Inter-State Council to discuss role of Governors

New Delhi, April 8: Role of Governors, centrally sponsored schemes and financial transfers from the Centre to states will be discussed at a meeting of the Inter-State Council to be chaired by Home Minister Rajnath Singh here on Sunday.

The 11th Standing Committee meeting of the Council will discuss the recommendations of the Punchhi Commission on Centre-State relations.

The meeting is significant as the Standing Committee is being convened after 12 years. Its recommendations will be placed before the Inter State Council.

The role of Governors, centrally sponsored schemes and financial transfers from the Centre to states, creation of a unified agricultural market, measures to involve states more closely in planning and delivery of services, steps to be taken to make the Inter State Council more vibrant and measures directed towards better fiscal management by the Centre and states will be discussed at the meeting.

The members of the Standing Committee include the Ministers for External Affairs, Finance and Corporate Affairs, Urban Development, Housing and Urban Poverty Alleviation, Information and Broadcasting and Road Transport and Shipping and the Chief Ministers of Andhra Pradesh, Chhattisgarh, Odisha, Punjab, Rajasthan, Tripura and Uttar Pradesh.

The Punchhi Commission, notified in 2005, submitted its report in 2010.

The recommendations of the Punchhi Commission, in seven volumes, pertain to the history of Centre-State relations, constitutional governance and management of Centre-State ties and Centre-State financial relations.

It also include Self-Governments and Decentralised Governance, Internal Security, Criminal Justice and Centre State Cooperation, Environment, Public Policy and Good Governance.

The concerned Ministries and all state governments responded to the recommendations made in the report with detailed comments, which will be discussed.

The Sunday meeting will examine the first three volumes of the Punchhi Commission report.