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'State should get more financial transfers from Centre'

By Super
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Google Oneindia News

Chennai, Nov 21: The Tamil Nadu State Planning Commission (SPC) today presented its 'approach paper', stressing that the state government should secure larger financial transfers from the Centre and revitalise the agricultural sector.

Presenting the paper to Chief Minister M Karunanidhi here, SPC Vice-Chairman Prof M Naganathan said the government should strongly pursue with the Centre to allow states to levy taxes on the services sector as a means of expanding the tax base.

'The Union Government should also change the system of financial transfers to the state so that transfers are based on equity and efficiency considerations', the paper said.

Highlighting issues of concern and strategies to be adopted during the 11th plan period, Mr Naganathan stressed that the State should strive to obtain larger financial transfers from the Centre to finance increased public expenditure on the social sector.

Stating that the 11th Five Year Plan for the state should be prepared keeping in view the targeted 8.5 per cent national growth rate envisaged by the Union Planning Commission, he said the main objective would be to safeguard the livelihood of the population and improve living conditions in rural and urban areas of the state.

The paper called for focussed growth to set right imbalances and disparities in the economy and increase in social sector spending.

Revitalisation of the agri-sector, which had been in a state of crisis during the preceding few years, should be the top priority of the government, the paper said and noted the contribution of the primary sector to the GSDP had declined from about 25 per cent in 1993-94 to about 13.3 per cent in 2005-06.

Foodgrain production during 2004-05 fell by 20 per cent compared to 2001-02, the paper noted. Improving farmers' access to cheap and timely credit should be a strategy to revive the agricultural sector. Other strategies included promotion of efficient farming practices through effective extension services, emphasis on improved dryland agriculture, enhancing market linkages and strengthening storage and market infrastructure in rural areas.

The paper recommended creation of a Water Resources Management Autority, which among other things, could also assess the possibility of interlinking rivers within the state as a means to achieve sustainable irrigation sources.

The paper, while appreciating improvements in human development indices, wanted the state to gear up its emergency obstetric services to reduce infant and maternal mortality rates.

While stressing the need to strengthen the public health system in urban areas to deal with problems like chikungunya, it wanted the state to gear itself to achieve the objective of universal secondary education to tackle gaps in the education sector by strengthening school infrastructure, capacity building of teachers and monitoring performance of schools and teachers through community-based systems.

UNI

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