Peeved over the reduction in the states? share in the Plan allocation, many of the non-UPA ruled states raised the issue by claiming that the move goes against the spirit of federal structure, which the country aspires to have.
First to speak against the Centre?s move to cut their share at the National Development Council (NDC) meeting on Wednesday was BJP-ruled Rajasthan chief minister Vasundhara Raje, who said, it would make states unnecessarily dependent on the Centre.
Some schemes now even seek to control non-Plan allocations made by states, she said citing the national rural health mission as the ?prime example?.
Even loans taken from multilateral agencies are treated as assistance to the state plans, she said. Raje said the ever-increasing size of centrally-sponsored schemes (CSSs) would amount to ??almost completely taking away the flexibility of the state governments.?? ??I doubt very much that this was the fiscal federalism envisaged by our founding fathers,?? she added.
She said that many of these schemes now make ?policy prescriptions? and ??even if some of them may be well-meaning, it is still a conditionality imposed upon the states.??
Similarly, peeved over frequent criticisms by Union ministers, NDA-ruled Bihar CM Nitish Kumar said such actions are not expected in a federal set up.
??It does not behove that in an established federal structure like ours, Union ministers use central resources and its fora for carrying out criticism and campaign against a duly elected state governments,?? he said .
Without naming any central minister, Kumar said it was an ?important matter? concerning centre-state relations.
??If anything, the constitution provides for a supportive role and not obstructive. But the change in central ministers? behaviour is mostly because massive investments are being made through CSs and CSSs,?? he said.