On Restructuring Centre-State Relationship

THE 21st state conference of the Bengal CPI(M) passed in all 21 resolutions. Among the significant ones was the resolution on restructuring of centre-state relations. The following demands were included in that resolution:

• An immediate stop must be put to the continuous centralisation as part of the imperialist globalisation and liberalisation of the national economy, to the interference of the centre in state subjects, to the addition of conditionalities on the process of distribution of central grants etc, to the attempt to limit the powers of the states

• The union government must reduce the interest on central loans and steps must be taken immediately in this regard

• Special central assistance must be given to Bengal where the share of central taxes for the state was reduced due to the recommendations of the 12th finance commission

• The central plan assistance, now confined to 30 per cent of the component as assistance and 70 per cent as part of the market forces, must be restored to its earlier form as assistance

• The centre must hand over to the states, complete with financial assistance, all the central projects in the state list as decided upon at the chief ministers’ conference and noted in the CMP

• The main responsibility of implementing national employment assurance programme and the central assistance for employment generation as well as the financial implication for unemployment wages must be borne by the union government

• To tackle the national-level issues of the state like river management, improvement and extension of national highways, subsidence in mining areas, addition to the existing rail tracks etc, the union government must allocate funds

• The union government must abide by its responsibility in tackling the issue of refugee rehabilitation

• Funds for the reconstruction and development of central industrial units must be immediately allocated on an emergent basis

• Special central assistance must be allocated for the development of north Bengal, western Bengal, and the Sunderbans, and additional districts must be associated based on population indices with the Rashtriya Samavikas Yojana.

• The tax benefits enjoyed by north-eastern states must be given to north Bengal

• Central assistance in the megacity project in the KMDA area must be increased

• A universal education on the pattern of the model for primary education must be started by the union government along with vocational education

• The union government must allocate 3 per cent of the central budget to health as per the CMP and the special projects declared for some states must be implemented in Bengal

• The enhanced rate of royalty for coal must be implemented for Bengal as well, thus ending discrimination practised against the state in this regard

• The credit-deposit ratio of banks must be enhanced to that in operation at the all-India level and the loans issued to agriculture, fisheries, small industries, self-employment projects, and self-help groups must be increased.

OTHER RESOLUTIONS

Following are the other resolutions passed by the conference:

• In remembrance of martyrs

• Condolence resolution

• For the ideological struggle in support of socialism

• Against imperialism and terrorism

• Against communalism

• On the UPA government and the CMP

• On the greater role of the State in the development of the national economic development

• On the restructuring of centre-state relationship

• On the right to strike

• On the alarming situation in Nepal

• Against US-British occupation of Iraq

• In demand of increase in employment opportunity

• Against the anti-people role of the big corporate media

• On the drive for literacy, universal education, mass health, and people’s science

• On the cooperative, self-help groups, and self-employment

• On healthy and pro-people culture

• On the demand to review the Electricity Act 2003

• On the need to stand by the side of tsunami victims

• In demand of river management, prevention of river bank erosion, and rehabilitation of the affected people

• On paying respects to Pandit Raghunath Murmu, pioneer of Santhali language, science, and literature

• On the 125 years of the Santhal uprising