Question

Choose the correct statement(s) regarding the Rajamannar Committee (1969):

1. It was appointed by the Central Government to secure utmost autonomy for the states.

2. It recommended abolishing the Planning Commission and replacing it with a statutory body.

3. It suggested transferring residuary powers to the states.

• A. 1 and 2 only
• B. 2 and 3 only
• C. 1 and 3 only
• D. All of the above

Answer 1

Answer:

B. 2 and 3 only

The Rajamannar Committee (1969)

• The Rajamannar Committee was constituted by the Tamil Nadu Government in 1969 to examine the entire question of Centre-State relations.
• It was chaired by Dr. P.V. Rajamannar, a former Chief Justice of Madras High Court. The other members were Dr. A. Lakshmanaswami Mudaliar and P. Chandra Reddy.
• The committee was appointed by the state government, not the Central Government, primarily to suggest amendments to the Constitution to secure utmost autonomy for the states.

Key Recommendations of the Rajamannar Committee:

• Abolition of the Planning Commission: The committee strongly recommended the abolition of the Planning Commission, which it viewed as a non-statutory and non-constitutional body, and suggested replacing it with a statutory body. This new body would consist of experts in various fields and representatives from states.
• Transfer of Residuary Powers: It recommended that the residuary powers of legislation and taxation should be transferred from the Union to the states. Currently, according to Article 248 of the Indian Constitution, Parliament has exclusive power to make any law with respect to any matter not enumerated in the Concurrent List or State List, and this power includes the power of making any law imposing a tax not mentioned in either of those Lists.
• Inter-State Council: The committee stressed the need for immediately constituting a permanent Inter-State Council under Article 263 of the Constitution. This council would resolve inter-state disputes and discuss matters of common interest.
• Finance Commission: It suggested that the Finance Commission should be made a permanent body.
• All-India Services: The committee recommended the abolition of the All-India Services (IAS, IPS, IFS) on the grounds that they violate the principle of federalism and states' autonomy.
• Article 356: It recommended that Article 356 (President's Rule) should be deleted from the Constitution, or at least its scope should be severely restricted.
• Governor's Role: It stated that the Governor should not be merely an agent of the Centre but should act in consultation with the state cabinet.
• Revision of Concurrent List: The committee suggested that certain subjects from the Concurrent List should be transferred to the State List.
• Judicial Powers: It recommended that the Supreme Court's advisory jurisdiction (Article 143) should be abolished.

Impact and Significance:

• Most of the recommendations of the Rajamannar Committee were not implemented by the Central Government.
• However, its report brought the issue of Centre-State relations to the forefront of national debate and significantly influenced subsequent discussions and studies on federalism in India, including the appointment of the Sarkaria Commission (1983).