MP CM accuses Centre of encroaching on states` domain

Raising pitch against NCTC and GST, Madhya Pradesh Chief Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan slammed Centre`s "conscious and constant" tendency to encroach upon matters falling state governments` domain.

New Delhi: Raising the pitch against NCTC and GST, Madhya Pradesh Chief Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan on Thursday slammed the Centre`s "conscious and constant" tendency to encroach upon subject matters falling in domain of state governments.

The Chief Minister of BJP-ruled state welcomed Centre`s direct cash transfer scheme but suggested that it should be implemented only after adequate preparations including operationalisation of sufficient commercial banks in rural and Maoists-affected areas. "It is being widely felt that there is a conscious and constant increase in the tendency of the central government to encroach upon the subject matters which have been traditionally in the domain of the state government. "In the recent past we have protested on certain subjects like the Goods and Services Tax (GST), National Counter Terrorism Centre (NCTC) issue vehemently. But there are many other fields in which this tendency is continuing," Chouhan said during a meeting of National Development Council (NDC) here. The central government has brought out or is in the process of bringing out a slew of new legislations that militate against the federal structure of the nation, he alleged. "These legislations seek to empower the Centre at the cost of the states even in matters that were in the list of state`s subject of the constitution," he said adding that creation of NCTC, proposed amendments in BSF Act, RPF Act are some glaring examples of Centre`s "unilateral decisions". Chouhan said direct cash transfer to the beneficiaries on the basis of Aadhaar numbers is a highly welcome step. "However, there are certain important facts that must be kept in mind while implementing this". "In an effort to make the regime of direct cash transfers successful it would be necessary to have adequate number of commercial banks; to provide Central Cooperative Banks (CCBs), Regional Rural Banks (RRBs) and post offices with core banking facilities; to put in place nearly one million banking channels...," he said, adding that this would require an enormous amount of preparation. "I would urge that adequate prior preparation must be done instead of rushing into this ambitious programme without adequate preparation. Additional care has to be taken to ensure the benefits of the scheme to reach the far flung and Left Wing Extremism affected areas," the CM said. With almost one-third of the country threatened with subversive activities, Left wing extremism and terrorism, internal security must continue to be a constant focus of the nation, Chouhan said. "In order to combat and make the society a secure place to live in, it is essential to have a planned approach to manage internal security. Although law and order is a state subject but a coordinated effort by the Centre and state both is required to fight these threats of such magnitude," the CM said. Chouhan said good governance as well as transparency and accountability must be institutionalised to achieve goals and fulfill nation`s aspirations. He said financial management in the state is severely strained due to uncontrolled inflation which forces us to make greater provisions in beneficiary oriented and welfare schemes for the poor. "The Centre should take appropriate and effective measures to immediately arrest inflation and contain its own fiscal deficit," he said. The Chief Minister stressed for "open" and "transparent" methods for carrying out mining and providing benefits to local living in such areas of mineral explorations. "The state of Madhya Pradesh, located in the heart of the nation, is endowed with rich mineral wealth. For proper utilisation of mineral resources in the development of the state, it is very important that these minerals are developed in a sustainable manner so that the environment and the ecology are not damaged. "It is, therefore, imperative that the process we adopt for exploration of these minerals are open, transparent and also ensure that adequate benefits are provided to the local communities by way of community infrastructure improvement as well as provision of livelihoods for these communities," he said. He suggested that in era of multi-party and coalition politics, Centre-State engagements must increasingly be done with consultations and consensus in the coming years. PTI