Kejriwal's 6 month report card by Sakthi Shekhar

he Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) government in Delhi led by Arvind Kejriwal completed six months in office on August 14. During the launch work for the upgrade of Burari hospital from 200 beds to 800 on August 9, the Delhi chief minister claimed that his government has done "unprecedented" work in health and power sectors, in giving compensation to farmers and in developing unauthorised colonies in first six months in office. "No government in independent India's history has done this much work in six months," he said.

The AAP government has certainly taken some initiatives in areas like health and education after coming to power on February 14. In its first budget, the government increased by multi-fold the budgetary allocation in these two sectors, which was unprecedented. Within six months, it opened air conditioned dispensary in a slum area and several more such clinics are planned to be opened in due course.

However, several of the most important promises his party had made in its manifesto, released before the 2015 Delhi Assembly elections, have not yet been fulfilled. Kejriwal has been complaining about the road blocks being created by the Narendra Modi government at the Centre. But these are the six initiatives which the state government could have taken in the last six months without any hindrances from the BJP-led NDA government:

Jan Lokpal Bill

The Delhi government has not yet legislated the Jan Lokpal Bill despite its promise even though AAP as a political party owes its existence to the same Bill. Along with Anna Hazare and others, Kejriwal formed India Against Corruption (IAC) and launched a movement in 2011 to press upon the then UPA government to implement the Bill. Kejriwal picked up the gauntlet when challenged by the politicians to form a political party and legislate a Bill. To meet that end, he even parted ways with Hazare and former IPS officer Kiran Bedi who were against the formation of a political party. After coming to power in December 2013, he attached the utmost importance to the Jan Lokpal and this urgency can be gauged from the fact that he even sacrificed his 49-day government on February 14, 2014 for the sake of the Bill. He introduced the Bill and allowed his government to fall. And when it has come to power again (on February 14, 2015) with a brute majority by winning 67 out of 70 seats, Kejriwal has ditched the Jan Lokpal Bill.

Swaraj Bill

As in Jan Lokpal Bill, Kejriwal has failed to keep his promise here too. His manifesto said: "One of the first things the AAP will do after forming the government is to legislate the Swaraj Act that will devolve power directly to the people and contain provisions for the formation of the Mohalla Sabhas. This will go a long way in curbing corruption at the local level." But Swaraj Bill is certainly not "one of the first things" AAP has done after it formed government six months ago.

Free Wi-Fi

"We will make Wi-Fi freely available all over Delhi…The Wi-Fi will be provided in public zones of Delhi. The internet and telecom companies have been approached and a high-level feasibility study has been done in consultation with them," reads AAP manifesto. This was one promise that had thrilled the youth. But they were highly disappointed the AAP government announced that it would take a year to implement it. While AAP kept making tall claims, Delhi has clearly been a loser. Kolkata on February 6 became the first metro in the country to become India's first fully Wi-Fi enabled. As senior journalist Shekhar Gupta tweeted on August 11, Nepal also pipped Delhi in providing the modern facility.


Electricity bills will be halved

On this issue, the manifesto said, "A more efficient, transparent and accountable system to regulate and audit the power generation and distribution companies is the need of the hour and AAP will do everything within its command to achieve that…AAP will take measures to provide relief from rising power bills, namely generating cheaper electricity, improving transmission efficiency, fixing billing defects and correcting meter defects." By suffering inflated bills for years together, this promise had endeared common man to AAP. Kejriwal in his first stint had certainly cut the electricity bills drastically. But the bills this summer are almost as high as they were during the Congress' Sheila Dixit government.

Filling 55,000 immediate vacancies in government departments

At a time when unemployment is the biggest problem youth are confronting, this promise had enthused the jobless and the underemployed. However, Kejriwal has yet to display immediacy in the matter. It seems to be still building a roadmap.

Installing CCTV cameras

Making women safety one of the major issues during the run-up to the Assembly polls, Kejriwal had promised to install 10-15 lakh CCTV cameras throughout the city. The government has not made any major progress in the matter.

Similarly making Delhi a solar city, building two lakh public toilets, opening 500 new schools and 20 new colleges, special reservations for all senior citizens and youth, providing loans to young entrepreneurs at low interest rates, enforcing an education loan guarantee scheme and making Delhi into a manufacturing hub where hardly any progress seems to have been made.

Now it is up to Kejriwal what he wants to be remembered for - picking on the Centre and Delhi lieutenant-governor Najeeb Jung or carrying out development in the territory capital by fulfilling even half of the promises he has made to the people? more