Address of Shri  B.L. Joshi, Lt. Governor, Delhi

21 March, 2007

Respected Speaker and Hon'ble Members,

 I extend a warm welcome to all of you to the Budget Session of the Legislative Assembly of Delhi for the year 2007. 

 2.        We have taken a pledge to make Delhi a world-class city. We have got an opportunity to realize this pledge by keeping in our horizon the forthcoming Commonwealth Games, 2010. However, Commonwealth Games is but a step, though an important one, on this journey. I believe that effort will continue beyond that. I will now detail my Government’s efforts in this direction.

3.         The Government’s prudent fiscal policy has placed us on a sound financial footing with buoyant tax collections, which are likely to be Rs. 11,454 crores this year against Rs. 10,338 crores in 2005-2006. We continue to be revenue surplus. This has enabled us to increase our Plan outlay from Rs. 5200 crores in the current financial year to Rs. 9000 crores in 2007-08, an unprecedented increase of 73%. This is both an opportunity as well as a challenge for us to upscale the infrastructure and translate the growth and development of Delhi into an improved quality of life for its people. As 58 percent of our plan outlay is spent on the social sector, priorities of my government clearly lie in effectively managing the sectors of Health, Education and Social Welfare for the common citizens and the marginalized sections of our society; the poor; the aged, the women, the children, the underprivileged; and the differently abled.

4.         In the Health sector, we have launched the Delhi Health Mission to bridge gaps in health care delivery and ensure affordable accountable and reliable primary health care services to every citizen. Equal emphasis has been laid on setting up, strengthening and expansion of multi disciplinary hospitals to make secondary and tertiary healthcare accessible to common man. 31 hospitals have been operationalized while five Super Speciality Hospitals and 10 other hospitals are under different stages of construction/commissioning. Several major hospitals are being upgraded. Institute of Liver & Biliary Sciences (ILBS), Maulana Azad Institute of Dental Sciences and Delhi State Cancer Institute have been given autonomy to help them evolve into “Centres of Excellence”. Institute of Indian System of Medicine is being set up at Khera Dabur. 

5.         ‘Quality education’ supported by complementary infrastructure has been the professed goal of the Government. Enrolment in government schools at primary/pre-primary levels has increased from 8 Lakhs in 1997-1998 to 11.38 Lakhs in 2006-2007, an increase of 42%. The pass percentage in Class tenth in government schools has improved from 32% in 1997-1998 to  60% last year, while in the case of Class XII, the pass percentage has improved in the corresponding period from 63% to 78%. Drop out rate at primary level has come down to 5.9% in 2005-06. My government has promoted education for girls in a big way by providing free education, free text books, uniform subsidy and stipend up to class XII. Setting up of over 600 Vidyalaya Kalyan Samities in the Government Schools under the Bhagidari initiative has improved day-to-day maintenance of schools and has had a salutary effect on academics as well. Access to Higher Education is sought to be enchanced with construction of the twin campuses of Guru Gobind Singh Indraprastha Univerity at Dwarka and Surajmal Vihar. The University has grown steadily with 73 self financing institutions and 12 Government institutes with intake of more than 10,000 students. Dr. Ambedkar University is being set up for providing opportunity of higher education, especially to the people of remote and rural areas of Delhi. Work on the construction of the East Delhi Engineering College at Geeta Colony for Rs. 20.48 Crores is in full swing. Work has also started for setting up of an integrated institute of technology at Dwarka at a cost of Rs. 20.4 Crores.  Three Polytechnics/it is are being upgraded into engineering colleges.

6.         The Government has continuously worked towards augmenting social security systems through financial assistance, vocational training, soft loans and targeted programs. New state policy for senior citizens was launched on October 5, 2006. Old age pension has been enhanced to Rs. 400 per month benefiting 1.62 lakh senior citizens. Construction work has commenced for the Old Age Homes at Bindapur, Rohini and Dwarka. A new scheme of Unemployment Allowance for Disabled has also been operationalized this year. In view of declining sex ratio, a new “Girl Child Protection Scheme” has been started under which Rs 5000/- is deposited in the name of new born girl child, in government hospital, which will be given to her with interest on completion of 18 years of age or after passing class 10^th. The 29^th ICDS Project has become operational at Madanpur Khader with opening of 60 New Anganwadi Centres. Additional 526 Anganwadi Centres have been sanctioned under various ICDS Projects.  Honorarium  for the Anganwari Workers has been enhanced from Rs 1000 per month to Rs 1500 per month and that for Anganwari Helper from Rs 500 to Rs 750 per month.  Community participation in supplementary nutrition program under ICDS has been enlisted through women self help groups.  ‘Stree Shakti’ initiative of the government to empower women of economically weaker sections by providing them access to health care, vocational training, nutritional and legal guidance has won the Commonwealth Association for Public Administration and Management (CAPAM) Innovation Award 2006 for ‘Citizen Engagement and Service Delivery’. 490 Stree Shakti camps have been organized so far benefiting more than 3 lakh women. Eighteen Gender Resource Centres have been established for holistic empowerment of women in a sustained manner. These centres function as single window counter for facilitation and counseling of women besides providing multiple services.

