1. Health: Universal Access to all Citizens
India’s public health system is in a crisis. A common man does not have access to good quality healthcare facilities, and one serious illness can throw a family into a serious financial crisis. Aam Aadmi Party is firmly committed to ensuring that every citizen of this country has access to high quality healthcare, irrespective of whether they are rich or poor. Towards this AAP will:
i. Introduce a comprehensive legislation ‘Right To Healthcare’ enabling access to high quality healthcare for all the citizens of the country irrespective of whether they are rich or poor. This would be along the lines of the Right to Education Act.
ii. Improve accountability of public health systems towards its users by decentralization of funds, functions and functionaries to the appropriate level of local government.
iii. Guarantee that all essential drugs are available on a regular basis to public health facilities and made available free to cost to the people. AAP will incentivize states to adopt a transparent procurement system for bulk procurement of generic drugs.
iv. Improve the accountability of Private health providers by making it mandatory for private hospitals to display and observe a charter of patients’ rights and to display rates and charges of various services. Ensure that private healthcare subsidised by the government honour their commitment to the aam aadmi.
v. AYUSH (Ayurveda, Yoga and Naturopathy, Unani, Siddha and Homeopathy) and local health traditions to have a significant role in public healthcare; greater public investment into research into these systems of medicine.
vi. Investing in human resources by ensuring that all vacancies are filled at the Primary Health Centres; developing a well-trained cadre of frontline grassroots workers.
2. Education for All
India’s government school system is in a pitiable condition and the aam aadmi does not have access to high quality education. And it is against this background that AAP – which is committed to the well-being of the last person as the touchstone for our policy and politics – affirms its commitment to ensuring the provision of truly equitable access to all sections of society, irrespective of their ability to pay. Towards this AAP will
i. State provision of equitable access to high quality of education for all children (beginning with Early Childhood Care) irrespective of their ability to pay. Strengthening of public education system through adequate budgetary allocation and recruitment and capacity building of teachers and administrators.
ii. Special provisions for girls, first-generation learners, students from poor families and socially disadvantaged communities so as to ensure total enrolment, check drop-outs, high quality learning and non-discrimination within schools and access to higher education facilities.
iii. Involvement of the local community in the creation of a context-rooted curriculum and management of schools, with accountability of school/teachers to a local body like Gram Sabha or Mohalla Sabha
iv. Context Relevant curriculum that is grounded both in the ethos of democracy, secularism, equity and justice as well as India’s diverse cultures and ways of life.
v. Focus of education system on learning outcomes and not on inputs. Reform DIET, SCERT to focus on learning outcomes. Revamp teacher education system.
vi. Adequate numbers of qualified teachers to appointed on a regular basis through a transparent selection process, to be compensated adequately, continuously trained and made accountable.
vii. Establishing large numbers of ITIs for vocational training; provide opportunities and incentives to those trained in ITIs to establish their own enterprises.
viii. Vocational and academic education to be integrated in the school curriculum. Support and development of vocational degrees in higher education. Greater funds to be committed by the government for public-funded higher education especially on improving the quality of State universities. Effective regulation of private institutions, on fees and quality of education.
ix. Establish numerous world-class, public-funded institutions of Higher Education – like IIT, AIIMS, IISER, etc – to ensure that all talented students of the country, irrespective of their background get access to high quality education.
x. Link higher education to opportunities for entrepreneurship by setting up incubation centres in institutions of higher education.
xi. Roll back the Four Year Undergraduate Program (FYUP), which has been undemocratically introduced in Delhi University.
FOR MORE DETAILS, VISIT AT http://ibnlive.in.com/news/aap-manifesto-to-highlight-affordable-housing-education-schemes/525335-37-64.html