Restructure Planning Commission: Yashwant Sinha
Press Trust of India, December 19, 2013
Former finance minister days Planning Commission is the biggest obstacle in the path of federalism
Former Finance Minister and senior BJP leader
Yashwant Sinhahas said that Planning Commission should be
restructured to do "perspective planning and
implementation", without being empowered to "micro-manage"
the states.
"The Planning Commission is the biggest obstacle in the path
of federalism. It should be restructured to do perspective
planning and implementation without being empowered to micro
manage the states," Sinha said at an event yesterday on the
topic, 'Fiscal Federalism: The Unequal Balance.'
Planning Commission was created by an executive order and
has been continuing without any constitutional or statutory
backing, but is playing a significant role in devolution of
funds to states, he said. India is a union of states and not
a federation, for which several provisions in the
Constitution exist, which provides a unitary character,
Sinha said, adding: "We are gradually moving towards
federalism considering the fact that many regional parties
are ruling in states".
Chairing the lecture event, Rajya Sabha member N K Singh
said that federal practices have not kept pace with changing
dynamics and economic realities of the country. "There was
no credible and viable mechanism at present, for
coordination between states and central government. The
Interstate Council is defunct," Singh said
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