Chief Minister’s Super Talented Children Scholarship Scheme 2015-16″.
“Under this scheme, 400 meritorious students of science stream studying in Class XI and XII in Delhi government schools are being provided scholarship for professional coaching and guidance to enable admission to premier engineering and medical institutions of the country.”
He said to select the bright students for the scholarship, the directorate of education would conduct screening test for class XI and XII science stream students studying in RajkiyaPratibhaVikasVidyalaya and 54 Model Delhi Government Schools (being started as pilot scheme) within a week.
“Initially we are including only science stream students in the scheme but later we will also cover art stream students in the scheme,” MrSisodia said.
SKILL DEVELOPMENT
Government aims to make Delhi a “fully literate state within the next few years” and promote vocational education and skill-development. For the latter, it has budgeted Rs. 310 crore including Rs.30 crore for a Delhi Skill/ Vocational University. This will be an “umbrella” for skilling programmes of various departments. Plus, every student will leave high school with two certificates — “one related to general education, the other to skill education”. Sisodia during his budget speech also announced three new Industrial Training Centres and increase of intake in every government polytechnic by 100.
EDUCATION LOAN
The Delhi government launched a flagship scheme to enable students avail education loan of up to Rs. 10 lakh. Students, who have cleared Class 12, would be eligible for the loan meant for higher studies. Children of Delhi government employees or officials/government servants posted with Delhi government were also eligible under the scheme. There is no restriction regarding the students’ age. According to the scheme, a collateral or third party would not be required to avail the loan. The student would get a one-year moratorium after completion of his or her degree or diploma course. He or she would be expected to repay the loan through EMIs over 15 years.
CCTVS in CLASS ROOM
Government has started the process of installing cctvs in all its 1,000 schools.
SCRAPPING OF MANAGEMENT QUOTA IN PVT SCHOOL (DELHI HC STAYED THIS ORDER)
In a bid to bring more transparency in the admission process in the private unaided schools, the Delhi government had scrapped the management quota. The Delhi government by its January 6 order had scrapped 62 “arbitrary and discriminatory” criteria listed by schools on their websites for admissions, but retained the 25 per cent quota for Economically Weaker Sections (EWS). The government has challenged the Delhi High Court order staying AAP government’s order scrapping management quota.
THREE IMPORATNT EDUCATION BILLS WERE PASSED IN THE CABINET
Three bills, aimed at reining in private schools, doing away with screening process in nursery admissions and scrapping of no detention policy till class VIII besides bringing in overall systemic reforms in education sector, were passed by Delhi Assembly in the December 2015.
The Delhi School Education (Amendment) Bill (DSEAA)
As per the DSEAA, offenders can be levied penalty of different grades for taking interviews at the entry levels including the nursery admission and charging capitation fees.
The Delhi Schools Verification of Accounts and Refund of Excess Fee Bill
It has a host of provisions aimed at ensuring that private schools show greater accountability in fees accepted and money spent. The bill also proposes that the salary and allowances payable to, and terms and conditions of employees of recognised private schools shall be on par with those in government schools.
The Right of Children to Free and Compulsory Education (Delhi Amendment) Bill
It seeks to do away with the no-detention policy till Class VIII by amending relevant sections of the Right to Education Act, which the government argues, were “prohibiting” quality education in schools.
INFRASTRUCTURE
Unauthorized Colonies:
The government has been carrying out the work of regularizing unauthorized colonies and providing essential services in such colonies on a war footing. The cut-off date for regularization has been extended to January 1, 2014. The detailed plans have been prepared for all 1600 colonies and work to lay down roads, water works, sewer lines, storm water drains and install street lights is currently underway.
Anti-pollution measures
ODD EVEN FORMULA
It seemed like a knee-jerk reaction when the ArvindKejriwal government announced the odd-even formula. The air pollution in the national capital was skyrocketing and something had to be done. So the city government decided that cars with odd-numbered registration will be allowed to ply on odd dates and the even-numbered cars on even dates between January 1 and January 15. Environmentalists hailed the move and delhi proved it critics wrong by participating in this campaign whole heartedly.
CAR FREE DAY
The exercise, which is organised on the 22nd of every month to curb pollution and decongest traffic.Car-Free Day, a concept of State Transport Minister GopalRai. First car free day was organized in the month of October last year.
