Himachal Chief Minister Virbhadra Singh on Sunday said that the abolition of Planning Commission by the NDA Government and replacing it with National Institution for Transforming India (NITI) was a step taken in haste as it is not fulfilling the aspirations of State Governments in implementing the policies due to improper distribution of funds.
The Chief Minister, while speaking at a function in Jalandhar said, “The claims of NITI Aayog to building strong Centre - States relations have fallen flat as the states are left in lurch because they are not taken into confidence before the formation of Aayog.”
He said that the states should have been consulted and the draft of the Aayog would have been prepared according to the financial needs and topography of the states.
Virbhadra Singh said that NITI Aayog has completely failed in itself, adding that states are not invited for any of the meetings except one or two.
The Planning Commission had been functioning in an efficient manner and the economists involved therein knew about the financial needs of the states but scrapping the Commission overnight was not a pragmatic decision, said the Chief Minister.
He said that it becomes the constitutional duty of the Central Government of the day to ensure peace in all regions of the country alike and ensure overall development besides to intervene in solving the disputes between the states, if any.
The Chief Minister said that terrorism in Jammu & Kashmir needs to be curbed at all cost. Despite efforts of the State Government in Jammu & Kashmir, the situation seemed to have worsened and it becomes the duty of Government of the day at the Centre to take appropriate measures to counter cross border terrorism and restore peace in the valley, he said.
Besides, terrorism the another threat the country is facing today is the drug menace and it can be curbed by joint efforts of the Government and the people at large, said Virbhadra Singh.
He said, "It is not a political platform today, but politics is a part of the society and irrespective of political affiliations, the Governments should work for ensuring equal and balanced development without any bias."
We should work for change for the better and not merely claiming development. The election manifesto should incorporate the policies of socio-economic development, added he