South FMs to meet again in May

 ​Amaravati: After firing the first salvo at the BJP-led NDA government at the Centre from Thiruvananthapuram, Finance Ministers of southern states will be meeting in Vijayawada once again to take the issue further and act as a pressure group to prevent injustice done to the south as the terms of reference of the 15th Finance Commission were not in their interest.

The second edition of the southern finance ministers conference is likely to be held in the first week of May. Though Telangana, Tamil Naidu and Karnataka did not attend the first conference on April 10, Andhra Pradesh, which is hosting the second edition, is contemplating to invite them again besides involving Finance Ministers of other states too who are ranged against the BJP.

Kerala Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan, kicking off the conference at Thiruvananthapuram on April 10, voiced the collective fear of southern states that the 15th Finance Commission’s terms of reference were loaded heavily against the performing states. 

His contention was that the terms of reference would help states which had no discipline in population control and benefit from its recommendations while those which took strict measures on birth control would end up as losers as the commission was asked to take the 2011 census as basis and not the 1971 census. 

The states which have more population would get more funds and those which have less population would get less funds, which, the south FMs say, is discriminatory.The organisers are planning to invite officials from Finance Departments of other states along with the Finance Ministers. The authorities thought that if the IAS officers and higher rank officials in the Finance Department would join the meeting, the outcome would be more effective.

Though the second meeting was scheduled to take place in Visakhapatnam on April 24, it was deferred for various reasons, including lack of time to prepare the necessary strategy for the meeting which primarily is intended to send out a warning to the Centre against taking the south for granted. 

The AP finance department will invite the FMs and officials from states, including Delhi, Punjab, West Bengal, Odisha, Mizoram, who too are unhappy with the NDA dispensation.

By: Sambasiva Rao Madamanchi