Latest news with #Centre-state
Time of India
a day ago
- Health
- Time of India
Min launches agri campaign in Rengali
Sambalpur: Union education minister on Monday launched the 'Viksit Krishi Sankalp Abhiyan' in Rengali, Sambalpur. The initiative will deploy over 2,000 agricultural scientists across more than 700 districts, targeting direct engagement with 1.5 crore farmers to share advanced farming techniques and information about govt schemes. Tired of too many ads? go ad free now "Sambalpur, blessed with the Mahanadi river and Hirakud reservoir, has immense agricultural potential," Pradhan said at the launch event. "This campaign will revolutionise farming practices across crops, horticulture, dairy, poultry and fisheries sectors." The programme includes comprehensive support for farmers, with plans to enhance irrigation infrastructure and establish cold storage facilities. Special emphasis will be placed on increasing potato and pulse production, while efforts will be made to facilitate international market access for local produce, including Sambalpur's mangoes. As part of the launch, Pradhan flagged off a 'Krishi Rath' to spread awareness and distributed soil health cards and Ayushman Bharat health cards to farmers. He also promoted the 'Nagar Van Yojana' initiative for environmental protection through urban forestry. "This joint Centre-state initiative represents our commitment to agricultural transformation," Pradhan added. The event saw participation from key officials, including Sambalpur collector SB Bondar, IG (northern range) Himanshu Lal, and SP Mukesh Bhamoo, local farmers and community leaders.
Time of India
3 days ago
- Politics
- Time of India
What TN case tells us about the need to ease Centre-state friction
Several developments have taken place over the last two weeks concerning Centre-state relations. One, Tamil Nadu sued the Union govt in the Supreme Court for withholding over Rs 2,000 crore under the Samagra Shiksha Scheme. It claimed the Centre was surreptitiously linking the implementation of the three-language formula to the disbursement of education funds. Two, the NITI Aayog chaired its tenth governing council meeting but three Opposition CMs decided to give it a miss. In the absence of the Planning Commission and the complete neglect of the Inter-State Council, this is the only platform where all the CMs, the PM, and Union ministers meet each other. Three, even inter-state language wars are escalating as another kerfuffle in Bengaluru over a bank manager refusing to speak Kannada revealed. This time, several political leaders got involved. On social media, all war-related national integration was quickly replaced by the generic north-south flame wars. Cheque, mate? TN CM MK Stalin with Modi. The state's decision to sue the Union will have broader implications While the PM stressed the idea of Team India to realise the goal of Viksit Bharat 2047, these instances highlight yet again that cooperative federalism is merely a nice-sounding idea thus far. What we need are structures in which real cooperation can happen. Here are four such ideas that could be worth considering. 1 | An 'umpire' for bargaining This idea comes from economist Dr M Govinda Rao. He writes in his book, Studies in Indian Public Finance, that India lacks an institution that can act as a credible umpire between various states (horizontal bargaining), and between the states and Centre on the other (vertical bargaining). The National Development Council, created for this purpose, is defunct. The Inter-State Council hasn't met for the last eight years. The Rajya Sabha no longer functions as the council of states and Union finance commissions are dissolved after making their recommendations. The NITI Aayog is yet to establish itself as an institution that speaks for the states and the Union equally. The GST Council is perhaps the only remaining bargaining and negotiation platform in our federal structure, but its mandate is limited to sharing taxes on consumption. The result is that we have no functional institution to truly champion cooperative federalism. One model to consider is Vijay Kelkar's idea of a NITI Aayog 2.0, one which has fiscal powers to allocate conditional funds to states for long-term transformational goals. But there's a risk that such powers could transform NITI Aayog 2.0 into a Planning Commission 2.0, restricting the states' fiscal autonomy. Thus, we need a debate to construct a new institution for cooperative federalism. 2 | More funds with less strings All federalism debates almost exclusively focus on just one issue: horizontal devolution, i.e. the formula used for sharing resources between states. It also gets inaccurately framed as a 'north vs south' debate — how the taxes collected from the south are frittered away in the north. But the problem really lies in vertical devolution i.e. how the tax resources are split between the Union govt and all states as a whole. If the Union govt keeps less money to itself, all states stand to gain together. This is why the TN petition has broader implications beyond who wins this case. It is an opportunity to increase vertical devolution to states. As long as there are centrally sponsored schemes, which are designed by Union ministries and only implemented by states, the Centre is within its rights to change the scheme's design. States must demand that grand schemes falling under the state and concurrent lists be scrapped and that they receive untied funds instead. This way, they an decide their priorities while the Union can focus on a select few centrally sponsored schemes, mainly focused on states that need its help. This point was raised by the TN CM at the NITI Aayog meet as well. 3 | All-party delegations to states As the recurring language wars illustrate, trust levels between states are dipping. Lok Sabha seat reapportionment stemming from delimitation; charges of unfair fiscal redistribution; and the insider-outsider debates sparked by local reservations will only worsen the situation. Like India's all-party delegations meant for global outreach after the Pahalgam attack, we need a domestic mechanism where states send delegations to other states explaining their visions for development and growth. Such efforts could perhaps bridge the gap. 4 | Union-state sub-groups Another interesting idea comes from Andhra CM Chandrababu Naidu, who proposed three sub-groups at NITI Aayog on GDP growth, population management, and leveraging artificial intelligence. While these themes are not set in stone, this approach could allow states to partner with each other and with the Centre. Creating a Team India ain't easy, but it could happen with the right systems in place. Facebook Twitter Linkedin Email Disclaimer Views expressed above are the author's own.
