Receiving the award the Chief Minister said “We have emerged as the best in governance because of our performance. Since the time I took charge three years ago, we have had to be firm in restoring normalcy in law and order. We had mounting debts of Rs.9,000 crore. We had to ensure a turnaround in financial management. This has helped us give interest free loans to farmers and 1.45 crore women. They will borrow Rs.16,000 crore which is more than half of that is borrowed by all the women groups across the country. They use it to generate wealth. We ensure that targeted beneficiaries gain from the schemes. All this has been possible because we have a team of dedicated and committed officials,” explained the Chief Minister when asked as to how the State was able to perform well in spite of the political turbulence.

The awards are based on an objective data surveyed for the years 2011-12 and 2012-13. Mr. Kiran Kumar Reddy, who completed three years in office on November 24, has established himself as a consistent performer. He has fine tuned the existing welfare schemes and introduced new ones to make a mark in office. Andhra Pradesh is also ranked No.2 in education while it is No.4 in attracting investments. However, Andhra Pradesh is the best among the southern States in attracting investments.

In bagging the award for best performer in governance, Mr. Kiran Kumar Reddy has in a determined manner ensured that 1, 52, 974 vacancies in government jobs were notified. The vast majority of these vacancies were in the police and rest for other departments recruited through the Andhra Pradesh Public Service Commission and the District Selection Committee.

Its impact is that the strength of the State police increased by 18 per cent while the all India average growth was just one per cent. Equally significant is that the police brought down the number of pending cases – a decline of three per cent while the all India average was an increase at the rate of four per cent. Relatively better policing also ensured that three types of violent crimes fell – kidnapping by 13 per cent, rape and molestation by seven per cent and incidence of murder by three per cent – while the all India average showed a rise in these offences.

Besides this, Kiran Kumar Reddy launched the Rajiv Yuva Kiranalu through which lakhs of youth have been provided job-related training and placed in the private sector in the last three years. “Our goal is to take the total to 15,00,000 jobs in the next three years by creating unlimited opportunities for them,” said Kiran Kumar Reddy.

An important achievement in governance, which India Today has noted, is the Mee Seva programme. The Chief Minister unveiled the revolutionary fast track delivery of public services through a single window called ‘Mee Seva’ on November 4, 2011 with 12 services. This is a transparent and secured citizen-centric web based service that provides easy and quick access to getting birth, death, income, caste and a host of other certificates and entries from records of different departments for a nominal fee without having to do the rounds of government offices. As many as 225 services are now available through the 7,000 Mee Seva centres across the State and record an average of 75,000 transactions a day. “The certificates issued through Mee Seva are verifiable online and hence tamperproof,” said Kiran Kumar Reddy. By December 9, the total number of transactions has crossed a staggering 3.37 crore.

To commemorate the occasion, the Chief Minister launched a State Wide Area Network through which Hyderabad is connected with all 23 district headquarters and 1,126 mandal headquarters by a video conferencing facility. It will ease the administration by enabling Hyderabad-based officials to share and discuss views on various aspects of development and welfare with officials at the mandal level. It also makes Andhra Pradesh the first State in the country to have the HD video link.

“The challenge is to embed a more positive attitude to governance and development in our political system so that the States deliver in a responsible manner. Greater decentralization and regionalization will strengthen our Federal system and not balkanize as some fear. Unity through diversity brings us greater strength,” emphasized Jairam Ramesh who gave away the awards.

The Union Minister pointed out that that the India Today Survey of States was the beginning based on objective data gathered by government agencies and research institutions and therefore a credible ranking system. “These awards are in different categories which have to be revised periodically and my view that the best way to judge them in future is the States where growth is merged with social development,” said Mr.Ramesh.

“The State of the States report explains the achievements of Chief Ministers who have been audacious. They worked hard to get elected but worked harder on improving standards of governance, education, healthcare, agriculture and investment. They delivered the promises they made while seeking votes. We salute them,” said Aroon Purie, Editor-in-Chief, India Today Group. “The study is 100 per cent based on performance data. That is why it has, if I may say so, such high credibility,” emphasized Purie. INN

The All Party delegation led by the Chief Minister N. Kiran Kumar Reddy today morning met the Prime Minister Dr. Manmohan Singh at New Delhi and presented a memorandum requesting the Prime Minister to intervene to ensure due justice to Andhra Pradesh on the Brijish Kumar Tribunal verdict on Krishna Waters Dispute.

