Eight decisions AAP 2.0 took in its first 49 days that you didn't know about
Whatever happens, whoever wins, whichever state the AAP wins or loses, the number 49 will always remain synonymous with the Aam Aadmi Party and Arvind Kejriwal, for obvious reasons.
Having won an unprecedented 67 seats, AAP couldn't have got a better outcome to start off with, unlike earlier, when their 49-day coalition government hinged on paralytic support from the Congress. The past few weeks for AAP have been marred by numerous controversies, with prominent members of the party indulging in mudslinging, and eventual ouster of founding members Prashant Bhushan and Yogendra Yadav.
Here is a list of few steps and initiatives taken by the AAP government in its first 49 days, which didn't receive much attention due to the Kejriwal-Bhushan-Yadav controversy.
1. E-Ration Card Service: Delhi became the state in the country to launch an e-ration card service. The scheme would link ration and Aadhaar cards which would allow the beneficiaries of Public Distribution System (PDS) to get the cards online from the government's web portal without much hassle as opposed to earlier when one had to pay bribes and struggle hard. The beneficiary can go to the portal of the department, http://nfs.delhi.gov.in and apply for the card.
2. Anti Corruption Helpline 1031: Fighting corruption has always been AAP's main election plank. The service can be used by people to lodge complaints if they are harassed for bribes by government official. A group of volunteers has been trained to run the 24/7 helpline and attend the calls in English and Hindi. The executives will also direct the callers on how to conduct sting operations. All the calls will be divided into two categories - serious and non-serious.
3. Increase in minimum wages: The minimum wage for workers in the unorganised sector was raised by about 5 per cent. The minimum wages for unskilled category will be Rs 9,048 per month as compared to Rs 8,632 previously. In the semi-skilled category, the minimum wage of Rs 9,542 has been revised to Rs 10,010. For skilled labour, the minimum wage will be increased Rs 10,478 Rs 10,998.
4. Reclamation of hospital lands: AAP government has sought cancellation of the land allotments made to private companies for construction of hospitals at 18 sites, estimated at 50 acres. Though these plots of land had been allotted to the private players 15 to 44 years back, but no construction has been undertaken yet.
5. District committees: 11 Aam Aadmi Party MLAs have formed district committees and been appointed as district committee chairpersons in 11 districts. These chairpersons will hold weekly public meetings in their Assembly constituencies to hear people's grievances. MLAs will hold public meetings in their constituencies and try to resolve them at their level. The complaints that need the government's attention will be brought to the chief minister's office.
6. Electricity cuts for everyone: Discoms have been told to avoid load-shedding in summer and if power cuts are absolutely inevitable, they should not be limited to slums and all areas must take turns to face the interruption in power supply that should not exceed one hour at a time.
7. Meeting to tackle NCR's growing pollution: In view of the huge ongoing debate about unacceptable levels of pollution and Delhi being the most polluted city in the world, environment minister Asim Ahmed Khan has proposed for a meeting of all NCR states to jointly take measures to control the alarming pollution levels in Delhi.
8. Swine flu tests: Due to the spurt in the number of swine flu cases across the country, the government said it would set up two more labs for swine flu testing in addition to the three government labs already conducting tests. Moreover, private hospitals and laboratories were charging as high as Rs 10,000 for swine flu tests, in response to which, the Delhi government set a price limit of Rs 4500 per test and strictly ordered hospitals to stick to the price limit.
These steps and initiatives reflect that despite being marred in controversies, AAP has kept its focus strongly on better governance and administration in Delhi.