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Reduced flexibility in deciding priorities opposed

NEW DELHI: Chief Ministers of the Bharatiya Janata Party-ruled States have strongly objected to the reduction of States’ flexibility in deciding developmental priorities while agreeing that the approach should focus on inclusive growth.

They opposed targeting funds for the development of minorities on the plea that this would be discriminatory, and was contrary to the goal of taking the entire country forward.

The draft of the 11th Plan was discussed at the National Development Council meeting here on Wednesday. Chief Ministers of different States spoke their minds on this subject.

While agreeing that development and growth should be “inclusive” and special attention needed to be paid to the poorest sections, Gujarat Chief Minister Narendra Modi strongly opposed an earlier suggestion that 15 per cent of the funds should be set aside for various schemes for minorities. “Such discrimination, amongst the eligible beneficiaries, for flow of funds, based on minority status, will not help the cause of taking the people of India together on the path of development.” But, he “welcomed” the “concept of inclusive growth” that covered tribal and coastal areas, and the urban poor.

Mr. Modi accepted the challenge for achieving 11.2 per cent growth rate in Gujarat during the 11th plan, as determined by the Planning Commission. With an outlay of Rs.107,000 crore during the Plan period, he was confident Gujarat would not disappoint the planners.

Madhya Pradesh Chief Minister Shivraj Singh Chauhan emphasised that growth during the 10th Plan had left out certain sections of the people. The next plan should focus on “inclusive growth.” Mr. Chauhan pleaded against reservation of a large percentage of school-teaching jobs for women as these would remain vacant as suitable candidates would not be available. He demanded an increase in the number of working days from 100 to 150 under the NREGS .

None of the BJP Chief Ministers, barring Mr. Modi, chose to talk about targeted funding for minorities in their speeches at the NDC. However, while giving “bytes” to the media outside the venue, Mr. Chauhan said allocating funds separately would be an example of “votebank politics.”

Rajasthan Chief Minister Vasundhara Raje focussed on the problem of reduced flow of funds to States and made the point that with the “ever-increasing size of centrally-sponsored schemes,” the flexibility of the State governments to decide their own priorities had been considerably reduced. She seemed to resent “policy prescriptions” by the Centre “even if some of these may be well-meaning.”

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