Finance commission not biased: PM
: The Centre has asked the Finance Commission to consider incentivising the states that have made significant strides in population control, Prime Minister Narendra Modi said on Thursday, rejecting concerns of some southern states that the terms of reference (ToR) of the 15th Finance Commission were biased against them.
Modi was referring to the Tuesday’s meeting of finance ministers of three southern states and one Union Territory where they flayed the new terms of reference of the finance commission that took 2011 population census figures into consideration for allocation of funds to different states.
Attending the conclave in Thiruvananthapuram on Tuesday finance ministers of Kerala, Karnataka, Andhra Pradesh and Puducherry alleged that the ToR was against the principles of federalism and would lead to revenue loss for the states that had “worked hard to control population.”
Speaking at the inauguration of the golden jubilee building of the Cancer Institute in Adyar, India’s second specialised cancer hospital, the Prime Minister said he sought to “correct the impression being created by baseless allegations that the progressive states like Tamil Nadu would stand to lose because of the ToR.”
Kerala finance minister Thomas Isaac had stated that Tamil Nadu would be the biggest loser if allocations were made as per the new ToR. All the south Indian states would collectively lose ₹80,000 crore, he said.
Refuting the charges, Modi said Tamil Nadu would be the biggest gainer if the funds were allocated as per the recommendations of the 15th Finance Commission.
“The Union government is committed to cooperative federalism and is strictly implementing sab ka saath, sab ka vikas (development for all) to build a new India,” Modi said, reiterating his government’s commitment for a balanced growth of the entire country.
The central government, Modi said, would set up 20 state cancer hospitals and 50 tertiary care hospitals across the country. Out of which proposals for 15 cancer hospitals to be built at a cost of ₹120 crore each and 20 tertiary care hospitals to be built at a cost of ₹45 crore each had already been cleared, the Prime Minister said.
He also assured all possible help from the Centre to “remove problems plaguing” the Adiyar Cancer Institute and also requested Tamil Nadu government to help the one-of-its-kind super speciality cancer hospital.
Chairperson of the institute V Shanta had earlier requested the Prime Minister to look into the grievances of the hospital, being run by an NGO.
The Prime Minister earlier faced a silent protest by some 30-odd students dressed in black and carrying posters at Indian Institute of Technology Madras over the centre’s failure to constitute the Cauvery Management Board despite the Supreme Court order.
To avoid the black- flag protests, the Prime Minister during his visit to the state avoided road journey and flew from one venue to another, but could not escape it at the IIT.
CHENNAI