Rajnath to chair meet on Centre-State ties

Rajnath to chair meet on Centre-State ties

Context

Home Minister Rajnath Singh will chair a meeting of the Standing Committee of the Inter-State Council (ISC)  to discuss the recommendations made by the Punchhi Commission on Centre-State relations.

Punchhi Commission

• The Government of India constituted a Commission on Centre-State Relations under the chairmanship of Justice Madan Mohan Punchhi, former Chief Justice of India on 27th April 2007 to look into the new issues of Centre-State relations keeping in view the changes that have taken place in the polity and economy of India since the Sarkaria Commission had last looked at the issue of Centre-State relations over two decades ago.
• The Punchhi Commission submitted its report in 2010
• Its recommendations pertaining to national security, communal harmony, Centre-State financial relations and planning are expected to be discussed.

ISC

• The Inter State Council is an Indian constitutional body set up on the basis of provisions in Article 263 of the Constitution of India. The body was formed by a Presidential Order dated 28 May 1990 on recommendation of Sarkaria Commission

Recommendations of the Commission

• According to the Report ‘National Security’ as a subject was not specifically listed in any of the three Lists: the Union, the State or the Concurrent List.
• The subject of Security under the Article 352 and under the Emergency Provisions in Part XVIII of the Constitution has been assigned to the Union Government. Though it is an overriding executive power of the Union, in Constitutional practice, however, ‘Security’ is a subject in which the States and the Union have a common interest and are expected to act in a coordinated manner”
• The Commission also said that in case of communal riots, which has a potential of causing widespread violence within a territory, “the use of Article 355 may be in order.”
• A clarificatory line in this regard, if required, may be inserted making the provision explicitly clear that the Centre can depute paramilitary forces to such trouble spots in exceptional circumstances even if a request from the State government is not received. The aim has to be to ensure quick control of the situation, bring it back to normal, hand over the area to the local administration as quickly as possible and then withdraw the Central forces.