Walk the talk, says Sangma to centre

SHILLONG, SEPT 17: Meghalaya chief minister Mukul Sangma on Thursday asked the NDA government led  by prime minister Narendra Modi to walk the talk and show its “special care” for the northeast by action even as he said that the union government was treating northeastern states with the same yardstick like it is treating developed states .

Answering to a queries by United Democratic Party (UDP) legislator Jemino Mawthoh on the “Special Category status” during the second day of the autumn session of the assembly, Sangma said Meghalaya is yet to be informed of the withdrawal of the “Special Category  Status.”

Mawthoh wanted to know whether it will affect the growth momentum of the state if the “Special Category Status” is withdrawn.

In the course of a reply Sangma informed the house that the union budget of 2015-16 restructured funding of the centrally sponsored schemes (CSS) by stopping funding for eight schemes, changing funding pattern for 14 schemes, and continuing 31 schemes in existing manner.

Sangma, therefore, said “apprehension” crept in that the  centre is doing away with the 90:10 funding pattern among the northeastern states. He informed that after Meghalaya and other northeastern states persuaded the centre the latter constituted a sub-group of chief ministers to look into the rationalisation of centrally sponsored schemes. He said, “The report of the sub-group is awaited.”

Under the Congress governments in the centre the northeastern states were given the “Special Category Status” for several years. Under the status, the central schemes were implemented on a 90:10 basis where 90 per cent of the funding came from the centre while the remaining is contributed by the states.

After “the centre   accepted the recommendations of the 14th Finance Commission wherein the Commission had increased the direct untied resources from 32 per cent to 42 per cent, the centre felt there is no need for this category since there is already an increase of 10 per cent..

Sangma told the house that if the 10 per cent increase in devolution was the reason for withdrawing of the special block grants for the special category states, then the union government was treating the northeastern states like advanced and developed states as the increase of 10 per cent was passed on to all states. – By Our Reporter