Fiscal federalism
The Union government has become known for its favouritism to BJP-ruled States and select States in the Hindi-belt while ignoring the non-BJP-ruled and southern States when it comes to the allotment of funds and their legitimate share of taxes collected by the Centre (Cover Story, September 6). The aggrieved States were compelled to hold protests in February over this biased and partisan distribution of funds to States, but the Union government is looking the other way and doling out huge funds to Andhra Pradesh and Bihar, which are ruled by its allies in the NDA. The reduction of the States’ share of the taxes, from 42 per cent to 32 per cent, betrays the mindset of the government.
M.Y. Shariff
Chennai
The Cover Story articles were a candid analysis of the Centre’s discriminatory practices in its financial allocation to State governments run by opposition parties. This bias was reflected in the Union Budget. Coupled with this has been the biased actions of some Governors in opposition-run States, which strike at the roots of the federal structure of governance and lower the esteem of that office in the public eye.
The recent increase in instances of rupture between the Centre and States runs contrary to the decentralisation of powers and cooperative federalism envisioned by the drafters of the Constitution and impedes the functioning, efficiency, and financial productivity of State governments. A government that is committed to its slogan of development for all and has returned to power on that basis for a record third term needs to discharge its constitutional obligations without fear or favour. That said, the Congress accusing the Narendra Modi government of non-adherence to the spirit of cooperative federalism is hypocritical because the Congress itself carried out unilateral dismissals of elected State governments and imposed President’s Rule in different States in the 1966-77 period under Prime Minister Indira Gandhi.
B. Suresh Kumar
Coimbatore, Tamil Nadu
This is with reference to the Editor’s Note (September 6) analysis of India’s federal structure; it was timely and insightful and underscored the essence of our nation’s diversity and the critical role of federalism in maintaining the unity of this vast and varied country. The shift from cooperative federalism to a more centralised approach is deeply concerning. More alarming is the sense that, for the first time in our history, it feels as though we have not just a Prime Minister but a BJP worker occupying the highest office in the country. The Central government’s actions seem to prioritise political gains over the broader interests of the nation, which could have long-term detrimental effects on the federal structure that has held India together.
Vinay Bharat
Ranchi
Putting NITI Aayog in place of the Planning Commission was the warning sign that the federal ecosystem in the country was being strangled. While the so-called revolutionary introduction of the GST took away the lion’s share of States’ individual resource-raising abilities, the cunning impositions of cesses and surcharges made the indivisible pool fatter to the Centre’s advantage. The taxing powers are disproportionately with the Centre while the spending responsibilities are disproportionately with the States. The increasing tendency towards centralisation of financial powers will surely weaken India’s federal polity.
A. Raveendranath
Aranmula, Kerala
Wayanad
The blame for the disaster in Wayanad lies squarely at the door of the Kerala government (“When nature rewrote the map”, September 6). Short-sighted government policy and shoddy implementation of its schemes are the major underlying factors that led to the tragedy. In addition, the uprooting of trees to develop resorts on riverbanks without providing any room for the flow of river water are the criminal errors that caused the landslide.
The catastrophe is a direct result of the State government’s failure to take action on the recommendations in the Gadgil and Kasturirangan reports on the Western Ghats and to heed the warnings of environmentalists. Instead of shirking its responsibility and indulging in a blame game, it is high time that the government took steps on a war-footing to protect forests and prevent such man-made disasters.
K.R. Srinivasan
Secunderabad, Telangana
According to meteorologists and climate experts, there is a surge in the frequency and intensity of cloudbursts in the regions surrounding the Arabian Sea, and this is leading to heavy downpours in the Western Ghats. The Gadgil report had recommended declaring 64 per cent of the Western Ghats as an ecologically sensitive area and suggested a ban on mining and quarrying and strict regulation of development activities surrounding the sensitive areas. The reduction in forest cover and mindless quarrying made the slopes more susceptible to landslides. The State has to at least now consider stopping the conversion of forest areas into rubber estates and tea plantations. The construction of hotels and houses under the guise of promoting tourism should be stopped forthwith. It needs to take steps to plant trees that can prevent soil erosion of hillsides.
R.V. Baskaran
Chennai
Crimes against women
The gruesome murder and rape of a doctor at R.G. Kar Hospital sent shockwaves through the collective conscience of people and prompted spontaneous protests (“Hospital horror”, The Fortnight, September 6). However, what was even more alarming was the government’s efforts to cover up the crime. The unprecedented scale of the public protests demanding safety and security for doctors and women signal a growing recognition of collective security through solidarity. This groundswell of public outrage must be leveraged to demand systemic change and hold the government accountable.
Sudipta Ghosh
Jangipur, West Bengal
Politics
The article “Not the greater common good” (Saba Naqvi column, August 23) epitomised the proverb “success has many fathers, failure has none”. It picked out the areas where the trend shows a slight slump in progress. The problems of inflation, unemployment, and poverty have blighted the country for a long time despite protestations to the contrary by leaders across the political spectrum. But only the Modi regime was critiqued with the vehemence and the article debunked it for being a promoter of certain corporate oligarchies rather than serving the common good. This is a biased assessment of his performance and it disregards the fact that he has given India a government free from the scourge of corruption.
Ravi Mathur
Noida, Uttar Pradesh
Terror in Jammu
Many members of the security forces and civilians have been killed in terrorist attacks in the Jammu region in the past three years (“Chinks in the armour”, August 23). This is an indication that terrorists from across the border have infiltrated Jammu and are carrying out their plans to spread insurgency in the region. While the security forces have intensified their operations, including increasing drone surveillance near the border, it seems to have failed.
Nikhil Subramaniam
Navi Mumbai
Correction
In “Politics over the purse” (September 6), Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal was wrongly referred to as former Chief Minister. We regret the error.