Time of India
24-05-2025
- Business
- Time of India
UT's control: AGMUT cadre edges out Hry-Pb big time
1 2 Chandigarh: Even as Punjab and Haryana slug it out over river-water share, their capital city, the Union Territory of Chandigarh, is now predominantly manned by the AGMUT cadre IAS officers, edging out both Haryana and Punjab cadre IAS officers. Traditionally an itchy point in the Centre-state relations in this region, the control over Chandigarh is now surely resting in the hands of the AGMUT cadre IAS officers, who not only have a majority in the UT's administration but also hold the major chunk of key departments under their reign. At present, there are five AGMUT cadre IAS officers. Three more AGMUT cadre IAS officers were recently transferred to the Chandigarh administration and are likely to join the administration in the near future. This will take the strength of the AGMUT level officers to eight. In addition to this, there is one Central Secretariat Service (CSS) officer. There are two IAS officers each from Haryana and Punjab. The edging out of the Haryana and Punjab cadre IAS officers is all the more glaring at the top echelons of the administration, that is, at the 'secretary' level positions. At present, there are five AGMUT cadre IAS officers, including the chief secretary at this level. In addition, the CSS officer is also assigned secretaryship of a number of departments. At the secretary level, one officer from the Haryana cadre is the UT home secretary, and one officer from Punjab is the finance secretary. The deputy commissioner, a Haryana cadre IAS officer, has been assigned secretaryship of one department. In the boards and corporations, except for the Chandigarh municipal corporation, which has a Punjab cadre IAS officer as municipal commissioner, all other corporations and boards are now headed by the AGMUT cadre IAS officers. The top posts in the Chandigarh Housing Board (CHB) and Chandigarh Industrial and Tourism Development Corporation Limited (CITCO), traditionally reserved for Punjab cadre IAS officers, are manned by the AGMUT officers. Similarly, originally the post of commissioner, excise and taxation rested with a Haryana cadre IAS officer, but now an AGMUT cadre IAS officer has been assigned the post. The post was taken away from the Haryana cadre IAS officer and assigned to an AGMUT cadre officer in 2024. Traditionally, it was a Punjab cadre IAS officer who was posted as secretary, excise and taxation officer, but now it is an AGMUT cadre IAS officer. "In the recent past, a lot of friction was seen between the AGMUT and the Haryana-Punjab cadre officers. In one instance, the tussle between AGMUT cadre officers and a Haryana cadre officer even entered the public space," said a UT official.
Indian Express
24-05-2025
- Business
- Indian Express
Niti Aayog meet: Southern states stress on cooperative federalism, 3 Opposition CMs skip event
From Tamil Nadu and Telangana in the south to Punjab and Himachal Pradesh in the north, chief ministers of opposition-ruled states Saturday used the Niti Aayog meeting chaired by Prime Minister Narendra Modi to draw the Centre's attention to their demands. Three of the nine opposition CMs – West Bengal's Mamata Banerjee, Kerala's Pinarayi Vijayan and Karnataka's Siddaramaiah – stayed away from Saturday's Governing Council meeting. During his presentation, Tamil Nadu CM M K Stalin highlighted his state's developmental strides while raising concerns over the Centre's fiscal policies. Both he and his Telangana counterpart Revanth Reddy stressed on the need to uphold the principles of cooperative federalism in the march toward a 'Viksit Bharat' by 2047. Reiterating his state's goal of becoming a one-trillion-dollar economy by 2030, Stalin said, 'We are marching ahead with long-term plans. I assure you that Tamil Nadu will make a significant contribution to India's vision of a USD 30 trillion economy.' 'To realise that vision, cooperative federalism must be the strong foundation. I strongly urge that the Union Government must extend cooperation without bias to all states, including Tamil Nadu, to help them achieve their development goals,' Stalin said, drawing attention to the growing strain in Centre-state financial relations. He reserved some of his most forceful criticism for the Centre's decision to withhold funds under the Samagra Shiksha Abhiyan, citing Tamil Nadu's refusal to sign a Memorandum of Understanding tied to the PM SHRI scheme. 'Approximately Rs 2,200 crore of Union funds have been denied to Tamil Nadu for 2024–2025. This adversely impacts the education of children studying in government schools and those studying under the Right to Education Act,' he said. 'It is not acceptable in a cooperative federal India for funds due to a state and already approved to be withheld, delayed, or reduced.' Stalin also took aim at tax devolution trends, pointing out that while the 15th Finance Commission had recommended that states receive 41% of the Centre's net tax revenue, the actual share over the past four years had been only 33.16%. 