Advocating state’s participation in chalking out country’s future Chief Minister Akhilesh Yadav stressed on the need of threadbare consultations with state governments on political and official level before five year plans are given final shape.
“Assistance available with central government departments should be divided between states in a transparent manner keeping in mind the backwardness of states,” Yadav said in a meeting of chief ministers convened by Prime Minister Narendra Modi in New Delhi to discuss the form of the Planning Commission.
Suggesting that the states and the Centre should have an equal participation in the Planning Commission, the chief minister said that the all round development interests of the states should be protected in such a manner that the federal structure is also strengthened.
“Every state has its own priorities. Hence one single policy cannot be applicable and effective to all,” he said and added flexibility in policies will ensure that the states can implement them with changes based on their economic, social and geographic conditions
Chief Minister also said that the issues of states should be addressed by the Planning Commission within specified timelines and added that the role played by the planning commission as an innovation and knowledge hub could be the focal point for states.
Pointing out the need of providing resources for study and research to obliterate problems faced in development of the states Yadav suggested that representation of the states should be enhanced on one hand, while on the other the Centre should also make efforts to provide knowledge, research and financial aiding to achieve the targets of the ready road map and meeting of the development indices.
“I suggest that 50 per cent of the central plan outlay budget be provided to the states as one time amount so that the states can implement their projects by keeping in mind local needs and priorities. The efficacy of the fund utilisation should be done by keeping long-term targets in mind,” he said.
Chief Minister said that the plan budget was 26 per cent of the total central budget of which 85 per cent was allotted to the central government ministries and only 15 per cent was left for states. “Instead of keeping a large section of the budget by the Centre it should be transferred to the states,” Yadav said.
Yadav also said that a minimum of 90 per cent subsidy amount in all centrally-funded projects should be provided to the states and pointed out that the states were being financially burdened as the Centre was executing schemes coming in the state list. These programmes, the chief minister rued, were exerting undue pressure on the finances of the states and in some cases states find themselves helpless.
“Concept and aspirations of comprehensive development were incomplete without removing social and regional imbalances. Every person of the society should be given a chance to progress and prosper,” he said.