Inter State Council Standing Committee Meeting

The Chief Minister Smt. Vasundhara Raje has suggested that the Centre should bear the entire amount of additional financial burden on the state for implementing the Centre-sponsored schemes. She also demanded for preparing schemes as per recommendations of the sub committee constituted for review of centre-sponsored schemes and also make funds available from the centre.

Smt. Raje was addressing the 12th meeting of the Standing Committee of Inter State Council organized at Vigyan Bhawan in New Delhi on Saturday. The meeting chaired by the Union Home Minister Shri Rajnath Singh was attended by the Finance Minister Shri Arun Jaitley, Law & Justice Minister Shri Ravishankar Prasad, Social Justice & Empowerment Shri Thawarchand Gehlot, Housing & Urban Poverty Alleviation Minister Shri Hardeep Singh Puri, Chief Ministers of different States and Home Minister of Rajasthan Shri Gulab Chand Kataria, many senior officers of the centre and the state.

The CM said that Bhamashah Yojna, the country’s first project for direct benefit transfer, was launched in Rajasthan. Through this, all direct and indirect benefits of various schemes are transferred directly to the bank accounts of the beneficiaries. She said that in this, the women had been made head of the family to ensure their self-dependency and financial empowerment. The Chief Minister demanded for the amendment in rules for Aadhaar Act to link this important scheme with Aadhaar Project. She further suggested for allowing enrolment of children below five years of age under this.

Smt. Raje said that Rajasthan implemented this scheme firstly in 2008 and then in 2014. Presently, 5.46 crore members of 1.49 crore families in the state got enrolled in Bhamashah scheme, she said. By now, over 10,751 crore rupees had been transferred to the beneficiaries’ accounts through 13.69 crore cash transactions, she added.

The CM also demanded to implement the recommendation of increase in royalty rates of major minerals once in three years. She said that any delay in this, the loss of revenue incurred to the states should be compensated by the centre. Smt. Raje further added that Rajasthan had become a leading state for decentralization of governance and empowerment of local bodies. She demanded for timely payment of budget to the states for timely disbursement of salaries to the teachers appointed under the Right to Education.

The Chief Minister gave her accent for setting up the National Integration Council and argued that the states should have a say in this. She said that different issues should be immensely debated with the states in the meetings of the sub-committee of this Council to take final decisions. She also demanded for extra funds for modernization of the police force particularly in the states having international border.

In the Inter State Council meeting, State Home Minister Shri Gulab Chand Kataria discussed the issue of Bangladeshi immigrants. He said that in view of its impact on law & order situation in the state, the centre should adopt a strong policy on this.

Jaipur, November 25, 2017