The Hindu : Andhra Pradesh News : YSR alone to take oath of office today

Online edition of India's National Newspaper
Friday, May 14, 2004

Andhra Pradesh

Andhra Pradesh

YSR alone to take oath of office today

By Our Special Correspondent

The Additional Commissioner of Police, A. K. Khan, discussing arrangements for Friday's swearing-in ceremony with the Congress leaders and R&B officials at the Lal Bahadur Stadium in Hyderabad on Thursday.

NEW DELHI, MAY 13. The Chief Minister-designate, Y.S. Rajasekhara Reddy, who will take the oath of office in Hyderabad tomorrow afternoon, said today that he would expand his Council of Ministers in the next four to five days.

Dr. Reddy, who alone would take oath at a ceremony slated between 1.30 pm and 2.00 pm, told correspondents here that the very first order he would be signing as Chief Minister was that on the implementation of the promise of free power to farmers. The new Government would hold the Mandal Revenue Officer concerned accountable for farmers committing suicide on account of indebtedness.

The Chief Minister-designate, who called on the Congress president, Sonia Gandhi, said that he was feeling euphoric since his party had made a comeback at the Centre and that the turn of events began from Andhra Pradesh.

Dr. Reddy said the party would prefer to keep the Cabinet small and that the process would begin after he held consultations with senior leaders and central party leadership in the next four to five days. He said while the Congress requested the Telangana Rashtra Samiti to join the Government, the latter had reservations. In the case of the Communist Party of India and the CPI(M) the party had made such an offer during pre-election negotiations.

Promising transparency in administration and development, Dr. Reddy said the new Government priorities would be looking into the plight of farmers, improving rural economy, sprucing up overall administration, including creating new departments in areas where the Congress Government wanted to give greater stress.

As regards the new Government's attitude towards the previous Telugu Desam Party Government, Dr. Reddy said while the Congress did not believe in vendetta, if in the course of governance, the Government spotted any irregularities it would not shy away from getting them probed. "It would apply not just to Mr. Chandrababu Naidu and others but would also include our own party members," he said.

On issue of free power, he said the State Government's promise of free supply to farmers was estimated to cost Rs. 300 crores. With the overall budget of the State being Rs. 43000 crores, finding Rs. 300 crores would not be difficult, he said, adding that the previous Government had set aside Rs. 350 crores for publicity alone. "It is not necessary to show the face of the Chief Minister at the cost of the State exchequer."

Promising that his Government would not allow any farmer to commit suicide on account of debts, Dr. Reddy wondered why the age-old law to check rural indebtedness was not being implemented. "Come what may, we will see that farmers do not commit suicide. We will make the local Mandal Revenue Officer responsible if any farmer commits suicide. We do not want to write off debts but would try and find out the manner in which it could be sorted out,'' he said.

The steps in the direction could be by rescheduling payments, reducing interest rate, strengthening cooperative sector and reviving rural credit system, both through cooperative and public sector banks.

On the question of downsizing of the Government, Dr. Reddy preferred to state that the Government would be keen to ensure not to inflate the wage bill. However, he said, the AP State Road Transport Corporation would be given its dues from the Government and attempts would be made to ensure that it was not put at a disadvantage vis-à-vis the private sector.

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