50% of total revenue to be given to states:CPI(M)

CPIM’s suggestion to the Finance Commission*

Raipur (Team Newsbuddy): The Communist Party of India (Marxist) demanded that 50% of the revenue collected by the Centre be given to the states and that the state be given special help as it is a tribal dominated state. The delegation of MK Nandi, Dharmaraj Mahapatra, SC Bhattacharya, who attended this meeting on behalf of the Chhattisgarh State Committee, gave the following suggestions to the Finance Commission.

1- Our party has been demanding for a long time that the Centre should provide 50% of the tax revenue to the states.

2- About 45% of the geographical area of ​​Chhattisgarh state is forest based, about 32% of the state’s population is tribal and 15% is Scheduled Caste, a large part of the tribal areas is under the Fifth Schedule of the Constitution, in this light the state should provide special assistance for the development of these areas.

3- Out of the most backward districts of the country, 10 most backward districts have been identified from Chhattisgarh state, hence special assistance should be provided to the state for the development of these districts.

4- The deepening crisis in the agriculture sector and the increasing suicides of farmers due to it is a matter of deep concern for all of us, hence, as per the recommendation of the Swaminathan Committee, the support price of the farmers’ produce should be declared one and a half times the cost under the C2 formula and on this basis, the state should be given adequate financial support for the purchase of the produce.

5- In the light of the current economic contraction and demand crisis in the economy, in the name of strict fiscal checks and balances, cuts are ultimately imposed in social and public welfare schemes, which increases the crisis at the time of severe unemployment in the current era, hence instead of this so-called fiscal control, the state’s public investment should be increased in the social and infrastructural sector and the so-called PPP model and privatization of public sectors through it should be stopped.
6- Budget allocation in MNREGA should be increased and there is a need to create an employment guarantee scheme for urban areas as well, so financial help should be provided to the states for this.

7- Chhattisgarh is a state rich in natural resources. Our natural resources are exploited but the state is deprived of its fair share of royalty. So, royalty should be rationalized and this amount should be used for the development of the related areas and local residents.

8- The state is suffering from the possibility of severe drought due to lack of rain. There is even a possibility of a severe crisis of drinking water in the coming days. So, adequate help should be given to the state to deal with this. Also, in the light of increasing urbanization in the state, adequate financial support should also be provided to the local bodies for infrastructure development. Special allocation should be given to the state for infrastructure in the field of health and education and its proper arrangement in rural areas.

9- The current market based system of fixation of prices of petroleum products should be changed and its price fixation should be rationalized.

10- The concrete impact of demonetization and subsequent implementation of GST without proper preparation on the economy of the states should be studied and appropriate help should be given to the states accordingly and the state’s outstanding share in GST should be paid to the state immediately.

11- A special economic package should be provided to the state for the development of tribal and scheduled caste areas.