Several Chief Ministers from non-BJP-ruled states on Saturday pitched various demands, including a 50 per cent share in central taxes to resolving water disputes and batting for cooperative federalism, during the NITI Aayog meeting held by Prime Minister Narendra Modi.
The NITI Aayog’s 10th Governing Council meeting had the theme ‘Viksit Rajya for Viksit Bharat@2047’. It is the first major meeting of the Prime Ministers with Chief Ministers of all states and Lieutenant Governors after Operation Sindoor. During the meeting, PM Modi called for the Centre and states to work together as “Team India” to realise the goal of ‘Viksit Bharat’ (developed India).
The meeting was given a miss by the southern chief ministers of Puducherry, Karnataka and Kerala and also West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee. The Chief Ministers of Andhra Pradesh, Tamil Nadu and Telangana – N Chandrababu Naidu, MK Stalin and Revanth Reddy – were present. Himachal Pradesh’s Sukhvinder Sukhu and Punjab’s Bhagwant Mann also attended the meeting.
TAMIL NADU
At the meeting, Tamil Nadu Chief Minister MK Stalin urged the Centre to release Rs 2,200 crore funds under the Samagra Shiksha Abhiyan (SSA) due to the state. He stressed that it does not augur well for cooperative federalism when states seek legal recourse to get the central funds they are entitled to. The hefty amount, Stalin asserted, was denied to Tamil Nadu for not signing a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with the Union Education Ministry regarding the ‘PM Shri’ scheme.
He also made a strong pitch for enhancing the state’s share in central taxes to 50 per cent and underscored the necessity for a dedicated urban transformation mission in the state.
“Particularly, nearly Rs 2,200 crore of Union funds have been denied to Tamil Nadu in the year 2024-2025. This affects the education of children studying in government schools and children studying under the Right to Education Act (RTE). Therefore, I urge you to release this fund without delay and without insisting on unilateral conditions,” Stalin said.
“It is not ideal for the cooperative federal structure that states should be given funds after a legal battle. This will affect the development of the state and nation, as well,” he said, adding that the Centre should extend its support without discrimination, so that Tamil Nadu and other states could achieve their developmental targets.
TELANGANA
Revanth Reddy, who became the first Telangana Chief Minister to attend the NITI Aayog meet after several years, pitched for cooperative federalism, stressing that the vision of ‘Viksit Bharat’ can be realised only through inclusive development of all states.
He also proposed setting up a national task force headed by the Prime Minister and consisting of respective Chief Ministers to harness the full economic potential of the country’s top six metropolitan cities – Mumbai, Delhi, Bengaluru, Kolkata, Chennai and Hyderabad.
These cities, together accounting for a major share of the country’s urban GDP, serve as critical engines of economic growth, innovation, and job creation, he said, adding that this balance was crucial to achieving equitable national growth.
“The progress of the nation is intrinsically linked to the progress of each of its constituent units. It is, therefore, imperative that we support, catalyse, and harness the potential of rapidly advancing states, while simultaneously extending all necessary assistance to those that are still catching up,” he said.
The Telangana Chief Minister stressed that while Mumbai and Delhi contribute Rs 25.8 lakh crore and Rs 24.5 lakh crore respectively, Hyderabad – despite its smaller size – has already contributed nearly 2.5 per cent of the national GDP.
PUNJAB
On his part, Punjab Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann flagged the water-sharing dispute with Haryana during the NITI Aayog meet and a “biased” approach against the border state, as he denounced the Centre over the deployment of the CISF at the Bhakra Nangal dams.
Punjab and Haryana have been at loggerheads over the distribution of water, with the AAP government refusing to share water from Bhakra dam, saying the neighbouring state has already used its share of water.
According to an official statement, Mann asserted that Punjab had no surplus water to give to any state, and called for the construction of the Yamuna-Sutlej-Link (YSL) canal over the Sutlej Yamuna Link (SYL) canal to allay the “grim” situation.
“Ravi, Beas and Sutlej rivers are already in deficit and water should be diverted from surplus to deficit basins,” he said.
Mann said Punjab has repeatedly requested to be included in negotiations for the allocation of the Yamuna’s water as a pact under the Yamuna-Sutlej-Link project – signed between the erstwhile Punjab and Uttar Pradesh on March 12, 1954, which had entitled Punjab to two-thirds of the Yamuna’s water.
The Punjab Chief Minister also alleged a “biased” approach by Bhakra Beas Management Board (BBMB) in the matter.
He asserted that Punjab had been very liberal in sharing water with the partner states to meet their drinking water and other needs, even as the state relied upon its groundwater reserves to meet its demands, particularly to irrigate the paddy.
ANDHRA PRADESH
Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister N Chandrababu Naidu, whose TDP party is an ally of the BJP at the Centre, proposed forming three sub-groups on GDP growth, population management and leveraging Artificial Intelligence (AI) at the NITI Aayog meeting.
Naidu noted that the sub-groups of states formed in collaboration with the Centre should work towards fast-tracking the ‘Viksit Bharat’ 2047 (developed India) vision.
“The first sub-group on GDP growth aims to boost investments, manufacturing, exports and job creation, supported by Central viability gap funding for PPP projects,” said a TDP press release, quoting Naidu.
The second sub-group on population management should help India leverage its demographic dividend while preparing the country for future challenges such as ageing and low fertility, the Chief Minister said.
HIMACHAL PRADESH
On the other hand, Himachal Pradesh Chief Minister Sukhvinder Singh Sukhu said the special needs of hill states should be taken into account and demanded that the pending funds of the state be released.
The hill states should be considered for higher allocation of funds by relaxing the eligibility criteria in various schemes, he said at the NITI Aayog meeting.
Sukhu demanded the release of funds due to the state, which had been pending for a long time.
“If the long-pending dues were released by the Centre well in time, Himachal Pradesh will itself become self-reliant,” he added.
JHARKHAND
Jharkhand Chief Minister Hemant Soren called for a provision in the Coal Bearing Areas (Acquisition and Development) Act, commonly known as the CBA Act, requiring companies to return land to the state government after mining activities.
Speaking at the NITI Aayog meeting, Soren also demanded the release of Rs 1.40 lakh-crore allegedly owed by mining companies.
“The land acquired by mining companies, which falls under non-payment of land compensation, has led to an outstanding debt of Rs 1,40,435 crore to the state government. This amount should be disbursed at the earliest. Additionally, a provision requiring companies to return the land to the state government after mining should be made by amending the CBA Act,” Soren said, according to an official statement.
Soren added that Jharkhand has an abundance of coal-based methane gas, which can be technically utilised for energy production.
“Mining companies in the state should be mandated to establish captive power plants, with 30 per cent of the total production utilised within the state. This would also boost employment generation,” he further said.
(with inputs from PTI)