Table of Contents
Federalism and fairness
Unless the concerns of States are addressed, the fault lines in the Indian
federation could deepen
Karnataka- official state flag
He advocated the need for States to have both financial and cultural autonomy
Since quitting the National Democratic Alliance, Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister
Chandrababu Naidu has also been vocal in criticising Central government for
taxing the southern States to spend on the northern States.
DMK working president M.K. Stalin wrote to Prime Minister Narendra Modi
and the Chief Ministers of 10 non Bharatiya Janata Party-ruled States
expressing concern over terms of reference for the 15th Finance Commission.
Centre‘s direction to use the 2011 Census instead of the 1971 Census
Demand for fairer distribution of taxes; and an assertion of linguistic & cultural
rights.
Facebook post, Mr. Siddaramaiah asserted that while India became a ―union of
states with a strong center‖ in 1947 now ―from a union of states, we are evolving
into a federation of states‖.
B.R. Ambedkar – Federation not being the result of an agreement no State
has the right to secede from it.
Federation is a Union because it is indestructible
Article 3 of the Constitution empowers Parliament to create new States.
Unlike the federal form of government in the United States
―holding together‖ as a federation for over 70 years, larger question is whether
there is a need to reconsider the distribution of powers b/w Union and States.
Provisions such as Article 356 (President‘s rule) goes against the federalism
Last couple of decades there has been a shift in political and economic power
from the Centre to the States.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi has sought to assuage such concerns
by invoking the idea of ―cooperative federalism‖.
The 14th Finance Commission, in 2015, recommended raising the share of States
in the divisible pool of Central taxes from 32% to 42%.
15th FC have brought the south together in making a strong case
for fiscal federalism.
Commission has been using the 1971 Census for population data to ensure
that States that have been successful in family planning are not penalised.
This came in the wake of the 42nd Amendment to Constitution which froze the
distribution of Lok Sabha seats among States for 25 years, which was extended
for another 25 years, in 2001
Federalism is ultimately based on trust between its various constituent units
While the southern States contribute to the nation economically, they don‘t
occupy a central space politically and are further marginalised culturally.
Finally, unless concerns regarding fairness are addressed from constitutional,
financial and cultural fronts, the fault lines developing in our federation
could deepen further.
A solution for India‘s micronutrient deficiencies
Researchers from Austria,U.S. and India, headed by Narasimha D. Rao from
the International Institute for Applied Systems Analysis, Austria, used National
Sample Survey of Consumption Expenditure in India (2011-12) and National
Nutrition Monitoring Bureau to examine Indian diets.
They found that
Nearly three quarters of Indians consume less than the ideal
number of calories a day,
More than half have protein deficiency,
The deficiencies of micronutrients were more prevalent:
Nearly nine in 10 Indians are iron-deficient,
85% do not meet the required intake of vitamin A, and
Two-thirds have zinc deficiency
Cost was clearly a concern as deficiencies
Suggest that the required micronutrients can be met by reducing the intake of
rice (61% to around 40% of calorie share) and meat (expensive and with high
greenhouse gas emissions) and replacing them with coarse cereals such
as bajra and ragi, along with legumes, dark, leafy vegetables, and coconut.
Most visible spokesperson and leader in the civil rights movement from 1954 through 1968 best known for his role in the advancement of civil rights using the tactics of nonviolence and civil disobedience inspired by the nonviolent activism of Mahatma Gandhi
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