T.N. forms panel on autonomy of States
▪ Three-member high-level committee had been formed to review provisions of the Constitution laws and policies pertaining to Centre-State relations, and recommend steps to strengthen the States’ autonomy and federalism.
▪ Justice Kurian Joseph, the former Supreme Court judge who will lead a high-level committee.
▪ Retired IAS officer and former Vice-Chancellor of the Indian Maritime University K. Ashok Vardhan Shetty and former vice-chairman, State Planning Commission, M. Naganathan will be its members.
▪ The committee would recommend
✓ ways to restore subjects moved from the State List to the Concurrent List,
✓ propose measures for States to overcome administrative challenges,
✓ suggest reforms to ensure maximum autonomy for States without compromising the unity and integrity of the nation,
✓ consider the recommendations of the Rajamannar Committee and subsequent commissions formed by the Union government on the Centre-State relations.
▪ The committee is expected to submit its interim report by January 2026, and the final report within two years.
▪ The panel will examine if Centre-State relations need glasnost (transparency) and, if need be, perestroika (restructuring/reform) to fulfil the need of the hour and live up to the expectations of the people.
▪ ‘’Constitution was an organic document that should live up to the people’s aspirations’’.
Other Commissions related to Centre- State relations
✓ Rajamannar Committee – 1969- By Tamil Nadu Government
✓ Sarkaria Commission – 1983
✓ Punchhi Commission – 2007
