Vidhayak Samvaad – Second Meeting


Under the chairmanship of Sumitra Singh, the second meeting of the Vidhayak Samvaad was held in the State Assembly premises on September 18, 2007. A total of 21 MLAs took active part in this meeting, in which they reviewed the suggestions that were put forward on the issues of water and electricity in the first meeting of April 2007, including the implementation aspects of those suggestions.

The dignitaries who attended the second meeting were: Sumitra Singh (Speaker), Ram Narayan Bishnoi (Deputy-Speaker), Dr CP Joshi, Dr Nathu Singh Gurjar, Bharat Singh, Devi Singh Bhati, Harlal Singh Kharra, Rakesh Meghwal, Madan Rathore, Ramnarayan Meena, Amra Ram, Shankar Singh Rajpurohit, Jogeshwar Garg, Banne Singh Rathore, Joga Ram Patel, Virendra Beniwal, Murarilal Meena, Suresh Meena, Sanyam Lodha and Mohamamd Mahir Azad.

Decisions Taken in the Second Meeting

  • Establishment of All Party Committee: It was decided that a 15-member All Party Committee would be established under the chairmanship of Sumitra Singh. This committee, after discussing every aspect of important issues related to the public, would provide suggestions to the Government to make the necessary changes in the policies, rules and regulations towards a better solution to the problems. Issues related to water and electricity are also included in it. Sumitra Singh will provide her valuable direction in the formation of this committee.
  • Regulatory Commission: The Annual Report of the Rajasthan Electricity Regulation Commission will be placed before the State Assembly for discussion. An All Party Committee will initiate a debate for the formation of a Water Regulation Commission.
  • State Water Policy: MLAs would initiate advocacy towards the announcement of a Water Policy for the state, so that the water management aimed to serve the public could be realised soon.
  • Participation of NGOs: MLAs would write request letters to the MPs for increasing the role of NGOs in direct participation in policy making, including the implementation of their suggestions.
  • Support and Recommendation: MLAs would give proactive support to the issues and suggestion raised by CUTS and would press the Government with their recommendations in this regard.

Implementation of the Decisions

All the important points discussed and decisions taken in the second meeting were drafted into a document and sent to all the MLAs and the honourable Speaker was requested to help establish an All Party Committee. Taking an immediate step, Sumitra Singh has created a 15-member All Party Committee under the chairmanship of Dr Nathu Singh Gurjar. The other members of this committee included: Shanti Lal Chaplot, Shiv Charan Mathur, Hari Mohan Sharma, Devi Singh Bhati, Rao Rajendra Singh, Dr Chandra Shekhar Baid, Surendra Goyal, Joga Ram Patel, Ram Kishore Meena, Juber Khan, Mohammad Mahir Azad, Virendra Beniwal, Madan Rathore and Suresh Chaudhary.

Future Plan

  • Consultation with coordinators for holding meetings of the All Party Committee for proper implementation of the decisions taken on the water and electricity issues;
  • Presentation of issues of public importance with facts and figures before the All Party Committee from time to time;
  • Ensuring the opinion and participation of common people on the decisions, suggestion and policy making efforts taken by the All Party Committee;
  • Creating coordination between the Centre and State Governments on the policy making and its recommendations on basic issues; and
  • Working to get the policies and decisions find a place in the political manifestos of the different political parties, so that a ?win-win? situation for the implementation of the polices could be realised.