By Our Special Correspondent
Lok Satta Founder President Jayaprakash Narayan said that due to the burden of debt, the state and central budgets are losing. The government should strike a balance between welfare and development.
Speaking to media persons here on Monday, he said that the two Telugu states are effectively implementing the welfare schemes of the poor people. He said that no one opposes the continuation of welfare schemes and they need a helping hand to alleviate the hardships of the poor.
Governments are fully indebted and are borrowing more. He believes that borrowing should be used to spend for long-term purposes such as wealth creation through infrastructure, irrigation and industry.
He said that the state of Odisha, which is maintaining a fine balance in fiscal expenditure, should follow suit. “Even though Odisha is a poor state, it maintains fiscal discipline. Other states such as Maharashtra, Gujarat, Karnataka and Tamil Nadu also fared relatively better.
There is a need for a national level discussion on this issue. However, any discussion on this issue should be apolitical and issue oriented as this issue is being politicized. Unfortunately, parties ignore development and focus on welfare schemes keeping elections and votes in mind.
JP said that AP has taken good initiatives in education and medicine. YSRC Government is focusing on school infrastructure and developing students' skills. JP said that he has brought to the attention of the Prime Minister and the Finance Minister about the need for financial discipline for economic development.
He welcomed the concept of family doctor launched by the YSRC government as it would help meet the basic health needs of a large number of people in rural and semi-urban areas. However, steps should be taken to implement the concept effectively.
He said that Arogyashri, which was started by former Chief Minister YS Rajasekhara Reddy, and Ayushman, which was started by the Modi government, has become a role model for many states including India.
It is a welcome move that the YSRC government wants to extend this scheme further. The family doctor concept is good but people should be allowed to choose their doctor without forcing them to go to a particular doctor. He suggested that the government may start two health centers with 10 doctors in each assembly constituency.
On this occasion, he released a draft titled Health for All. JP prepared a document titled Health for All based on a study of the strengths and weaknesses of the country's health system. A Lok Satta delegation will soon meet Chief Minister YS Jagan Mohan Reddy and submit a document to consider the proposals for implementation.
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