Monday, April 5, 2010

Congress meets its first deadline

As part of Congress Promise #6 it has been promised that all villages will be connected by broadband by 22 May 2010. The announcement by Sachin pilot claims the government is on route to achieving this goal. But how many of these villages have electricity or the means to by computers to use these broadband connections? Its funny.

However, the promise of introducing goods and services tax from April 1st 2010 has been more or less realized as part of the budget. An excerpt of the announcement by Chidambaram can be seen here.

The promise of giving a solid foundation for local governments seems to be lost to its vague description. The way to go would have been to implement atleast few of the recommendations given by the commission which investigated the issue.

Sunday, May 24, 2009

Kerala - leading in the implementation of Rashtriya Swasthya Bima Yojana (RSBY)?

As part of Promise# 4 of Congress, the Rashtriya Swasthya Bima Yojana (RSBY) to provide health insurance to all families below poverty line will be implemented in 3 years (22 May 2012).

28 states and 7 Union territories of India need to Implement and achieve this scheme. Hence a total of 625 districts need to be covered by the scheme. Although it would be interesting to track the implementation of the project through out the country, many states are yet to get the data updated in the RSBY website. There is no related data available for Andaman and Nicobar Islands, Andrha Pradesh, Arunachal Pradesh, Assam, Dadar and Nagar Haveli, Daman and Diu, Jammu and Kasmir, Lakshadweep, Madhya Pradesh, Manipur, Meghalaya, Mizoram, Orissa, Pondicherry, Sikkim, and Tripura. Either the scheme is yet to be implemented in these areas or have not yet reached the Post advertisement phase in which these documents need to be submitted to the Central government technical team. Hence, status of the scheme in 16 of the 35 entities is unclear.

Bihar, Chandigarh, Chhattisgarh, Delhi, Goa, Gujrat, Haryana, Himachal Pradesh, Jharkhand, Karnataka, Kerala, Maharashtra, Nagaland, Punjab, Rajasthan, Tamil Nadu, Uttar Pradesh, Uttarkhand and West Bengal. Of the 19 entities that have provided data, only one state (Kerala) has provided the tender document with details of the entire scheme.

Among the 19 entities that have provided data, Chhattisgarh and Karnataka are yet to issue any smart cards. The main problem seems to be that the scheme calls for 10 bed hospitals with surgical facility and qualified staff for enrolment, which unfortunately is not available.

The most successful implementation of the scheme seems to be in Kerala with the insurance company as United India Insurance Co. Ltd with the nodal agency as CHIAK. Based on provisional data provided on the website which due to its dynamic nature are not to be trusted J the following is the implementation status of the scheme. Kottayam seems to have achieved the impossible by accomplishing 113% (more smart cards than BPL families - data might be wrong due to its provisional and dynamic nature) success. The least successful is Thiruvananthapuaram with just 31% implementation.


District BPL families No of smart cards issued Percent Completion
Alappuzha 119192 106512 89.36170213
Palakkad 143592 64288 44.77129645
Thrissur 93160 72530 77.85530271
Ernakualam 79527 49401 62.11852578
Idukki 84176 39584 47.02528036
Kottayam 64168 72800 113.452188
Pathanamthitta 50310 43054 85.57742
Kollam 105393 69630 66.06700635
Thiruvananthapuaram 147408 46661 31.65431998
Malappuram 110539 79592 72.00354626
Kozhikode 87828 71777 81.72450699
Wayanad 51442 27643 53.73624665
Kannur 75386 56832 75.38800308
Kasaragod 54286 38165 70.30357735
1266407 838469 66.20849379
State Total 1266207 838469 66.21895156


The scheme is to be providing BPL families to make use of hospitals like Gokulam Medical College, Divya Prabha Eye Hospital in Thiruvananthapuaram.However, its yet to be seen how the scheme will be implemented further after the issue of the smart cards.

Congress Manifesto Promise # 13

The thirteenth promise from the manifesto is given below : Congress Manifesto - Peoples hope

Promise # 13 : Other promises which are very general in nature and not very clear:

1) Will pursue judicial reforms to ensure timely completion of the hearing and disposal of cases.What type of reforms?

