Hyderabad: Asserting his political
authority, Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister K Rosaiah on Monday
reportedly pulled up some of his Cabinet colleagues for "being
lax" in discharge of their official duties.
Presiding over a meeting of state Cabinet here,
Rosaiah found fault with some ministers for not conducting
regular review of their respective departments.
Sources in the Cabinet said the Chief Minister warned
his colleagues that the Congress high command was "keenly
watching" them over the past two months following adverse
reports that the ministers were not performing well.
"Though he did not single out any particular one,
Rosaiah clearly sent out a warning signal that some ministers
were found wanting in discharge of their duties," a senior
minister said.
In fact, the Chief Minister appeared to be in an
unsparing mood from the beginning as he expressed unhappiness
over a handful of ministers turning up late for the Cabinet
meeting.
Though the ministers tried to plead that they were
held up in a meeting with AICC secretary Krishna Murthy over
the elections to Greater Hyderabad Municipal Corporation, the
Rosaiah did not accept it.
"It is time you people pulled up your socks and get
serious with the official business. We have a lot of
unfinished agenda to handle. Moreover, the party high command
is keenly watching us," Rosaiah reportedly told the ministers
without mincing words.
What probably prompted Rosaiah to speak tough was the
fact that many ministers continue to make a beeline to Kadapa
MP Y S Jaganmohan Reddy, who is still occupying the official
residence earmarked for the chief minister, to display their
loyalty to him. Even yesterday, some four ministers paid a
visit to Jagan on his arrival in Hyderabad.
"With the party high command solidly backing him as
the chief minister, Rosaiah too was eager to show his
authority. He chose the Cabinet meeting today to make his
point," a senior minister, considered close to Rosaiah,
pointed out.
Meanwhile, Rosaiah explained the dire straits the
state exchequer is in. "Focus on improving the revenues from
your respective departments so that we can keep things going.
Otherwise, it will be very tough for the government to carry
out the various programmes that have already been launched,"
Rosaiah, who also holds the Finance portfolio, said.
The finances issue came up when some ministers wanted
the government to release the balance Rs 90 lakh to each
Assembly constituency as the MLA grant, sources said.
‘Edu, health top priority for Govt’
The Andhra Pradesh government is
open to Public Private Partnership (PPP) in health care and
would extend support to private organisations who come forward
for this purpose, K Rosaiah, Chief Minister said here on Monday.
Inaugurating the 41-bed children hospital- Nice Institute
for the newborns, Rosaiah said education and health are main
priorities for the government.
He said the state which had only 11 government medical
colleges earlier had within two years opened six more
government medical colleges.
He said government is doing all that they can and
promised full support if private organisations come forward
for PPP models in health care.
The international quality health care for children up to
18 years of age now comes 40 per cent cheaper, informed Dr M
Padmanabh Reddy, Director of Nice.
It has the state-of-the-art technology such as laminar
flow heads in intensive care units, high frequency oscillators
and nitric oxide therapy system makes it possible to enhance
service delivery and clinical outcomes. No other hospitals
have this superior technology in the city, he claimed.
Dr K Anji Reddy, founder Chairman, Dr Reddy's
Laboratories urged the rich to learn the art of giving. 'The
art of giving is not adequate in the country, things must
improve, Dr Reddy said. Started as a PPP model alomost a year
ago, NICE hospital for Babies has been able to create a niche
for itself in the health care domain.'
Bureau Report
First Published: Monday, November 16, 2009, 22:06