The Memorandum submitted by the Chief Minister said “Keeping all the precarious situations and the further sufferings burdened upon by the Tribunal, we the representatives of all political parties of Andhra Pradesh in one voice with a fortiori, request you sir to intervene and show a benign attitude in ensuing due justice to the State of Andhra Pradesh as the decision of Justice Brijesh Kumar Tribunal has the potential to inflict immense injury upon the State of Andhra Pradesh.

The Chief Minister also said that the All Party delegation requested the Prime Minister that the Government of India should implead in the Supreme Court case in support of Andhra Pradesh. The delegation told the Prime Minister that the decision of Tribunal will have affect all over the country. INN

The delegation led by Chief Minister N. Kiran Kumar Reddy submitted a memorandum to the Prime Minister over the recent award of the Krishna Water Disputes Tribunal (KWDT) II headed by Justice (Retd) Brijesh Kumar. Seeking justice for the State, the delegation explained to the Prime Minister how the award by KWDT II would deprive Andhra Pradesh of its right to use surplus water.

The delegation sought the Prime Minister’s immediate intervention on the issue and claimed that tribunal tried to distribute even surplus waters while altering the parameters that were being adopted for measuring dependability and availability.

The tribunal set up in 2004, in its interim decision announced in 2010, distributed water up to average flows of 2,578 Thousand Million Cubic (TMC), notwithstanding the national norm of 75 percent dependability. It also permitted Karnataka to raise the height of Almatti Dam.

The State Government is also preparing to challenge the final award in the Supreme Court and therefore, seeking the Centre’s intervention. INN

“We have given an adjournment motion on the undemocratic division of the Andhra Pradesh and a no confidence motion against the UPA government. While the Speaker rejected the former we have asked her to take up the second motion after the Lok Pal Bill but the house was adjourned sine die after the Bill was passed,” YSR Congress leaders Dr MV Mysoora Reddy, SPY Reddy and Mekapati Rajmohan Reddy told reporters here on Wednesday.

Our adjournment motion that the article 3 is misused and the state is being divided without an assembly resolution nor setting up of a committee for the division was disallowed and the no-confidence motion we have moved was pending as we agreed with the Chair that the Lok Pal Bill be taken up first.

“We have supported the Lok Pal Bill in toto and have given a letter to the Speaker to take up the no-confidence motion after the Bill is passed but the House was abruptly adjourned sine die giving no scope to the voice of the people,” they said.

The winter session has come to a quick end without transacting any major business and discussing issues of public importance. The government has single-mindedly pushed through its agenda of passing the financial bills and completed the formality. The Lok Pal Bill was also taken up at the fag-end of the session due to the developments in Delhi where Congress has taken a severe drubbing in the assembly elections.

Our leader YS Jagan Mohan Reddy has toured the entire country and met leaders of national and regional parties to mobilize public opinion and stressed the need for amending article 3 which is being misused by the Centre in dividing the State for the sake of votes and seats.

There is no proper basis for the division of the State but has only political motives. We have drawn the attention of the nation towards this but wanted to debate it on the floor of the Parliament but we were deprived of that chance.

The State was formed based on the recommendations of the first SRC on linguistic grounds and for this division there is no basis is our contention. As the Congress has been pursuing with its agenda of dividing the State unilaterally, and there are members within Congress who wanted the State to be united, we have given notice for a no-confidence and it was not considered either, they said.

The 10-day winter session ended up without any meaningful discussion and not a single issue was taken up and the Government seems to be very indifferent towards the issue of Andhra Pradesh as it is not prepared to hear the version of the majority of the local populace, they said.

Misuse of Article 3 has been the main issue we have been vociferously contending. The article was necessary after the country gained independence as there were nearly 563 princely states which were not part of the Indian Union.

To bring them into the Indian Union, the article was necessary and it served the purpose of keeping the nation united and safeguarding the integrity of the nation.

“But here Article 3 is being used from the wrong side and it is used to divide a state which was united on linguistic grounds as recommended by the first SRC. While the article in early days was used to unite the country it is now used to divide the states and we condemn this.

The Centre throwing the blame on us that YSRCP has said you have the right to divide the state as per article 3 is only half-baked version. It was selectively and partly quoted. We were misquoted and it was read out of context,” they said. The fight will continue for a united State, they asserted.

When asked about the reported talk between Digvijay Singh and YS Jagan Mohan Reddy, they said, the Delhi leader tied to open the conversation but our leader just greeted him and parted ways. INN

Everyone knows that in 70 days time elections are coming. All political parties are aware of it, be it TMC or Smajwadi Party. As far as our Party is concerned we will rise up to the occasion and go against Sonia Gandhi and the Centre for its authoritarian attitude in dividing the State. This is a stand of principle and we will fight against the injustice being done and we will insist on demanding a resolution for united Andhra Pradesh, he said.