DISMANTLING OF BRT AND PROPOSED TWO TIER ELEVATED ROAD
Almost eight years after operations on Delhi’s first Bus Rapid Transport (BRT) corridor began, the government has begun to dismantled the 5.8 km corridor in South Delhi. The AAP government had announced that the existing system was flawed and inconvenienced the public. Construction of the BRT began in 2006 under the Sheila Dikshit-led Congress government despite much opposition with some residents even taking the system to court. They complained that travel time in cars had increased and emphasised their right to ply on the bus-only corridors. Kejriwal had said that the government proposes to build two tier elevated roads in place of the BRT.
PREMIUM BUSES
The Delhi government will add 3,000 buses to its existing fleet, which will include 1,000 premium buses, Transport Minister GopalRai announced in January this year. Aimed at affluent passengers, the premium bus service — that is expected to begin by October — will have a host of facilities including online booking from home, no standing passengers, WiFi, marshals, water and magazines, said Rai. While the fare will be higher than other Delhi Transport Corporation (DTC) buses, it will be determined at a market rate. According to the plan, 1,000 buses to be run under the cluster system will ply on roads from April-May while 1,000 air-conditioned low-floor buses will hit the streets from August.
COST EFFECTIVE CONSTRUCTIONS
SIX-LANE AZADPUR-PREMBARI PUL ELEVATED CORRIDOR
The project has many firsts-the 2.1-km corridor has been completed at a cost lower than the sanctioned amount and before deadline.
Design-wise, it is perhaps the first flyover in the city to be built on a series of single pillars.
PWD has built it at a cost of Rs 145 crore, which is almost Rs 100 crore less than the sanctioned budget of Rs 247 crore.
PWD is projecting the 24m- wide flyover as a green corridor as it is expected to help save 7,665 kilolitres of fuel (costing Rs 46 crore at today’s price) annually, bring down carbon dioxide emissions and combat noise pollution.
The project has a rainwater harvesting facility, which can store 20,000 kilolitres per year.
ELEVATED CORRIDOR BETWEEN MANGOLPURI TO MADHUBAN CHOWK
Built at the cost of Rs 300 crore, “well below the sanctioned cost of Rs 450 crore”.
2.6 KM-LONG SIGNAL-FREE ROAD BETWEEN MUKARBA CHOWK TO MADHUBAN CHOWK.
Govt saved Rs 121 crore in the project
INFO: Total Rs 350 cr saved in construction of 3 flyovers by PWD. This money is used in providing free medicines and tests in all Delhi govt hospitals. And above all the government managed to construct all these projects “well within the deadline” as they were constantly monitored by the chief minister.
WOMEN SAFETY
In october 2015 Delhi Chief Minister ArvindKejriwal announced the government would form a Group of Ministers (GoM) on women security, which would be chaired by Deputy Chief Minister Manish Sisodia. Talking about the issues that the GoM would look into, the Chief Minister said that the panel would look into possibility if proceedings in rape cases can take place in a time-bound manner. He said that the GoM would also prepare a list of rape cases currently pending in different courts across the Capital.
COMMISION
Delhi Chief Minister ArvindKejriwal set up a Commission of Inquiry to probe prominent cases of crimes against women, as well as to address safety and security measures for women in the national capital. A notification to this effect also says that the tenure of the three-member commission will be for a period of two years and its mandate will be to submit it its report after every three months. The commission will also suggest action to the Delhi government on the basis of recommendations of the Justice Verma Committee. It will suggest necessary amendments to relevant laws, if any, recommend whether any case of negligence or collusion is made out in the cases examined, recommend measures to expedite all the proceedings in such criminal cases, propose measures to be taken to properly implement the provisions of existing laws as well as recommendations of the Justice Verma Committee
CCTVs CAMERA N MARSHALS
We have provided a total of 3738 marshals in Delhi. Out of these 3238 are in DTC buses and 500 have been deployed in hospitals to provide security to doctors.
There are 200 CCTV cameras in buses so far. Proof of concept trials are on in buses for an integrated CCTV + WIFI + GPS system. Tendering process is underway.
PWD has identified 40,000 dark spots and lighting process will be completed this year.
OTHER SECURITY MEASURES
Free Wi-Fi services aboard half a dozen Delhi Transport Corporation (DTC) buses on a trial basis.Not just free internet, the buses in question, according to Transport Minister GopalRai were also fitted with Global Positioning System (GPS) and closed-circuit television (CCTV) cameras. Mr. Rai said that each bus chosen to be a part of the pilot project would have three CCTV cameras at the front and three at the rear while a seventh camera would be fixed next to the driver.