7.         Providing affordable, quality houses to the slum dwellers, industrial workers and other Economically weaker sections of the society has been the cherished goal of the government. DSIIDC has already constructed and allotted 3164 low costs houses to industrial workers under Rajiv Gandhi Housing Project and construction of 4000 more such houses is in full swing. This initiative has won the National Award for Housing for Economically Weaker Sections as well as the “Building Industry Leadership Award”. The DSIIDC has been designated as the nodal agency for construction of another 30,000 houses for industrial workers and 50,000 houses for the slum dwellers/ economically weaker sections of society. Construction of these houses is to be completed within 18 months. A new Plan Scheme named “Financial Assistance to Multi Purpose Cooperative Societies for Slum dwellers for improvement, up gradation and resettlement of JJ Clusters” has been launched and four cooperative societies of slum dwellers have been registered for taking up housing projects and other activities.

8.         The government has been working tirelessly for the welfare and development of SC/ST/OBC/ Minorities communities. To look after the welfare of Safai Karamcharies, the Delhi Commission for Safai Karamcharis has been set up through a legislation. Chairperson and Members of the commission have been appointed. Guidelines for the scheme for development of SC/ST basties have been liberalized and simplified. Guidelines for issue of SC/ST certificates have been liberalized benefiting lakhs of people.

9.       Inflation acts as a hidden tax on the poor. The Government took several initiatives to check inflation and ensure timely and uninterrupted supply of essential commodities to beneficiaries, especially the weaker sections of society. The government has taken the pioneering initiative of providing 4 kilograms of “Dal” per month through the public Distribution System to BPL, AAY and Jhuggi Ration holders at rates 25% below the market price. The step besides having impact on rising prices will provide the much needed nutrition support to these beneficiaries Outlets to supply vegetables at subsidized rates were also opened throughout the city from time to time to curb inflationary tendencies. In a similar endeavor in July 2006, when price of pulses crossed Rs 50 per Kg mark, the Delhi Civil Supplies Corporation successfully carried out a special operation of selling pulses @ Rs 38 per KG through 73 mobile vans.
 

10.    Governance in Delhi is not simple. Being home to both the Central as well as the State Government, there are overlapping jurisdictions and multiple authorities. We have found a way out of this impasse through the Bhagidari approach to governance, which continues to be an article of unshakable faith with my government as well as its main guiding principle for the coming years. The number of citizen groups associated with the initiative has swellep up to over 1900. We have taken Bhagidari to the poorest of the poor living in slum and JJ cluster through a new initiative launched this year. ‘My Delhi-I Care’ Fund operationalised this year with the nine Deputy Commissioners has emerged as an effective tool in the hands of citizens for taking up development works in the colonies based on their felt needs under their watchful eyes. In another Bhagidari initiative, Takniki Shiksha Sansthan Kalyan Samitis (Tassks) are being constituted in all our Polytechnics /it is to make the Industry and the local people active Bhagidars in making these institutions centres of excellence. 
 

11.       In our continuing endeavour to make the city a safer and more secure place, we became the first city-state to bring out our Human Development Report. Besides enumerating the problems, assessing the progress and achievements, the report shows the way to move forward. A clear set of Delhi Development Goals have been spelt out in the report. We have initiated action on the findings and recommendations of the Report. Another endeavour in our quest for transparency, people’s participation in governance and provide a responsive government is Social Audit of government services through an independent organization, Public Affairs Foundation, Bangalore. The report clearly highlights that services across the board have improved, It also reveals a significant potential for improving the services further. The Government is acting upon the diagnostic pointers as indicated in the report to ensure effective delivery of services.

12.       Transparency and openness have been facilitated through our steadfast initiatives in E-Governance. All Deputy Commissioners’ offices along with the Land & Building department and the Education department have been connected with Delhi Secretariat through high-speed broadband connectivity. IT department has initiated the process of setting up a “Citizen Relationship and Grievance Management System” which will work as a call center for providing information on various services offered by Government and its schemes. A pilot project for developing ten WI-FI hot spot areas in Connaught Place to provide free Internet access has also been initiated. E- Procurements made by the government. An ambitious “Delhi Online” project has also been taken up which will serve as gateway for one stop shop for all G2C and G2B interactions. During  the year 2006-2007 the government won several awards for its IT initiatives, including the Golden Icon Award for excellence in government process re-engineering at the 10^th National Conference 2007 on e-Governance for the Education Department’s Online Student Management System. Delhi has also been declared as the ‘Best e-governed State in the northern region’ in 2006 by the Dataquest magazine.  

