Badal welcomes NITI Aayog's proposal to prune centrally sponsored schemes

Welcoming the proposal of the National Institution for Transforming India (NITI) Aayog to prune the list of centrally sponsored schemes (CSS) and enhance the share of funds, Punjab Chief Minister Parkash Singh Badal said on Sunday that doing away with all such schemes was the need of the hour and in the larger interest of the country.

Interacting with the media on the sidelines of his tour, the chief minister also asked the Union government to transfer funds directly to states as untied funds and direct grants, to enable them to formulate schemes. He said the devolution of funds to states in right earnest could be a step for achieving the goal of a true federal system.

Badal said the state government had been pursuing this agenda for long so to empower states for ensuring the welfare of people in a far more effective manner. Expressing concern over the Centre's declining share in existing CSS, Badal said it would put extra burden on states with limited funds. "This trend needs to be reversed by enhancing the share of the Union government in all such schemes for ensuring holistic development of the states," added Badal.

Asked to comment on Congress leader Amarinder Singh's statement that the state government was pursuing a "Panthic agenda", Badal said the sole agenda of the government was to strengthen the national unity and integrity by promoting the ethos of communal harmony, brotherhood and peace in the state. He said if the entire country pursued this agenda, then peace and progress would prevail in the country.

"Our agenda is of universal brotherhood and peace and none can ever deter us from doing this pious task," Badal added. The CM said the state government would bring in world-class civic amenities, including water supply, sewerage, sewerage treatment plants, streetlights, roads and parks in all towns in the state by the end of 2016. He said funds for had been arranged and the work would be completed in a time-bound manner.