Moily inaugurates 'Gandhi Nadige' in Karkala

Speaking on the occasion, he said the programme has been initiated by the Congress to train booth-level workers to strengthen the party at the grassroot level. The programme will inculcate integrity and characterised values among trainees. The idea of ‘India’ is made to absorb by the workers. A constructive workers team should be involved in the party strengthening process, he added.

Stating that ‘Gram Sabhas’ are the real bottom of administrative decentralisation pyramid, Moily said they are the continuous democratic body. It is discouraging to observe that the powers allotted to local tier system of governance have been curbed by the State governments especially Karnataka government by making MLAs and in-charge ministers as custodian to the respective powers. Attempts are made to demoralise local governance. Political nexus and dictatorial governance has suffocated the constitutional privilege of administrative decentralisation. The autonomy of the local bodies entangles the uncertainty in the midst of biased power mongers. The local governance should be non-political. An  Ombudsman should be appointed to look through the smooth sailing of local governance set up, he opined.

He said the UPA government has taken lots of measures to ensure Right to Education, Right to Employment, Right to Information, Right to Justice and Right to Food Security privileges to the public. Targeting at inclusive growth in the society, the UPA government has taken all sections of people irrespective of caste, creed and religion beneath the wrap of its march towards progress, he added.

He said 2G spectrum scam is the outcome of the NDA government policy based on first come first serve process. However, the UPA has taken decision to initiate 3G spectrum deal by calling auctions and the profit has been gone up to Rs 1.45 lakh crore as against the earlier estimation of Rs 30,000 crore, he added.

‘Revival of Lokpal Bill’

The UPA government is planning to revive Lokpall Bill within 60 days. The Bill was sidelined by the NDA government, said Union Minister for Law and Justice Veerappa Moily.

Speaking after launching ‘Gandhi Nadige,’ a booth-level workers training programme here on Sunday, he said the Bill aims at checking corruption. A committee has been formed to go through the reviving process and necessary steps to be taken to implement the Bill within 60 days. He also said Food Security Bill will be tabled in the forthcoming Parliament session. It will ensure every card holder irrespective of APL and BPL of 25 to 30 kgs of rice. The programme aims to reach at least 75 per cent of the sufferers in the first phase.

He said the government is seriously considering the problems of arecanut growers.