13.      Coming to the infrastructure sectors, it will be five years in June 2007 since power sector reforms were initiated. A review of this experience indicates that the distribution infrastructure has shown substantial improvement and yielded positive results. AT & C losses have been reduced from 50% to 35% and are poised to reduce further. Since a reduction of one percentage point in AT&C losses results in a savings of about Rs. 80 crores, the cumulative savings on this account have been about Rs 3600 crores. Initiatives like setting up of Special Courts, deployment of CISF to curb power theft are likely to help in achieving the national target of AT & C loss reduction to 15% by the end of the 11^th Plan. Considering the general dissatisfaction of the consumers with the grievance redressed system of DISCOMs, a Public Grievance Cell has been opened headed by a retired Judge of Delhi High Court and a Technical Member which has started functioning from 29^th January, 2007 and has been regularly interacting with consumers, Resident Welfare Associations as well as Companies to address various issues pertaining to consumer satisfaction in the electricity sector. The government would strive for a higher level of consumer satisfaction through technology improvements and better interface between distribution companies and the consumers.

14.       Our Government is committed to making Delhi power surplus. Towards this end, several significant steps have been taken. Power purchase agreements has been signed with the Damodar Valley Corporation for 2500 MW and Tehri Hydro Development Corporation for 800 MW. A joint venture company with Delhi, Haryana and NTPC named the Aravali Power Company has been formed which is setting up a 1500 MW power plant in Jhajjar of which 750 MW would be dedicated for Delhi. Generation capacity of Badarpur NTPC station is being increased by 980  MW. Power Plant dedicated to meet power requirement of Delhi is being set up by NTPC at Dadri to provide 980 MW of power to the city. To reduce our dependence on external power plants, arrangementgs are being made to set up 2000 MW gas based power generation capacity in Delhi for which an MoU has been signed with M/s Petronet to finalise the supply and purchase agreement for gas in the next couple of months. For meeting the short term requirement of power, Madhya Pradesh Government has already agreed to provide 500 MW round the clock power during July-September and 200 MW during winter months (morning peak) on exchange basis for 5 hours daily. Similar arrangements are also being worked out with Damodar Valley Corporation (500 MW), Himachal Pradesh (500 MW) and West Bengal (600 MW). Measures for better demand management have also been initiated by ordering mandatory use of CFL lamps, subsidy on istallation of solar water heater in domestic sector, making solar water heating systems mandatory in buildings constructed on plots of more than 500 sq mtr size and so on.

15.       A significant achievement in the last year has been the commissioning of the 140 MGD Sonia Vihar Water Treatment Plant. It has augmented the water supply from 675 MGD to 815 MGD and benefited about 40 lakh people. Work on construction of water recycling plants at Bhagirathi, Haiderpur and Wazirabad has commenced which on completion will yield 38 MGD additional water. We are also pursuing with the Union Government and concerned state governments for early completion of Renuka, Keshau and Lakhar Vyasi projects in upper reaches of Himalayas. Efforts for supply of adequate water to each citizen are also being made through effective prevention and management of leakages, rationalization of water supply, promoting water conservation and rain water harvesting.

16.       Our efforts to create an integrated multi-modal public transport system in the city have gained momentum. Delhi Integrated Multi Modal Transit System (DIMMTS) has been set up for taking comprehensive planning and development of multi modal transport system in the city. The Phase-I of Delhi metro, comprising 66.11 Km lengths has been fully commissioned. Work on 9 corridors in Phase-II has commenced. High Speed Express Metro Link from New Delhi railway Station to IGI Airport is also planned.  Work on 1^st corridor of High Capacity Bus System is in full swing. Studies for other corridors are underway. Tenders for purchase of 625 modern low floor CNG city buses have been finalized. An aesthetically designed urban cape with appropriate street furniture and signage to cater both to utility and ambience is being planned. Process to construct 225 modern, aesthetic and sleek Bus Queue Shelters by DTC has commenced. DTC is recruiting 2485 new drivers to improve bus services across the city. Construction of eight-lane signature bridge over river Yamuna and a tourist destination at Wazirabad at a cost of Rs 464 crores has commenced. Bridge over river Yamuna at Geeta colony, Master Plan Road over disused canal from Geeta Colony to Karkardooma, NH-2 Bye Pass from Maharani Bagh to Kalindi Kunj, several under passes, foot over bridges with escalators and flyovers will be completed in the next one year.

17.       A scheme of conversion of industrial plots from lease hold to free hold has been launched. More than 22,000 factory owners, who were found eligible for alternative allotment under the scheme of relocation, have already been allotted plots/alternative flats. Two more areas of industrial concentration were notified for in-situ development this year. A bio-diversity park is being developed over an area of 35.9 acres in Bawana. A Gems and Jewellary Fashion Hub is being set up at Baprola.

18.       The Government is committed to having a Green and Clean Delhi. Forest and tree cover has increased in the city from 10.2% in 2001 to 18.07% in 2003. There has been a marked improvement in the quality of air over the years. In the year 2006-07, nearly 3 lakh saplings were planted and 6.60 lakh saplings were distributed free till January this year through educational institutions, RWAs, individuals, Mother Dairy booths and petrol pumps, etc. Delhi is proudto be a city with the largest number of vehicles running on CNG. Construction of Green Buildings will be encouraged and we are pursuing the concept of Green Commonwealth Games in Delhi in 2010. The Government of Delhi is also committed to bring about a cleaner River Yamuna under the Yamuna Action Plan Phase-II. Delhi Jal Board is working on an innovative concept of interceptor sewers to reduce pollution load in the river.

