Centre encroaching state's autonomy, lower budgetary support:Nitish

New Delhi, Dec 19 (UNI) Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar today criticised the Centre for ''encroaching'' on the state's autonomy by reducing support to the State Plan and launching populist schemes to ''take credit at the expense of states''.

Addressing the National Development Council Meeting here, Mr Kumar claimed that in the proposed Gross Budgetary Support allocation for the Eleventh plan, the GBS support for the state has come down from 26.4 per cent to 20 per cent while it has gone up for the Central sector from 73 per cent to 77 per cent.

Though earlier discussion in the NDC had favoured a reduction both in the number and allocation of resources for the Central Sponsored Scheme, a reverse tendency was visible as the Central sector expanded schemes in multiple ways, he lamented.

The Chief Minister said there was not much enhancement in the plan outlays for the states, which have been left behind in development. The Bihar government's demand to increase the outlay from the Sam Vikas Yojna from Rs 1000 crore per annum to the double amount has been ignored,'' he said, adding the same happened to its need for access to coal blocks to improve power generation and development of a port for the land locked state.

Mr Kumar demanded increased Central outlays to redress the infrastructure ''inefficiencies'' in Bihar.

He said increasing Central ''interventionism'' in the form of Central schemes and programmes dominating funds being passed to the state and ''isolationism'' in terms of lack of opportunities for Centre-state relations were a ''major problem'' in promoting inclusive growth.

''Schemes of far reaching impact for the state government were often announced without any prior consultation, he claimed while demanding different approach.

More UNI