Badal calls for 'genuinely federal structure' for country

Calling for a drastic recast of the Constitution to give the country a "genuinely federal structure", Punjab Chief Minister Parkash Singh Badal today said that Centre should have exclusive jurisdiction only on subjects of national concerns like Defence, External Affairs, Currency, Railways, and Communications.
Seeking a greater share of resources for states, Badal said that even on state subjects like agriculture and education, the Centre had acquired authority not only to legislate but even to control all the funds.
Badal, whose party Shiromani Akali Dal is an ally of the BJP, stressed that the country needs to focus on providing basic amenities like drinking water, toilets, quality education etc "instead of diverting precious resources on capital intensive projects like bullet trains."

"Federalism is the only way to ensure speedy development to make India a true economic superpower and a world leader. States are like limbs of the country s body politic. Strong limbs mean a strong body. Strong states mean a strong India.
"Up till now, there has been a confusion between a strong India and a strong Centre. We stand for a strong and genuinely federal India," Badal said at a conclave of Chief Ministers called by Prime Minister Narendra Modi to replace the Planning Commission.
The Punjab Chief Minister said the formula for distribution of resources between Centre and states needs to be "drastically reversed".

States must get 50 per cent share out of the central taxes and non-tax revenue, instead of the present 32 per cent and these funds should be given in an untied manner, without prior conditions, he suggested.
The distribution among states should also be based on a transparent formula in an untied manner instead of through political discretion under which larger states walk away with all the funds, he said.
Badal emphasised on the need for a formula which gives weightage to share of the scheduled castes population in a state, locational disadvantages such as live international border and contribution to National Food Security etc.