19.       The Master Plan for 2021 was notified on 7^th February 2007. The suggestions given by the Members of the Delhi Vidhan Sabha have contributed towards formulation of this Plan, which sets out a new direction, taking into account the socio-economic aspirations of the growing population of citizens, including the large number of migrants mainly from the economically weaker sections of society, integrating effective need for optimal utilization of land. Land being a scarce and limited commodity in Delhi, the economics of providing shelter, commercial space, civic amenities, education and health facilities and recreational areas, with the need to preserve the architectural heritage and the natural environment is a daunting task. The role of informal service providers, small enterprises and the unorganized sector in the economy has also been recognized. All these challenges have been integrated quite comprehensively into the Master Plan 2021.

20.       The broad policies and programmes mentioned above highlight only some of the initiatives which have been contributing towards fulfillment of our aspirations to make Delhi a much better city reflecting its glorious past, dynamic present and bright future. I hope the deliberations in the House will provide us with guidance and strength, so that we can fulfill our commitment to serve the Delhi and its people better.

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Respected Speaker and Hon'ble Members,

 I extend a warm welcome to all of you to the Budget Session of the Legislative Assembly of Delhi for the year 2006. 

 2.        In my address last year, I had shared with you my vision of making Delhi a modern global city through good governance practices to enhance the quality of life of the citizens and to put the city on a fast track of development. This continues to be our goal. Towards this end we have been greatly encouraged by some national and international recognition that has put our city on the global map. I am proud to inform the Hon’ble Members that `Bhagidari’: the Citizen-Government Partnership initiative of our government received the United Nations Public Service Award 2005 for improving transparency, accountability, and responsiveness in Public Service from 215 entries worldwide. At the national level, we were adjudged the Best e-governed State in the Northern Region this year. We received the India Powertech Excellence Award for our achievements in the power sector, the Golden Icon Award in the National Conference of E-Governance, 2005 and the Bronze Icon for exemplary leadership & ICT achievements, 2006 in the educational sector. A National Award for the Welfare of Persons with Disabilities was given by the Hon’ble President of India to the Dilli Haat and Crafts Bazaar of the Delhi Tourism in public recognition of creation of barrier free environment for persons with disabilities. These are indicators that our efforts are in the right direction.

3.         Two historic opportunities have emerged before us at the same time–the Commonwealth Games 2010 and the Jawaharlal Nehru National Urban Renewal Mission (JNNURM) recently launched by the Hon’ble Prime Minister. The Games will provide us with the unique opportunity to develop and showcase our services and infrastructure. This is a big challenge that our government has taken up in right earnest in close collaboration with the Union Government and their agencies. The Jawaharlal Nehru National Urban Renewal Mission has two sub-missions for ‘Urban Infrastructure and Governance’ and ‘Basic Services to the Urban Poor’, which are quite relevant for Delhi and provide us a unique opportunity to move forward. Working with the Mission will also give us a platform for initiating reforms in a number of areas of urban planning and management.

4.         Key infrastructural projects will now be taken up on a mission mode to facilitate a quick, time-bound, cost-effective and professional take-off in the crucial sectors. The details of the administrative and legal framework of the mission teams, capacity building of officers and mobilisation of financial resources to fund and finance the infrastructural projects are being worked out. At present we are ready with our Sonia Vihar Water Treatment Plant and are striving for an early release of raw water from Tehri Dam to supply drinking water to East and South Delhi areas. In the meanwhile structural changes within the organisation are being taken up. Water conservation, water harvesting and recycling of sewage are priorities. Basic services to the water deficient areas and poor settlements would continue. On the power front, our government is planning to sign an MOU with NTPC for setting up of a 490 MW power plant in Dadri from which Delhi would derive 90% of power. This will give Delhi greater operational freedom during power shortages in the Northern Grid. The Chairman of the Delhi Electricity Regulatory Commission is in place. The power distribution companies have set up their consumer grievances redressal forums. We are according the highest priority to the concerns of our consumers.

5.         A study commissioned by our government through RITES on “Integrated Multi Modal Public Transport” for Delhi has identified 575 Km corridors for different modes of transport, which includes High Capacity Bus System, Metro Rail, LRT, Monorail and Integrated Rail corridors. All the three corridors of Metro Rail included in the first phase have been commissioned. Work on Phase II has also commenced. Construction work for the High Capacity Bus System Corridor from Dr. Ambedkar Nagar to Delhi Gate is to be completed by next year. There will be a separate path of 450 Kms. for pedestrians and cyclists. We are introducing modern urban low floor buses to encourage people to switch over to public transport. Delhi is the only city to have all Pollution Checking Centres computerised and recalibrated to read existing tail pipe emission as per existing norms and procedure. Delhi is proud to be a city with the largest number of public transport vehicles running on CNG. The construction of the Western and Eastern Peripheral Expressways, new flyovers, widening of the Ring Road, foot over-bridges with escalators are being prioritised. Despite the phenomenal growth in vehicular population, there has been significant improvement in ambient air quality. Sulphur Dioxide levels have fallen, concentration of SPM, Nitrogen Oxide and RSPM have also registered a marked decline. Efforts of our government to increase the green cover from 54 sq. km in 1998 to 261 sq. km. in 2003 have also largely contributed to this marked improvement.

