This Article is From Aug 05, 2016

Why Not Chief Ministers' Names Also For Schemes, Asks Nitish Kumar

Why Not Chief Ministers' Names Also For Schemes, Asks Nitish Kumar

When states pay a share, scheme could include chief minister's name too, says Nitish Kumar.

Patna: Why would states pay a share for schemes named after the Prime Minister? Bihar chief minister NItish Kumar suggested a solution to his own aggressive question that has put several central schemes in the state on freeze.

If a state is making part payment for such a scheme, Mr Kumar suggested, it could be named after both Prime Minister and the Chief Minister of the state concerned.

The division of payment for centrally sponsored schemes has long been a source of friction between the centre and the states. But while many governments - usually a non-NDA party -- has claimed credit for such schemes, Mr Kumar, an arch-rival of Prime Minister Narendra Modi, has questioned why states will have to pay for schemes named after the Prime Minister.

Today's suggestion came when Mr Kumar was responding to a question on why the Prime Minister's Crop Insurance Scheme was not being implemented in Bihar.

Although the centre has extended the deadline till August 10, Bihar has stuck to its refusal to endorse the scheme and pay the insurance agencies mandated by central government for the purpose.

The Chief Minister said the premium rate of 14 .5 per cent is too high, as it will cost the state's exchequer a whopping Rs 650 crore. He has further insisted that for any scheme named after the Prime Minister, the centre should bear all the expenses.

Earlier, the Bihar government wrote to Union agriculture ministry, pointing out that several states - including neighbouring Jharkhand and Uttar Pradesh -- the premium is low. The ministry, however, clarified that due to huge tracts of agricultural land being flood-prone in Bihar the premium has gone up.

In some BJP-ruled states like Maharashtra and Gujarat, the premium is equally high, the ministry has further pointed out.

Mr Kumar, whose demand for special status for his state has been turned down, has asked for a change in Centre's funding pattern. Last year, ahead of the crucial assembly elections in Bihar, he had alleged that the state received far less funds from the Centre than it should following the 14th Finance Commission recommendations.
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