New Delhi: MDMK leader Vaiko will move a private member resolution on the Centre-state relationship in the Rajya Sabha on Friday.
Over the past few years, some important subjects have been transferred from the State List to the Concurrent List thereby diluting and undermining the powers of the states.
Important and sensitive subjects which have a bearing on the people of the country should be left to the states alone to decide respect of its policy and implementation, since the state is nearer to the people than the Centre, the resolution reads.
To protect the unity and integrity of the country, federalism in true sense should be provided for in the Constitution. There is an urgent need to improve the harmonious development of the Centre-State relationship and to empower the states with more self-sufficient, autonomous and financial powers, there is an urgency to examine and consider all the recommendations of the various Review Commissions submitted in the past, on the working of the Constitution for implementation, it states.
“This House urges upon the Government to take necessary measures, including amendments to the Constitution, to bring back the subjects which were transferred from the State List to the Concurrent List, in the past; ensure that the residuary powers are vested with the States, by reviewing and restructuring the Seventh Schedule to the Constitution; take necessary steps to ensure that the States are financially empowered by allocating more finance to them from the divisible pool; and provide corpus funds to mitigate the sufferings of the people of each State with such amounts depending upon the natural disasters each State had faced in the past, like drought, floods, cyclone, heavy rains” the resolution says.
Underlining the need for decentralisation of power, the DMK leader stated that having regard to the fact that India is a pluralistic society, consisting of myriad cultures, languages, religions and ethos, and the founding fathers of the Constitution provided for federalism which is the foundation of democracy India being a multi-region and multi-linguistic nation with people of different hues and colours, decentralisation is the need of the hour.
