From revenue deficit to special status: What CMS focussed on

JHARKHAND CM DEMANDED A SEPARATE RELIGIOUS CODE FOR THE TRIBALS IN THE UPCOMING NATIONAL CENSUS

NEW DELHI : Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Saturday chaired a virtual meeting of the governing council of Niti Aayog, the Centre’s policy think tank, with chief ministers. About 25 chief ministers spoke during the video conferencing and a majority of them raised the issue of fall in revenues which was affecting development in the states.

“The Centre should compensate for the revenue loss due to Covid-19 so that development works can be carried out. There was also revenue shortfall due to slowing down of the economy,” said Chhattisgarh chief minister Bhupesh Baghel, adding to what several CMS highlighted during the interaction with the PM.

Delhi chief minister Arvind Kejriwal asserted the need to pace up the manufacturing sector in the country. “In the last 70 years, our country has never given importance to the manufacturing sector; our country is lagging behind in manufacturing which is why China has captured our markets,” he said.

Jharkhand chief minister Hemant Soren demanded a sepaction arate religious code for the tribals in the upcoming national Census, and suggested universalisation of old age pension and increasing wages of MGNREGA workers.

Madhya Pradesh chief minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan outlined that the state undertook agricultural reforms.

Andhra Pradesh chief minister Y S Jagan Mohan Reddy reiterated his demand for special status for the state, asserting that industrialisation was yet to gain the required momentum due to several constraints post-bifurcation.

Odisha chief minister Naveen Patnaik, however, hit out at the “politicisation” of all actions of an elected government and pointed out that it was making development difficult. “Every crime is being politicised, every of an elected government is being viewed from a poll angle. This kind of an atmosphere is one of the biggest threats to the pace of development and peace in the country,” he said in an apparent dig at the controversy over draft heritage bylaws issued by National Monument Authority for the Jagannath temple in Puri and Anant Basudeva temple and Brahmeswar temple of Bhubaneswar.

Bihar chief minister Nitish Kumar suggested ‘One Nation, One Rate’ on electricity supplied to states by Centre power plants. “We purchase very costly power as a result of which the state government has to give more as a subsidy,” he said.

Rajasthan CM Ashok Gehlot demanded that East Rajasthan Canal Project be declared a project of national importance, as promised by the PM during election rallies in the state on 7 July 2018 and 6 October 2018.

Uttar Pradesh chief minister Yogi Adityanath highlighted that his state is the first in the country to inoculate 1 million people. He also highlighted how UP moved from 12th position to second in the country in Ease of Doing Business Rankings