'On one hand, the shrinking tax devolution from the Union affects state finances. On the other hand, the increased financial burden on states to co-fund centrally launched schemes places dual pressure on state budgets,' he said. 'I strongly urge the Union Government to increase the share of tax devolution to states to 50%, which is the only just course of action.' He also requested that Union ministries allow states to present schemes in their own languages alongside English. 'Tamil Nadu should be able to present our schemes in Tamil and English,' he said. 'We appreciate the Prime Minister's vision, but that vision must accommodate India's diversity.' During his speech, Reddy also emphasised that 'the progress of the nation is intrinsically linked to the progress of each of its constituent units'. 'It is, therefore, imperative that we support, catalyse, and harness the potential of rapidly advancing states, while simultaneously extending every necessary assistance to those that are still catching up. This balance is crucial to achieving equitable national growth,' he said. 'We must continue to collaborate, exchange best practices, and support one another in building a resilient, inclusive, and future-ready India.' While Himachal Pradesh CM Sukhvinder Singh Sukhu flagged the issue of pending central dues to the state, Punjab CM Bhagwant Mann said his state was being meted out 'stepmotherly' and discriminatory treatment. Sukhu said the special needs of hill states should be taken into account and considered for higher allocation of funds, thereby relaxing eligibility criteria in various schemes. 'If legitimate dues are released in time, Himachal Pradesh will become self-reliant,' he said. The CM also elaborated on his state's vision to position Himachal Pradesh as the most favoured tourist destination on the national tourism map. He said the government is working on a comprehensive tourism promotion package integrating religious, eco, water, nature, and health tourism to attract domestic and international tourists. Mann spoke about the water tussle with BJP-ruled Haryana, saying Punjab has no surplus water for any state, and argued that in the wake of a grim situation in the state, construction of the Yamuna Sutlej Link (YSL) canal should be considered instead of the Satluj Yamuna Link (SYL canal). He also raised concerns about the approach of the Bhakra Beas Management Board, accusing it of taking administrative actions which appear to be biased and against the interest of Punjab. Mann also sought a special industrial package for border districts, saying that industries on the border are at a disadvantage due to the proximity to Pakistan.
Time of India
24-05-2025
- Politics
- Time of India
Top 5 stories of the day: PM Modi bats for Centre-state cooperation, Bangladesh interim chief Muhammad Yunus to stay amid resignation buzz, and more
NEW DELHI: The ministry of external affairs justified India's decision to place the Indus Waters Treaty in abeyance, citing Pakistan 's breach of principles guiding the agreement in the wake of the Pahalgam terror attack. Briefing the parliamentary committee, foreign secretary Vikram Misri noted that the neighbouring nation effectively set aside the principles of "goodwill and friendship" enshrined in the 1960 treaty's preamble. BJP slammed Jairam Ramesh for calling the NITI Aayog an "Ayogya" (unfit) body, saying such remarks will only create controversy and harm the Congress party itself. Here are top 5 stories of the day: 'Pakistan put in abeyance goodwill and friendship': MEA on India suspending Indus Waters Treaty MEA said that the shifts in ground realities—ranging from advances in engineering to climate change and glacial melt—necessitate a renegotiation of the treaty's terms, a stance that visiting delegations will underscore globally as they defend India's decision to suspend the agreement. Read full story 'Like Team India': PM Modi bats for Centre-state cooperation - key takeaways from Niti Aayog meeting Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Saturday batted for cooperation between the Centre and states to achieve the national goals, as he chaired a meeting of Niti Aayog. Read full story 'Yachna nahin, ab rann hoga': How Army used powerful music and visuals to deliver their message post Operation Sindoor Indian armed forces had delivered a powerful message through videos showcasing military prowess, accompanied by an upbeat rendition of Ramdhari Singh Dinkar's Rashmirathi. Read full story Bangladesh interim chief Muhammad Yunus to stay, say advisers after emergency talks amid resignation buzz Bangladesh's interim chief Muhammad Yunus will remain in office, his advisers confirmed following an unscheduled, closed-door meeting of the council amid speculation that he was preparing to resign under political and military pressure. Read full story Shubman Gill: A generational talent to lead India's NextGen in Test cricket Nearly eight years ago, on a gloomy monsoon afternoon at the PCA Stadium in Mohali, a 17-year-old Shubman Gill was going hammer and tongs. Be it Manpreet Gony, Siddharth Kaul, Barinder Sran, or Sandeep Sharma, the Punjab fast bowling attack was taken to the cleaners by the teenager. Read full story
