KCR unveils BRS agenda
PNS | Hyderabad
Chief Minister K. Chandrasekhar Rao put forth the BRS agenda titled ‘Reinvent India, Reorient India.”In its electoral reforms, the BRS proposed that the term of elected governments should be discussed.
“All State and the national election should be held simultaneously within six months. In case a government falls due to some reason the next election should be held to elect a government only for the remaining period,” the BRS agenda said.
KCR presented a set of documents during his press conference at Nanded in putting forth his reform agenda.The BRS said, “Let us not talk of ‘Best Practices,’ but let us think about ‘next practices.’
The BRS proposes constitutional reforms. More devolution of funds to states, that is, instead of 41per cent the states should get 50 per cent by transferring the funding of state list subjects from the Centre.BRS believes in introducing policies to attract higher FDI inflows including developing SEZs like China, stable tax regimes and no retrospective changes in laws.
“Improve Ease of Doing Business, remove restrictions on foreign investments and resolve all issues hindering growth. For example, removing bottlenecks by improving container handling capacity and turnaround time at ports, improving the average speed on NHs and freight traffic by rail, reducing time to get customs clearance etc.
In India, the average speed on highways is 50 km per hour compared to 80 km per hour in Japan and South Korea and 95 to 115 in the UK and the US. In India rail freight moves at 24 km per hour whereas in countries like the US, Japan and Australia it is 80 km per hour,” the agenda said.
KCR said that every Indian should be a proud taxpayer and partner in nation building and the IT exemption limit should be raised to Rs 5 lakh.
The BRS called for re-examining the existing FRBM limit and reorienting credit limits to present-day requirements. The BRS said that China had used credit from public sector banks to fund infrastructure. Many countries have more debts than their GDP, for example, the US 106%, Japan 237%, Singapore 109%, and Italy 133%.
The BRS called for a permanent Finance Commission for assessing and leveraging the financing of the Centre and to assess and finance States.
The BRS said the Planning Commission should guide states in setting their priorities and states should be free to take up their own programmes.
DOPT policies should be changed to suit needs so that officers should be able to work in other states on a need basis. Officers should be allowed to work in their home states. Salaries/remuneration of lower level employees like Anganwadi workers and helpers, Home Guards, ASHA workers etc should be increased to a dignified level.
In agriculture, the BRS proposes Rythu Bandhu. This will be about Rs 2.14 lakh crore for a sown area of 27.9 crore acres in Kharif and Rs 14.92 crore acres in Rabi in 2020-21.
It proposes to increase MSP by Rs 500 or 1/3rd more than the existing MSP. Thereafter the MSP should be increased every year by linking it to the price index as in the case of employees’ salaries.
The BRS said that based on the agro-climatic characteristics of each area there should be area-wise crop colonies to grow specific crops. NREGA must be connected with the agricultural sector to enable 50 per cent of labour payments from NREGS to increase profitability.
In irrigation, the BRS agenda is to ensure that every state should be allotted water as per requirements. The BRS will provide water supply to every village in the country within 5 to 6 years. It may cost about Rs 8000 billion to 10,000 billion.
The BRS will implement the KCR kit scheme, improvise infrastructure in PHC/CHC/District Hospitals/Area Hospitals to handle childbirths and increase the number of medical seats in the country.
In R&D, the BRS says that R&D should be reoriented to leverage the assets of the country for economic development. “Even Mountains, Wastelands, coasts, rivers etc are assets.”
BRS states that income from allied agriculture activities like dairying, fisheries, piggery, poultry, goat and sheep rearing should be exempt from tax like agriculture.
