ISC standing committee to discuss role of Governors

The standing committee of the Inter State Council (ISC) will discuss the roleof Governors, creation of a unified agricultural market for the country and a host of other issues at a special meeting on April 9.
The meeting, to be chaired by Home Minister Rajnath Singh, will discuss the role of Governors,centrally sponsored schemes and financial transfers from the Centre to the states andcreation of a unified agricultural market for the nation.
Besides, the meeting will deliberate upon measuresto involve the states more closely in planning and delivery of services, stepsto be adopted to make Inter State Council more vibrant and measuresdirected towards better fiscal management by the Centre and the states.

The meeting acquires special significance as it is being convened after a gap of 11 years.
The recommendations of the standing committee will be placed before the Inter State Council at its next meeting.
The meeting will discus the recommendations of the Punchhi Commission on Centre-State Relations.

The members of the standing committee include the Union Minister for External Affairs, Union Minister for Finance & Corporate Affairs, Union Minister for Urban Development, Housing and Urban Poverty Alleviation & Information and Broadcasting, Union Minister for Road Transport, Highways & Shipping and the Chief Ministers of Andhra Pradesh, Chhattisgarh, Odisha, Punjab, Rajasthan, Tripura and Uttar Pradesh.

The Punchhi Commission notified in 2005 submitted its report in 2010.
The recommendations of the Punchhi Commission, which are contained in seven volumes pertain to the history of Centre-State Relations in India, Constitutional Governance and Management of Centre-State Relations, Centre-State Financial Relations and Planning, Local Self-Governments and Decentralised Governance, Internal Security, Criminal Justice and Centre State Co-operation, Environment, Natural Resources & Infrastructure and Socio-Economic Development, Public Policy and Good Governance, a Home Ministry spokesperson said.
The Union Ministries concerned and all the state governments responded to the recommendations made in the report by providing detailed comments.
The comments have been analysed and will be discussed at this high-level forum.

The forthcoming meeting of the standing committee of Inter State Council will be examining the first three volumes of the Punchhi Commission's report.