“I cannot vouch for other parties, but as far as our Party is concerned we have three members and we will go all out and support the no confidence motion and insist on a united Andhra Pradesh and also for an assembly resolution for dividing the State,” he said.

On TDP issuing the no confidence motion, he said: “TDP’s floor leader is not supporting the no- confidence motion. Only four of the six MPs have given the no trust notice. The floor leader of TDP did not sign it and he is missing and it is obvious that only four out of six TDP MPs are supporting the united state cause.

Party President N Chandrababu Naidu did not give an official letter supporting a united Andhra Pradesh nor does he give a letter extending support to the no- confidence motion and the Party Floor Leader is not to be seen. I do not want to comment on that. ‘We as a Party would stand up as a whole and will support the no confidence motion and a united Andhra Pradesh. I cannot vouch for other parties,’ he said. INN

“YS Jagan Mohan Reddy has approached me and we discussed the need to amend the article 3 to the effect that a state can be split only after the assembly passes a resolution with a two-thirds majority and both houses of Parliament ratify it with an identical majority. I am fully in agreement with what Jagan has said and will work with Left Parties and my allies in that direction,” HD Deve Gowda told reporters after meeting the YSRCP delegation here on Monday.

The former Prime Minister said that he will speak to his allies in Karnataka and Kerala and Left parties and think of moving an adjournment motion to this effect. Describing the decision of splitting Andhra Pradesh as “not a good decision at this juncture and it is for only political considerations ,” he said Potti Sriramulu has sacrificed his life to create a state for Telugu speaking people and dividing the state which has Telugu speaking people is not proper.”

When asked about the no confidence motion moved by YSRCP, he said that is totally a different issue. We have discussed the amendment to Article 3 issue and are in total agreement with each other.

Later speaking to reporters YS Jagan Mohan Reddy said,” yes we did move the no confidence motion and this is in support to the six Congress MPs who moved a no trust motion against their own leadership. Let the country see as to what is the injustice that is happening in Andhra Pradesh.”

Six Congress MPs have expressed no confidence in Sonia Gandhi leadership and we are supporting them by moving the no confidence motion.

“We met Deve Gowda and impressed upon him the need to amend article 3 as any party in power with 272 MPs can split any state they want according to their whims and fancies and this right needs to be curtailed. I have been approaching all political parties and telling them that if they do not voice their concern at this stage and keep quiet, Andhra Pradesh will set a bad precedent as this is the first time that a state is being divided without taking assembly into confidence. If this is not stopped the ball will keep rolling and the Centre will go for bigger gambles.

The exercise is only for the sake of votes and seats as it is happening with general elections round the corner and notification is due in another 80 days,” he said.

“The JD(S) leader has given a patient hearing and expressed his solidarity with us and for the cause we are fighting for and said that he will do whatever could possibly be done. We will not stop till we turn the last stone as ours is a small party with 3 MPs and am seeking the support of all leaders of national and regional parties,” YS Jagan Mohan Reddy said.

Even after the results of the four states, Congress has not change its attitude and I appeal to floor leaders of all political parties and social media to speak out against the injustice being meted out to Andhra Pradesh.

The YSRCP delegation also met Samajwadi Party (SP) leader Mulayam Singh Yadav and told him the developments in the State and the need to amend article 3. Mulayam told the delegation that he always oppose creation of smaller states for they stand as stumbling blocks to all round development. INN

The MPs – R Sambasiva Rao, Sabbam Hari, V Arun Kumar, A Saiprathap, L Rajagopal and G V Harshakumar, have written to Lok Sabha Speaker Meira Kumar seeking permission to move a motion expressing No Confidence in the Union Council of Ministers under Rule 198 of the Rules of Procedures and Conduct of Business in the Lok Sabha. Their move is aimed at stalling the bifurcation of Andhra Pradesh by obstructing the Telangana Bill in the Parliament in winter session.

However, the MPs would need the support of about 50 MPs to bring a No Confidence Motion. But the MPs claim that they have the required numbers and they would seek the support of regional parties in this regard. INN

The delegation comprising Rajya Sabha MP R Anand Bhaskar and PCC General Secretary G Niranjan thanked Shinde for a favourable decision on Telangana formation. Anand later told reporters that the delegation would also meet Congress president Sonia Gandhi and vice-president Rahul Gandhi to thank them. He said despite several obstacles, Sonia Gandhi took a courageous decision of bifurcating Andhra Pradesh.

Anand said that the people of Telangana would remain indebted to Sonia Gandhi forever for her move on Telangana. INN