Chief Minister Smt. Vasundhara Raje has suggested that fund sharing pattern of the core centrally-sponsored schemes (CSS) for the Centre and the States should be in 75:25 percent instead of the present 60:40. Also, for the optional schemes, fund sharing pattern should be 60:40 instead of the present 50:50.

Smt. Raje said this while attending a meeting of the Chief Ministerial Sub-group, chaired by Madhya Pradesh Chief Minister Shri Shivraj Singh Chauhan, of NITI Aayog at NITI Bhawan in New Delhi on Saturday.

The CM suggested for making the CSS more flexible and said that the employment-related schemes like Mahatma Gandhi NREGS had too many limitations which would result in difficulties in implementation. Therefore, the CSS schemes should be made practical instead of making them binding through right-based Acts, she said. She further said that basis of the release of next installment of any centrally-sponsored should be the last installment paid. This would make implementation of the schemes easy for the states.

Smt. Raje attracted attention of the Sub-group towards committed liabilities of the states and suggested for a special provision for this. She said that as several already operational schemes were under progress, restructuring of these schemes would led to increase in liabilities of the states. Therefore, the basis of already operational incomplete schemes should be considered as per their initial dates or till the year 2017 such schemes should be provided funds as per the original sharing pattern.

The CM said that our country had several geographical diversities. Therefore, the states having exceptional circumstances, like Rajasthan, should be given special concession and freedom for implementation of the schemes. Also, there should be separate monetary provisions for new schemes and special packages.

The Chief Ministers of Jharkhand, Kerala, Uttar Pradesh, Nagaland, Manipur, Arunachal Pradesh etc and the Finance Minister of Jammu-Kashmir also gave their suggestions in the meeting. Discussions held in the five meetings of the Sub-group and a draft of 16 recommendations based on the suggestions therein were also shared during the meeting.

Chief Executive Officer of the NITI Aayog Smt. Sindhushri Khullar said that the suggestions put forth in this meeting would also be included in the draft prepared by the Sub-group. It would be given final shape by July 5, she said. After concurrence of all member Chief Ministers of the Sub-group the recommendations would be presented to the Prime Minister, she added.

Chief Secretary of Rajasthan Shri C.S. Rajan and Secretary Planning Shri Akhil Arora were also present in the meeting.

Jaipur/New Delhi, June 27 2015

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