State was known for ease of corruption : YS Jagan

The administration in Andhra Pradesh was not at all conducive for ease of doing business, said Leader of the Opposition Y.S. Jagan Mohan Reddy on Wednesday.He alleged that the State was known for ease of corruption as bribes were mandatory from the village to the Secretariat level to get things done.

“Be it a ration card or distribution of pension, people are forced to pay bribes. Ironically, the government itself is encouraging corruption by resorting to horse-trading the MLAs from other political parties,” he said referring to the ‘note for vote’ case and the shifting of loyalties by the YSR Congress party MLAs to the TDP.

Addressing a public meeting here, Mr. Jagan said: “Take the example of Kakinada city that got ?400 crore from the Centre under the Smart City initiative. Have you seen any development worth the amount in the city?” he asked the public. Alleging that the ruling party leaders were involved in several scams from oil pilferage to land grabbing, he said the government had remained a mute spectator over the corrupt practices.

“East Godavari gave 14 MLAs to the TDP. The ruling party bought three more from the Opposition but doing nothing to develop the district. The conditions are pathetic in the Government General Hospital and there are about 500 vacancies remained unfilled for the last four years,” he said.

Accusing the government of adopting anti-development strategies and forcing the industrial units to down their shutters, Mr. Jagan said the sudden rise in the electricity charges from 3.75 to ? 8.75 per unit had forced the granite and the sugar factories and the spinning mills to announce closure. “But the Chief Minister has been trying to paint a rosy picture to the people of the State and the industrialists outside. Since the government failed to develop infrastructure and ensure corruption-free administration, no investors are coming over here,” he said. Assuring that the YSRCP would provide a people-friendly administration, Mr. Jagan said their government would establish village secretariats to strengthen the administration and ensure transparency in all transactions. “People are fed up with the corrupt administration and they are waiting for a change in the State,” he said.