6.         In the field of administrative reforms, the benchmarking of government services has been initiated by way of a Social Audit of government services by an independent agency, Public Affairs Centre, Bangalore. A new initiative with the corporate sector for bringing in corporate funding and managerial skills to upgrade civic delivery systems and infrastructure is being worked out. We propose to further strengthen our participatory system of ‘Bhagidari: the Citizen-Government Partnership’ in the coming years by bringing citizens to the centrality of the planning and budgetary processes and by expanding the spatial spread of the programme  to involve people living in unauthorised regularised colonies, slums and JJ clusters. It is our firm belief that a citizen’s first contact with a government agency must be pleasant. Creating comfortable and visibly pleasing ambience in and around public dealing offices is critical for achieving this objective. The website of Delhi government now allows people to file applications online in respect of certificates issued by the offices of Deputy Commissioners. The Tender Information system has been developed to make the tender procedure transparent. The National Informatics Centre is implementing the work of setting up Delhi State Wide Area Network. This will help us to transact business with citizens online and receive payments from them electronically in near future.

7.         Opening of new schools, upgradation of existing schools, construction of class rooms through the new plastocrete technology of portacabins have been taken up. Computer education has been introduced in all the Government and aided schools and students of Pratibha Vikas Vidyalayas provided with access to the Internet. “Computer Aided Learning” an in-house learning module has been developed as a teaching aid. Online admission to schools was started this year, which has resulted in additional response in enrolment of students to class VI. The Vidyalaya Kalyan Samitis have activated community interest and participation in the day to day functioning of the schools. Attendance of teaching and non-teaching staff is marked on-line. To promote education of girls our government has decided to provide them free education, textbooks, uniform subsidy and stipend to girl students up to class XII irrespective of parental income. To train girl students in self-defence, female physical education teachers have been imparted training by Delhi Police under Project “Raksha” and they have in turn trained over two lakh girl students. The facility of providing cooked mid-day meal has been extended to Government Aided schools from this year. The 50/75/100 years old heritage schools of Delhi were honoured with cash payments. ‘Culture Quest’, a unique initiative to build bridges between student communities in different countries through video-conferencing and other web based activities was formally launched. A path-breaking school adolescence education programme, ‘Yuva’ aimed at providing holistic intervention in physical, mental, spiritual, academic, cultural and nutritional areas was launched. A decision has been taken to involve other government agencies (Delhi Tourism Transport Development Corporation, Delhi State Industrial Development Corporation, Irrigation & Flood Control) in the construction and maintenance of school buildings for purposes of expediency.

8.         In the field of higher education our endeavour is to oversee that professionally managed affiliated institutions impart quality education. Keeping in view the changing needs of the industry and increasing share of service sector in the Gross Domestic Product (GDP), a perspective plan has been prepared for growth of quality technical education in Delhi at all levels from ITI to Degree and Post-Degree levels. On the sports front, the Education department is working out a comprehensive sports policy. Successful organisations of cultural festivals, developing another Dilli Haat at Pitampura, and heritage preservation have been some of the highlights of our tourism sector. A Signature Bridge at Wazirabad is being designed and construction of the bridge will begin this year.

9.         We have attempted to strengthen the public health care system and to make the services of secondary, tertiary and super speciality hospitals within easy access of people. We have begun indoor services at the Acharya Bhikshu Hospital, Moti Nagar; Bhagwan Mahaveera Hospital, Pitampura; Sardar Patel Hospital, Patel Nagar; and Satyawadi Raja Harishchander Hospital, Narela. The Institute of Liver & Biliary Sciences (ILBS), Maulana Azad Institute of Dental Sciences and Delhi State Cancer Institute are being developed into centres of excellence. Five super speciality hospitals and ten other hospitals are under different stages of construction / commissioning apart from up gradation of major hospitals like Lok Nayak, G B Pant, Guru Nanak Eye Centre, Deen Dayal Upadhyay and Guru Teg Bahadur Hospital. Chacha Nehru Bal Chikitsalya and Dr. Baba Saheb Ambedker Hospital, which are partially functional, shall be made fully functional. Construction of the Trauma Block at DDU Hospital has been completed. Hospitals at Dwarka, Burari and Ashok Vihar, and the Institute of Indian System of Medicines at Khera Dabar are in the planning stage. DDA has been requested to allot land for setting up Hospitals at Tuglakabad, Badarpur, Ambedkar Nagar, Hastsal, Keshav Puram / Lawrence road and Mahipal Pur. Six new dispensaries have been opened. It is proposed to open more Allopathic, Ayurvedic, Unani and Homeopathic dispensaries. An Ayurvedic Institute for Research and Sudies is proposed to be built at Khera Dabar in Najafgarh. Not a single case of polio has been detected this year as a result of the concern shown by our government for the successful implementation of the Pulse Polio Immunisation Programme.
 

