Punjab Chief Minister Parkash Singh Badal on Sunday said that the Centre should “impartially” disburse the taxes collected from States to ensure overall development of the country.
“It is the need of the hour to revise the formula for devolution of Central funds because the States need more funds for their primary developmental needs,” Badal said while talking to the mediapersons after administering the oath to newly-elected Sarpanches and Panches of ludhiana district. He said that the States should be given more share in taxes collected from them adding that the allocation of funds to the states should be made growth dependent, so as to encourage them to perform better.
laying stress on the need for strengthening federalism by increasing devolution of Central funds, Badal said that if more funds were placed at the disposal of the states, an era of unparalleled development could be ushered in them. Badal also blamed the successive Congress central Governments for turning the federal system of Government into a unitary one by usurping powers of the states. “By adopting the policy of excessive centralization of powers, the successive Congress governments at the Centre have turned it into a unitary form of Government, which has resulted in the lopsided development of many areas that was not in the interest of the country,” he added.
Badal said that the only solution for removing this regional disparity was to implement the true federal structure in the country, by giving more powers to the States. Badal noted that in the existing system, states were virtually at the mercy of the Central Government to carry out development works. “We have to seek permission from the Centre for even constructing a small stretch of road, which is totally wrong,” he added.