THELIGHTOFANDAMANS: Political Autonomy for Sustainable Development: Prof Thandavan

Monday, September 26, 2011

Political Autonomy for Sustainable Development: Prof Thandavan

Political Autonomy for Sustainable Development:

Prof Thandavan

ANI needs development, feels Prof Thandavan and he advocates for participatory form of government for good governance

Andaman and Nicobar Islands need more political autonomy and until and unless there is participatory democracy, there will be no good governance," said Prof P Thandavan, Head, Anna Centre for Public Affairs, University of Madras, presenting a paper on Governance and Political Autonomy and Development in ANI.

He suggested the form of assembly as in Pondicherry and Goa. A common man should have a major role in formulation of policy. He stressed on focussed development in the fields of education, health and agriculture. Political autonomy is the only way out. He disagreed with Prof Malviya and said that corruption is rampant everywhere, but we cannot do away with politicians or democracy. He said that one-man rule is nothing but monocracy. He said that sustainable development is only possible with people's participation in policy making and governance.

Shakti Sinha who chaired the session said that 100% of plan and non-plan expenditure of about Rs 700 crores for the Islands is met from Central Coffers. He said that the Islands generate about Rs 200 crores. But, the process for a system of participatory governance should be expedited. He however, did not buy the argument that the Islands lack democratic setup and said that the three tier PRI system has been made independent of each other and they enjoy autonomy at each level. He also suggested that the Islands can think about a legislature like New Delhi or Pondicherry.

No comments:

Post a Comment

About The Light of Andamans

The Light of Andamans’ was born out of the zeal and determination to fight against the suffocating Kafkaesque atmosphere on the society that existed even after 30 years of Independence under bureaucratic rule. It was a hangover of the ‘Raj’that extended much too long in the Islands.

The Light of Andamans’ was started in 1975. The paper had always been a crusader, taking up the causes that no other newspaper would touch. In doing so, it very often stepped on the toes of the authorities and had to face persecution in the form of denial of advertisements and numerous court cases against it. For a small stint, the publication came to a halt in 2003.

Gezira Publications Private Limited took over the paper in the year 2005 and transferred the title in a bid to revive the second oldest newsmagazine from extinction and also to carry forward the mission.

The Newsmagazine, under the new management, has undergone a sea change both in form and content. It turned into a full-fledged tabloid with 10 pages with plenty of photographs making both pleasing to the eyes and soothing for the mind. “It has acquired a position where it influences the policies in vital matters concerning the development of the islands, protection of aboriginal tribes and addressing the problems of the disadvantaged groups. The newsmagazine is known and appreciated for its bold, free, fair and balanced reporting.”

Late Govinda Raju and his team worked very hard to rebuild the reputation, goodwill and a healthy new image of the newsmagazine brick by brick. After the demise of Mr Raju in 2010, the magazine is now being edited by Zubair Ahmed and published by Basudev Dass. The newsmagazine continues its mission of highlighting policy issues pertaining to the Islands.