|
|
Patna,(BiharTimes): Vice President Hamid Ansari said that better understanding between Centre and the states is essential for the overall development of the country.
Inaugurating the Satyendra Narain Sinha Memorial Lecture Series, organized to mark the 94th birth anniversary of the former chief minister of Bihar, he said here on Tuesday that time had come for all to ponder on how to realize the full potential of federal democracy for meeting the aspirations of the people.
|
Advocating the increase in spending on local bodies Ansari said from a small number of less than 5,000 legislative political representatives from the Parliament and the state, the country today has the largest political representative base in the world with over two and a half lakh local governments, comprising over three million elected representatives.
He said that India has one of the lowest shares of the local government expenditure compared to total public sector expenditure, that is, just around five per cent.
The Vice President said that the experience of a series of coalition governments at the Centre and in many states during the last two decades had changed the dynamics of polity in the country. Today, strong state governments pursuing their developmental goals with dedication and success need not depend on the dynamics of political force at the Centre.
Ansari said that the emergence of strong regional and sectional political parties who participate in governance at the local, state and central levels has further strengthened the federal impulse.He said the question of eliminating fiscal barriers to inter-state movement of goods and in the utilization of natural resources has posed a significant challenge for the management of federal polity.
Governor Devanand Konwar thanked the S N Sinha Smriti Samiti for organizing the lecture series.
Chief minister Nitish Kumar said that Satyendra Sinha always cared for the younger generation.
Nagaland governor Nikhil Kumar, who is the son of S N Sinha, welcomed the guests. The former chief minister’s widow Kishori Sinha was also
present on the occasion.
comments...
| 