2)A statutory National Heritage Sites Commission will be made fully operational. No specifics, too general.

3)Will bring school curricula of various communal and sectarian organizations — regardless of their affiliation —under the regulatory purview of an empowered national body. How the national body will perform the monitoring? What will be the functions of the regulatory body.

4)A “new deal” for SMEs(to small and medium enterprises) and for first-generation entrepreneurs by assuring them greater access to collateral-free credit, liberating them from the multiplicity of laws and forms, and freeing them from the clutches of inspectors. Whats the new ?

5)We will maintain the path of high growth with fiscal prudence and low inflation.To general.

6)Will ensure that the policies for attracting private investment for oil exploration will also be followed for other mineral resources, including coal and iron-ore.What type of measures? Who will be regulating the activities?

7)Regulations will be made to ensure good corporate governance, ethical business practices and accountability to all stakeholders. Hope this avoids Satyam part II.

8)We will continue to be sensitive to regional aspirations. How will the regional aspirations be adressed? What measures will be taken?

9)We will continue to pursue an independent, pro-India foreign policy. :)

The Promise # 13 can be accessed based on the implementation of each of above 9 targets.

Congress Manifesto Promise # 12

The twelfth promise from the manifesto is given below : Congress Manifesto - Peoples hope

Promise # 12 : We will ensure Infrastructure Building by doing the following:

1) The modernization and expansion of our science and technology institutions and will ensure that they attract and retain the best talent from India and abroad.What modernization activities will be done?

2)The country adds at least 12,000-15,000 mw of capacity every year through a mix of sources—coal, hydel, nuclear and renewables. But is this enough to meet the growing need?

3)Rural electrification and reduction in distribution losses will be given the highest priority. No quantification mentioned?

4)Increase in the share of nuclear power, both through domestic and imported technology which has now been made possible by the civil nuclear agreements. No quantification mentioned?

5)Will implement a scheme to supply energy to poor families at affordable prices.At wat prices?

6)Will implement a scheme to supply energy to poor families at affordable prices.At wat prices?

7)Four new universities will be established with 50% of the seats reserved for PIO/NRI students. Where and by when?


The Promise # 12 can be accessed based on the implementation of each of above 7 targets.

Congress Manifesto Promise # 11

The eleventh promise from the manifesto is given below : Congress Manifesto - Peoples hope

Promise # 11 : We will ensure Bio diversity conservation & environmental protection(We will protect India’s natural environment and take steps to rejuvenate it) by doing the following:

1) Strengthen people’s movements whose objective will be to protect and preserve our bio-resources and ensure their sustainable use. How these will be implemented?

2)National Action Plan for Climate Change will be implemented in letter and spirit. What percentage of the seats will be reserved?

3)The Ganga River Basin Authority will be accorded the highest priority. How?

The Promise # 11 can be accessed based on the implementation of each of above 3 targets.

Congress Manifesto Promise # 10

The tenth from the manifesto is given below : Congress Manifesto - Peoples hope

Promise # 10 : We will ensure Youth empowerment by doing the following:

1) A voluntary national youth corps which would enable young men and women in the age group of 18-23 to serve up to two years in constructive nation-building activities for which they will be suitably compensated. Who is elligible? Wats the compensation? wat nation building activities?

2)Will reserve a proportion of seats in panchayats and nagarpalikas for men and women below the age of 35 years without detriment to the existing reservations for scheduled castes, scheduled tribes, OBCs and women. What percentage of the seats will be reserved?

3)Extensive skill development programme to improve employability of the youth. What skills?

The Promise # 10 can be accessed based on the implementation of each of above 3 targets.

Congress Manifesto Promise # 9

The ninth promise from the manifesto is given below : Congress Manifesto - Peoples hope

Promise # 9 : We will ensure Urban Development by doing the following:

1) A new model of urban administration with financially-viable self-government institutions as the pivot. What are features of this new model?

The Promise # 9 can be accessed based on the implementation of each of above 1 target(s).