According to the Transport Minister, the trial phase would see the three facilities aboard the ISBT-Airport bus service (DL1PC 9946), the MudrikaSewa (DL1PC 8705), the Outer Mudrika (DL10C 7451), route number 120 (DL10C 0348), route number 764 (DL1PC 3205) and route number 781 (DL1PC 3206).
OTHER WELFARE SCHEMES
INCREASE IN CIRCLE RATE
The budget increased circle rates of agricultural land between Rs 1 crore and Rs 3.5 crore. Earlier the rate for regular agricultural land was Rs 53 lakh per acre. Although the government’s notification on revised circle rates for agricultural land was stayed by Lt. Governor Najeeb Jung’s office
COMPENSATION TO THE FARMERS
Heavy rains spoiled the crops all over north India which led to many suicides, Kejriwal announced Rs 20,000 per acre compensation package. The amount was the highest in the country because the clause of percentage of damage was removed. Farmers who have suffered crop losses of 70 per cent or more in the unseasonal rains and hailstorms in Delhi got compensation to the tune of Rs 20,000 per acre while those with less damage entitled to Rs 14,000 per acre
CIRTIZEN CHARTER
In November last year Delhi Assembly passed the Delhi (Right Of Citizen To Time Bound Delivery of Services) Amendment Bill, a piece of legislation that will automatically deduct salaries of babus in cases of delay in delivering government services on their part. The Bill also encourages government departments, local bodies to adopt the e-governance platform to deliver their respective citizen related services in prescribed time period through electronic means aimed at bringing transparency.
MINIMUM WAGES FOR LABORERS
In a Cabinet meeting it was decided to enhance minimum wages of labourers. The Heads of Departments (HoDs) have been direct to ensure that workers must get minimum wages. The chief minister said the contractors who will not pay the minimum wages will be “blacklisted”.
SELF ATTEST
Started on December 1, affidavits and notary-attested documents will not be necessary for many Delhi government services. Certificates of caste, domicile, income, disability, etc will be issued promptly, the government claims. For instance, certificates with a 60-day waiting time will now be delivered online within two weeks. While the government will accept self-attested documents, those making false declarations will be punished severely. The government wants the offence made cognizable (an accused will be arrested). The format for self-attestation will be notified after the cabinet approves it.
FREE WATER AND SUBSIDIZED ELECTRICITY
Delhi Government had announced a 50 per cent subsidy on monthly power consumption of up to 400 units and 20,000 litres of free water per month to all households. This water scheme has been extended to group housing societies as well and sewerage charges have been waived as well.
OLD AGE PENSION
One lakh old-age pension beneficiaries were waiting for their pension for over two years, due to verification. We did speedy verification on fast track basis.
ANGANWADI
Anganwadi workers used to get Rs 750 per month as rent for their anganwadi premises, which have now been increased to Rs 4-5 thousand per month. Besides, anganwadi material is now being purchased straight from FCI instead of open market, surplus money is also being utilized to provide fruits to children
E- RATION CARD
INDIAS-FIRST-E-RATION-SERVICE-LAUNCHED-BY-DELHI-CM-ARVIND-KEJRIWAL IN MARCH 2015
Kejriwal said the newly launched facility will bring convenience to the people as it will cut down the delays in preparation and delivery of ration cards to the beneficiaries. “Now the beneficiaries can print the ration card as soon as it is approved by the department of food, supplies,” said Delhi Chief Minister. According to the Delhi government, as soon as the application for providing food security is approved by the food supply officer concerned, a message will be sent on the mobile number of the beneficiary informing him/her about approval of his/her application. The beneficiary can visit the department’s portal — http://nfs.delhi.gov.in — and enter the ration card number and other basic information. After that a password will be sent to the registered mobile number.
Ongoing projects
The projects of public wifi and aamaadmi canteen are in stage of getting finalized. By the end of 2016 at least a few dozen wifi hot spot zones and aamaadmi canteens shall be up and running. The work for installing CCTV cameras across major residential and commercial locations has begun. At present the PWD department is conducting a citywide survey across Delhi. Based on the feasibility report the installation work shall be carried out accordingly.
