NITI Aayog recommends reducing centrally sponsored schemes

NITI Aayog Vice Chairman Arvind Panagariya and CEO Sindhushree Khullar today made a presentation to Prime Minister Narendra Modi and are believed to have recommended reduction in the number of centrally sponsored schemes.
"A presentation of the sub-group was made to the Prime Minister today," sources said.
The panel, which is working towards streamlining CSS, is headed by Madhya Pradesh Chief Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan.
He had already discussed the issue at a meeting of the sub-group in Bhopal on May 28.
The sub-group includes Rajasthan Chief Minister Vasundhara Raje, Nagaland Chief Minister T R Zeliang, Kerala Chief Minister Ommen Chandy, Arunachal Pradesh Chief Minister Nabam Tuki, Telangana Chief Minister K Chandrashekhar Rao, Jharkhand Chief Minister Raghubar Das, Andaman and Nicobar Lieutenant Governor A K Singh.

It has had three meetings so far and the fourth one, which was scheduled for Saturday (June 13, 2015), has been postponed and is likely to take place sometime later in the month, sources said.

So far, three such meetings have taken place already.
The next date of the meeting of the sub-group of Chief Ministers is to be decided soon, may be end of June, they added.
Today's presentation comes ahead of the meeting of NITI Aayog's sub-group of Chief Ministers that was supposed to meet at the Aayog tomorrow.
The panel of Chief Ministers working on rationalisation of Centrally Sponsored Schemes (CSS) is unanimous on reducing them.

At present, there are 72 CSS, including six new schemes introduced by the NDA government.
During the UPA regime, the number of CSS were reduced from 147 to 66.
Rationalisation of CSS is important as Centre has decided to raise state's share in taxes to 42 per cent from 32 per cent.