Question

Which of the following statements about the Rajamannar Committee are correct?

1. It sought to make the Finance Commission a permanent body.

2. It recommended abolishing All India Services.

3. It suggested transferring some Union and Concurrent list subjects to the State list.

• A. 1 and 2 only
• B. 1 and 3 only
• C. 2 and 3 only
• D. All are correct

Answer 1

Answer:

D. All are correct

Understanding the Rajamannar Committee

• The Rajamannar Committee was constituted by the Tamil Nadu Government in 1969.
• Its primary objective was to examine the entire question of Centre-State relations in India.
• The committee was headed by Dr. P.V. Rajamannar, a former Chief Justice of Madras High Court. Its other members were Dr. A. Lakshmanaswami Mudaliar and P. Chandra Reddy.
• The committee submitted its report to the Tamil Nadu Government in 1971.

Key Recommendations for Competitive Exams:

• Making the Finance Commission a Permanent Body: The committee strongly recommended that the Finance Commission should be made a permanent body. This was aimed at ensuring continuous and consistent review of financial devolution from the Centre to the States, moving away from its ad-hoc five-year formation.
• Abolition of All India Services (AIS): A significant and controversial recommendation was the abolition of the All India Services (like IAS, IPS). The committee argued that these services created a sense of superiority and restricted the autonomy of the states in administrative matters. It suggested that a state should have full control over its administrative personnel.
• Transfer of Subjects to State List: The committee proposed that certain subjects currently in the Union List and Concurrent List should be transferred to the State List. This recommendation aimed to enhance the legislative and executive autonomy of the states, particularly in areas like education, agriculture, and industry.
• Inter-State Council: It also recommended the immediate constitution of an Inter-State Council as per Article 263 of the Constitution, to deal with all issues of common interest between the Centre and states and among states themselves.
• Residuary Powers: The committee suggested that residuary powers (powers not enumerated in any list) should vest with the states, not the Union.
• Impact: While most of the radical recommendations of the Rajamannar Committee were not accepted by the Central government, its report served as a crucial document that highlighted the issues in Centre-State relations and significantly influenced subsequent debates and commissions, such as the Sarkaria Commission, which also examined similar issues. It reflected the growing demand for greater state autonomy from various regional parties.