10.       Our government attaches top priority to the welfare of the poor and marginalised. The Building and Other Construction Workers Welfare Cess Act, has been implemented, thereby making available social security benefits to poor construction workers. The Rajiv Gandhi Housing Scheme has been launched for industrial workers under which DSIDC is developing extremely cost-effective multi storied flats for industrial workers in all the new Industrial Estates starting with 3000 flats in Bawana. Our target is to construct 40,000 more such low-cost houses before the Commonwealth Games. Our government has provided additional funds for provision of sweeping and scavenging services in about 488 unauthorised colonies. We have recommended to the Government of India in-situ development of slums and construction of vertical low-cost tenements through cooperative or public private partnership for the relocated slum dwellers. The scope of the scheme ‘Improvement of SC/ST Bastis’ has been revised and activities and construction and repair of roads, side drains, Chaupals and Barat Ghars have been added making development of such bastis comprehensive. The pace of the various schemes for the educational, social and economic development of the SC/ST/OBC and minority communities has been accelerated. The State Policy on Senior Citizens has been finalised in consultation with the stakeholders. A Senior Citizens Council has been constituted to aid and advise the Government on all matters of welfare of senior citizens. The welfare and empowerment of women has been followed up through the Stree Shakti scheme and the Gender Resource Centres. Community participation in the Integrated Child Development Schemes impetus to Mahila Mandals, sanctioning of additional Anganwadi centres and welfare of street children have been taken up. 
 

11.       On the rural front, the rates of land compensation for acquisition of agricultural land have been increased in 2005 after 2001 by 40%. The Rural Development Board has taken key decisions for initiating important projects in Delhi including the setting up of mini sewerage treatment plants in rural villages to treat the generated waste water to prevent village ponds and water bodies from environmental degradation. Proposals for modernisation of Azadpur Market, new grain market at Narela, and new fruit and vegetable market at Ghazipur are also in the pipeline. On the issue of relocation of polluting industries in residential and non-conforming areas, new industrial areas have been developed. To minimise dislocation of industries in residential / non-conforming areas, 45 industries have been included in the list of household category. Initially sixteen non-conforming clusters of industrial concentrations of minimum 4 hectares contiguous area having more than 70% units under manufacturing activity / use have been considered for redevelopment. The National Institute of Jewellery Design & Technology has been set up, which will provide well-trained human resource to the gems & jewellery industry.

12.       We have managed our finances well. We have boosted revenue mobilisation and maintained a low fiscal deficit. We have enforced expenditure discipline and prioritised public investment to enhance outlays in physical and social infrastructure. Our government has also successfully introduced the Value Added Tax (VAT) regime from April 1, 2005. Contrary to all apprehensions about revenue loss due to introduction of VAT our revenues posted a record growth of 31% by January 2006 over the corresponding period in last year, which is amongst the highest in the country. It not only shows acceptance of VAT but also indicates a growing voluntary compliance. It has been our endeavour to facilitate tax compliance by introducing innovative ideas. Our commitment  is reflected in some unparalleled provisions in the Delhi VAT Act, like refund within 30 days, annual and half-yearly return for small dealers, composition schemes for hard to tax sectors, and higher threshold of Rs. 10 lakh to protect petty traders. It is the progressive and trade-friendly features announced by the Government that has made VAT acceptable in Delhi.

13.       While the city is witnessing an impressive economic growth, upgraded and complementary infrastructure both in the residential and commercial areas must also keep pace. This would require an intelligent use of horizontal and vertical space coupled with amendment of the existing laws. Though constrained by the multiplicity of authorities and their overlapping jurisdictions and lack of control over land and planning, our government has consistently advocated low-cost housing projects with basic facilities to meet the shortage of residential accommodation in the capital. In the context of orders of superior courts over demolition of illegal structures, our government has clarified and fully supported that as a first step encroachment on public land and new unauthorised constructions be dealt with. An abiding solution would lie in the quick finalization of the new Master Plan for Delhi. The consultations are on by taking into account the urban planning process, the rural profile and other ground realities of Delhi. Towards this end, our demand for grant of statehood for Delhi in keeping with the resolution passed by this august Assembly needs to be fulfilled.

14.       Our Government has in the past seven years worked towards upscaling basic infrastructure and improving the quality and efficiency of public services. We have endeavoured to ensure equitable distribution of public goods for the poorer and marginalised sections. We have attempted to work within the framework of stakeholder partnerships countering the growing public perception that it is the government’s job alone to solve the city’s problems. The momentum that has been built up has to be capitalised and consolidated still further so that we can benchmark our attainments to international levels. This is the challenge for the years to come and a challenge that we accept with all humility as a part of our duty to the people of Delhi.

