Chief Minister Smt. Vasundhara Raje has said that the previous Congress government’s mismanagement kept the the state lagging behind in the race of development. She said that the people gave 53 years to the Congress party, but they lost the opportunity of working for public welfare. On the other hand, the states like Madhya Pradesh and Gujarat progressed ahead during past 15 years’ continuous rule.

The CM was proposing her response, in the State Assembly on Tuesday, to the debate on the Governor’s address to the house. Thereafter, a vote of thanks on the Governor’s address was passed with voice vote. She said that pulling the state out of the situation it had been trapped in, would be difficult task. One individual could not do much in this and for this all had to work together. “We have to work with vision, planning, action and implementation.

Smt. Raje said that due to financial failure of the previous government, liabilities of the power distribution companies (Discoms) in the state had surpassed total debt burden on some of the state governments. She said that the last government signed an MoU on October 19, 2011, which read the condition of hike in power tariff every year and automatic inclusion of fuel surcharge in the monthly bills. She said that despite the hike in the power tariff three times, during the previous regime, Discoms got trapped into a situation where short-term loans had to be arranged to make payments of the long-term credits.

“When the regulatory commission is hiking the tariff today, these people are opposing it,” she said.

The Chief Minister said that the present government was not of any individual, but of the entire public of the state and it was progressing towards overall development of the state with an aim of growth of people of all religions and sections. She assured that the state government would not do the politics of message, but consider development as its duty and would do hard work for it. She said that the members of Opposition benches, who were demanding clearance of accounts from this government after just one year’s tenure, they themselves never kept their own account books clear. “However, I kept my account books clear last time at the end of five years and will do it again,” she said.

Smt. Raje said that the previous government opened recruitments to deceit youth and earn benefits during Assembly elections, but later this matter got struck into the courts. The last government announced in the budget to open 15 new colleges, but as the Assembly elections got closer, 42 colleges were opened with planning and infrastructure. This was a clear dishonesty with the future of the youth.

The CM said that with an eye on the elections, range of pension for widows, disabled and old-age persons was also widened. This resulted in a mess as the benefits did not reach the eligible candidates, but the non-eligible ones got benefited. After reviewing this situation the government would now give full pension to all eligible persons.

Smt. Raje said that hers was the first government after independence which reached to the public soon after the State Assembly elections to share its grievances. Through Sarkar Aapke Dwar, the Government at Your Doorstep, campaign the government reached about 2.5 crore people in 3,639 panchayats of 14 districts in three Divisions. Most of the grievances received during this campaign had been disposed off.

The CM said envisaging about the better future of the state the state government decided to make education a compulsory condition for elections of Panchayati Raj institutions. This resulted in the first unit of the PRIs to be in the hands of educated youth. It would help in realizing the dream of educated and developed Rajasthan. Compulsory condition of toilet for the PRI candidates also resulted in construction of 4,78,300 toilets in the state. By the year 2018, the state would achieve the target of toilets in every household.

Smt. Raje said that the government further decided to develop 5,000 fair price shops as Annapurna bhandars. At these shops, along with ration, the consumers would get other quality goods on fair prices. She said that considering problems faced by women, the government had started construction of cement concrete roads at Gramin Gaurav Path and missing links. She said that 2,154 works had been sanctioned for Gramin Gaurav Path, construction had started at 509 places and 61 works had been completed as well. For rural regions, roads would be constructed with loans worth Rs. 900 crore from NABARD.

The CM said that to realize the dream of industrial revolution in the state, a new Investment Promotion Policy-2014 had been released. A mega event of Resurgent Rajasthan had been planned for November this year, in which renowned industrialists from all over the world would participate. MoUs for new investments would be signed during this. Some of investments could be realized even before this summit.

Smt. Raje said that working in the direction of employment opportunities for 15 lakh youths, 2,282 batches were arranged to train 55,539 youths on different skills between December 2013 and February 2015. Singapore had joined hands with Rajasthan for safe drinking water and skill development sectors. The previous government spent merely Rs. 46 crore in two years, while this government spent Rs. 70 crore in a single year. In the year 2015-16, the government would spend Rs. 500 crore on this.

The CM said that stability in law & order scenario was a must requirement for investment and the state government was focusing on this, resulting in decline in crime graph.

She said that to promote tourism a new Tourism Policy and a Tourism Calendar would be declared soon.

Smt. Raje said that on CBSE pattern 186 higher secondary schools were being opened with the nomenclature of Swami Vivekanand Government Model Schools, of which 66 had already started. Transfer vouchers would be issued to the students staying more than 2 kilometers from the schools. As per the promise made in Suraj Samkalp Patra, the government took an important decision of arranging a single examination REET for teachers’ recruitment, she said.

On free medicine, the CM said that the budget for the same had been enhanced. Total 6.5 crore people had been given free medicine and free medical tests had been conducted on 4.5 crore people. Working day and night the health department and doctors had saved lives of people from swine flu. Over 95% persons tested positive with swine flu had returned their homes after treatment. Expressing grief on the death of people due to swine flu, she said that it was heartening, but the situation was better in Rajasthan in comparison to other states.

Smt. Raje said that the government re-started Bhamashah Scheme. Over 1.5 crore women would be benefited out of this. She said that very soon health insurance scheme would be clubbed with this.

The Chief Minister said that the state had earned several prestigious awards its commendable services to the people. For excellent performance in renewable energy sector, the Prime Minister honoured the state. Similarly for skill development, Rajasthan was given the golden category award.

Smt. Raje said that she had ordered for survey of damaged occurred to crops due to unseasonal rains during past few days. She said the objective of the government would be Good Governance; its slogan would be Everybody Together; its commitment would be Reconstruction of Clean and Prosperous Rajasthan; and its dream would be Smile on Every Face. For this, everybody had to walk along, she said.

The CM urged the Government, the Opposition, NGOs, civil society and media to contribute for re-building of Rajasthan by way of creating a positive environment in the state.

Expressing good wishes to all for Holi festival, Smt. Raje recited a couplet in Hindi which meant: It is Holi time, so do not fight and love each other; forget all differences and walk together on this occasion.

Jaipur, 3 March 2015