New Delhi:
The Supreme Court on Monday expressed concern over recent cases where state governments had approached it seeking directions against the Centre, and called on both sides to cooperate rather than compete. “Let there not be a fight between the union and the states,” the court said while hearing a writ petition by the Karnataka government for release of drought relief funds by the Center.
The petition alleges that the Center has not provided financial assistance to the Karnataka government due to drought in several districts and that the Center is compelled to move the court as failure to disburse funds is violating the fundamental rights of the people of had violated the southern part of the country. stands.
The state also alleged that the Center had not acted on an inter-ministerial team's report on the drought-induced disaster for almost six months (it was submitted in October), and the situation has worsened due to “withholding of NDRF ( National Disaster Response Fund) benefits”.
Addressing the state government, senior lawyer Kapil Sibal pointed out that the Center had to take action within a month of submitting the report.
In its response, the Center questioned the timing – with a Lok Sabha election 11 days away – and said the state should have approached Prime Minister Narendra Modi's government in the Supreme Court.
READ | Karnataka moves Supreme Court over drought relief funds
A bench of Justices BR Gavai and Justice Sandeep Mehta gave Attorney General R Venkatramani and Solicitor General Tushar Mehta, who appeared for the Centre, two weeks' time to seek directions.
The center-state row has hit the headlines ahead of the Lok Sabha elections, especially as southern states of Karnataka, Tamil Nadu and Kerala challenged the center over fund disbursement and tax decentralization. The petition in Karnataka came days after Tamil Nadu sought an ex-parte order from the Center to release Rs 2,000 crore as part of an interim relief package for flood-affected districts.
READ | In the New Center-States Row, Tamil Nadu goes to court for flood relief
The battle for release of funds to the southern states – either for disaster relief or as part of the dues of tax decentralization – also made its way to Parliament in February, where Union Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman and Adhir Ranjan Chowdhury of Congress, spoke on the issue. the allegations that non-BJP state governments are “deprived of (financial) contributions” and allocations.
READ | On GST Dues Row, Nirmala Sitharaman sees off Adhir Ranjan
An outraged Ms Sitharaman hit back, saying “the transfer of taxes (i.e. sharing of funds between the Center and the states)… is being done in accordance with the recommendation of the Finance Commission”.
In February, the three southern states took to the streets – in Delhi – to knock on the doors of the Center alleging discrimination in federal funds allocated to states, especially those not covered by the BJP were ruled.
On the administrative side, Finance Minister TV Somanathan told DailyExpertNews that financial allocations to states are based on uniform guidelines that leave no room for discrimination.
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