15.       I have broadly outlined the important policies and programmes as also the thrust areas identified by my Government for implementation. The Finance Minister will spell out the details in his Budget speech. 

            I wish you all success in your deliberations.

!! JAI HIND !!

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Respected Speaker and Hon'ble Members,

  I extend a warm welcome to all of you to the Budget Session of the Legislative Assembly of Delhi for the year 2005. 

3.         In my first address delivered in July last year, I had shared with you my government’s programmes and policies that would make Delhi a modern global city. This vision of building a world-class city by adopting good governance practices in partnership with people continues to be an article of unshakable faith with my government as well as its main guiding principle for the coming years. I am happy to inform the Hon’ble Members that my government over the last several years has not only provided good governance, based on the principles of transparency, accountability, responsiveness and sensitivity, but has also managed to forge symbiotic ties with people in finding solutions to some of the pressing problems that confront this city.

4.                  One of the instruments for forging such ties with the people has been through the medium of ‘Bhagidari’: the Citizen-Government Partnership. It has enabled my government to feel the pulse of the people; to initiate consultative processes with citizen groups before embarking on major policy initiatives; to share with them the concern about environmental issues; to get feedback about the working of departments and fulfillment of promises made by my government. We propose to further strengthen this participatory system in the coming years by bringing citizens to the centrality of the planning and budgetary processes and by expanding the spatial spread of the programme to involve people living in slums and JJ clusters. An equally significant instrument has been the Government’s Right to Information Act, which is being proactively used by citizen groups and NGOs to seek information as a matter of statutory right. As government functioning has become subjected to greater public scrutiny, the pressure on us to deliver, and deliver well, has mounted. We are determined that this challenge will and must elicit a positive response from us. We have also decided to carry out a social audit of various public services to report on the degree of satisfaction of the users. This feedback would enable us to further improve on the quality of service delivery of important sectors.

5.                  This transparency and openness has also been facilitated by our technological window i.e. our endeavors in e-governance. The Government’s website has won two bronze icons [citizen-centric website category and the Tender Notice Information System] in the 7^th National E-Governance Conference, 2004, I am also proud to inform the Hon’ble Members that the Education Department was recently awarded the Golden Icon Award in the National Conference of E-Governance, 2005 for the pioneering use of information technology in education. These successes have prompted us to use this media for dealing with public grievances and also for improving our service delivery mechanisms. We are hopeful that in the immediate future we should be able to transact business with citizens online and receive payments from them electronically. The computerisation of the record of rights of agricultural land and also of the sub-Registrar’s offices is nearing completion. I am sure that all these measures would lead to reduction in transaction costs in dealing with government departments. All these steps would undoubtedly go a long way in reducing scope for corruption. Besides the government is also planning to introduce access control mechanism including CCTV to check entry of unauthorised persons in government departments. Surveillance by anti-corruption staff would also be further strengthened to monitor the working of departments at the cutting edge level.

6.                  In partnership with our stakeholders my Government is geared to take further the infrastructural reforms of the last few years and to translate the growth and development of Delhi into an improved quality of life for the people of Delhi. In addition to the troika of power, water and transport sectors, the priorities of my Government clearly lie in effectively managing the sectors of health, education and social welfare for the common citizen and especially the marginalized section of our society: the poor; the aged; the women; the children; the underprivileged; and the differently abled. Housing for the poor, multi-purpose cooperative society for slum dwellers, issues of  unauthorised colonies, rejuvenation of rural Delhi, upscaling of our industrial estates and sensitively relocating polluting industries remain our concerns. These issues get intrinsically linked on the one hand with our consistent demand for a more dynamic role for the NCR, which would ease some of the pressures on infrastructure services from immigration. On the other hand, these are also linked to the problem of multiplicity of policy making authorities and implementing agencies with overlapping functions, which, my Government feels, can be addressed by grant of statehood and functional restructuring of local bodies.

7.                  My Government is committed to providing safe potable drinking water to all the residents of Delhi in an equitable and efficient manner. To achieve this objective, we are trying to augment water supply availability through increasing the treatment capacity by 140 MGD. The plant at Sonia Vihar is ready for commissioning and we are now awaiting release of water from the Tehri Dam Storage by the Governments of Uttar Pradesh and Uttaranchal, so that we can provide relief to the residents of East and South Delhi. Apart from this, we are embarking upon a Distribution reform project for systematically improving our distribution network in a phased manner, through leakage control and metering. This project, which aims to convert the intermittent supply system to a continuous supply regime, is expected to commence by December 2005 in two zones of South Delhi. State of the art leakage control technology would be used to detect and plug leakages in the rising mains, to ensure good water availability in the ensuing summer season. We are committed to see that basic services to people living in poor settlements become more efficient and reliable.

8.                  Power reforms have begun to show results. The Delhi Transco Limited is now able to pay the full cost of power purchased by it from central power generating stations and other sources. The Distribution Companies have been able to reduce Aggregate Technical and Commercial [AT & C] loss. My government will continue to emphasise on further improvement in this direction so that the public gets benefited by a more efficient system. The load shedding as a percentage of energy supplied has shown a significant decrease. As a result of the financial restructuring envisaged in reforms, the budgetary support to the Power sector has considerably decreased and these savings can now gainfully be utilized for other important infrastructure and social sectors. The peak power demand in Delhi during the summer is expected to touch around 3600 MW. We are tying up with neighboring states and other surplus states in eastern region to meet peaking demand during ensuing summer. The positive climate created by power reforms in Delhi has encouraged us to focus on proposals for setting up power generation plants in Delhi so that dependence of Delhi on outside sources gets reduced to that extent. My government is also considering feasibility of converting IP Power Station from a coal based thermal power plant to gas based TPP. If the project is found feasible, the entire IP Station would be converted to gas-based power plant before the Commonwealth Games begin in 2010.

9.                  My Government has placed public transport and well designed infrastructure among its most crucial objectives. The Commonwealth Games 2010 is both an opportunity and a challenge to put in place infrastructure and facilities for an urban renewal that match the best of commuter friendly designs globally. Delhi is virtually a crossroads of highways catering to a very high volume of interstate freight and automobile traffic that pass through. My Government has agreed to meet a large part of finance needed for the construction of the Eastern and Western Expressways that will help this very large volume of through traffic to bypass Delhi and help mitigate congestion. We have identified seven traffic corridors running into 130 kilometers for introduction of high capacity surface mass transit. The construction of flyovers, bridges and bypasses is in full swing. We are working towards the integration of the different modes of mass transit, both rail-based and road-based, such that they lead to positive synergy in the shape of enhanced convenience to commuters, reduction in motorised traffic and improvements in the atmospheric and audible environment. To achieve this, we are introducing modern urban buses to encourage people to substitute individual modes of transport with group travel. Further, phase I of the Delhi Metro Project with a line length of over fifty kilometers will be completed this year and Phase-II of the Metro Project is on track. Apart from these, an aesthetically designed urbanscape with appropriate street furniture and signages that cater both to utility and ambience is being planned. I am happy to inform the Hon’ble Members that three branches of the Transport Department Accounts branch at Headquarters and New Delhi and South Delhi Zonal Offices have been awarded ISO 9001-2000 certification.

10                In the education sector the professed goal of this government has been quality education and upscaling school infrastructure. School results in secondary and senior secondary CBSE examination have improved. Completion of new school buildings, classrooms and porta-cabins is being expedited. Setting up of Vidyalay Kalyan Samitis under the Bhagidari initiative in all Government schools has improved the day-to-day maintenance of the schools and has had a salutary effect on academics as well. 22 Sarvodaya Vidyalayas and three Pratibha Vidyalayas have been opened this year. Computer education has been introduced in all the Government schools and students studying in Class XI of Pratibha Vikas Vidyalayas were allowed access to the Internet. My Government has decided to provide individual computers to all senior secondary classes in the Pratibha Vikas Vidyalayas. A method to continuously monitor the performance of students, teachers, and schools would be put in place from the coming academic year. In the field of higher education, students who have passed out from the Guru Gobind Singh Indraprastha University have been able to find lucrative placements. A new campus for the University is coming up in East and SouthWest Delhi. An ITI, exclusively for women, has been planned. New courses of optical fiber communications and biotechnology have been started in our Engineering colleges. On the sports front, the Education department is working out a comprehensive sports policy. In a similar vein, a Tourism Policy for Delhi Vision 2021 is on the anvil.

11.              My government would expand the scope and quality of health care for people of Delhi. More than 500 beds have been added in this year and about 1700 beds would be added in the coming year. Diagnosis and treatment of one of the most dreaded of diseases of our times, cancer, would be done in the state-of –the-art Oncology Center at GTB Hospital that is currently providing only OPD and chemotherapy facilities. The Institute of Liver and Billiary Sciences is also likely to start functioning during the next financial year. Work is likely to commence on the construction of the multispeciality Hospital at Dwarka. We also plan to commission the trauma center at DDU Hospital, the super specialty Hospital at Janakpuri, the hospital at Shastri Park and the maternity block at A & U Tibbia College and Arrhythmia Center, GB Pant Hospital during the coming year. In addition to the existing dispensaries, a network of 78 mobile dispensaries is looking after the residents of JJ clusters and resettlement colonies. This Government has been extremely concerned about the eradication of Polio and has held a number of Pulse Polio rounds as a result of which Polio is nearing eradication in Delhi. In 2004 only two cases of migrant children with Polio were reported. Delhi is the first state in the country to have included the Typhoid vaccine and the second state in the country to have included the Hepatitis-B vaccine in the routine immunization for all children in the age group of 0-5 years.

12.              In the past few years the efforts of my Government have led to the streamlining and augmentation of the social security system through various programmes of financial assistance, vocational training and soft loans for specific entrepreneurial activities. We have accelerated the pace of the various schemes for the educational, social and economic development of the SC/ST/OBC and minority communities. In addition to the ongoing assistance provided to the weaker sections through targeted programmes, our thrust is on accelerating the completion of old age homes, re