Why not a Common Civil Code for all?

A set of laws to govern personal matters of all citizens irrespective of religion is the cornerstone of true secularism. It would help end gender discrimination on religious grounds and strengthen the secular fabric

The recent progressive decisions of the Shani Shingnapur and Trimbakeshwar temple trusts to allow entry of women in the wake of a series of protests constitute a welcome development in what has been a long march towards gender equality. They also served to rekindle a countrywide debate on ending widespread gender discrimination, especially on religious grounds. It is a matter of concern that close to seven decades after Independence, women continue to battle discrimination in matters of religion even as they march shoulder-to-shoulder with men in various fields.

Perhaps, the time has come for us to take a close, hard look at the Goa Family Law and see if it could be emulated in the rest of the country. The Portuguese Civil Code of 1867 was continued in Goa after its liberation, and it should be the model for other States. The progressive law provides for equal division of income and property regardless of gender between husband and wife and also between children. It is also applicable in the Union Territories of Dadra and Nagar Haveli and Daman and Diu.

Importance of a Common Code

A Common Civil Code that would put in place a set of laws to govern personal matters of all citizens irrespective of religion is perhaps the need of the hour. It is, in fact, the cornerstone of true secularism. Such a progressive reform would not only help end discrimination against women on religious grounds but also strengthen the secular fabric of the country and promote unity. However, it can be implemented only when there is wide acceptance from all religious communities after discussing all the pros and cons as no decision, however reformatory, could be thrust on the people without their acceptance. All misgivings would have to be squarely addressed for progress to be achieved on this count.

In fact, Article 44 of the Constitution declares that the state shall endeavour to secure for the citizens a Uniform Civil Code throughout the territory of India. During the debate in the Constituent Assembly, Dr. B.R. Ambedkar, while supporting the need to frame a Uniform Civil Code, expressed the hope that its application might be purely voluntary. He also said: “I personally do not understand why religion should be given this vast, expansive jurisdiction so as to cover the whole of life and to prevent the legislature from encroaching upon that field. After all, what are we having this liberty for? We are having this liberty in order to reform our social system, which is full of inequities, discriminations and other things which conflict with our fundamental rights.” Babasaheb’s pragmatic words are of great relevance to the Indian social context today.

While there is a criminal code which is applicable to all people irrespective of religion, caste, tribe and domicile in the country, there is no similar code when dealing with respect to divorce and succession which are governed by Personal Laws. The Uniform Civil Code seeks to administer the same set of secular civil laws to govern all people.

Repeated judicial reminders

In 1985, the Supreme Court ruled in favour of Shah Bano, who had moved the apex court seeking maintenance under Section 125 of the Code of Criminal Procedure after her husband divorced her. The then Chief Justice, Y.V. Chandrachud, observed that a Common Civil Code would help the cause of national integration by removing disparate loyalties to law. The Court directed Parliament to frame a Uniform Civil Code.

In the Sarla Mudgal v. Union of India (1995) case, the Supreme Court had observed: “Pandit Jawahar Lal Nehru, while defending the introduction of the Hindu Code Bill instead of a uniform civil code, in the Parliament in 1954, said, ‘I do not think that at the present moment the time is ripe in India for me to try to push it through’. It appears that even 41 years thereafter, the Rulers of the day are not in a mood to retrieve Article 44 from the cold storage where it is lying since 1949. The reasons are too obvious to be stated. The utmost that has been done is to codify the Hindu law in the form of the Hindu Marriage Act, 1955, the Hindu Succession Act, 1956, the Hindu Minority and Guardianship Act, 1956, and the Hindu Adoptions and Maintenance Act, 1956, which have replaced the traditional Hindu law based on different schools of thought and scriptural laws into one unified code. When more than 80 per cent of the citizens have already been brought under the codified personal law, there is no justification whatsoever to keep in abeyance, any more, the introduction of Uniform Civil Code for all citizens.”

In the John Vallamattom v. Union of India case in 2003, Chief Justice V.N. Khare had observed: “It is a matter of regret that Article 44 of the Constitution has not been given effect to. Parliament is still to step in for framing a common civil code in the country.”

In fact, the Supreme Court in October 2015 said there was total confusion due to various Personal Laws and sought to know if the government was willing to implement a Uniform Civil Code. It observed: “What happened to it? Why don’t you (the government) frame and implement it?” However, the apex court later declined to direct Parliament to bring in a Uniform Civil Code while allowing a PIL filed in this regard to be withdrawn.

A secular project at heart

Several eminent people, representing diverse fields, have put forth different arguments against the introduction of a Common Civil Code. The most common refrain has been that even the British did not try to codify Personal Laws based on religion and any attempt to bring in a common codification of laws would be tantamount to the state’s interference in religious affairs, particularly of the minorities. Nothing can be farther from truth. It would be apt to remember the words of Mahatma Gandhi, who once said: “We should get out of the miasma of religious majorities and minorities.” That, in reality, would be the precise endeavour of such a unified code. If one were to be wedded to rigid and bigoted views, why should there be any statutes and changes in them in sync with the times? As a society evolves, it enacts laws which protect and safeguard the rights and interests of all its citizens.

Contrary to a sustained campaign of misinformation, the whole concept of a Common Civil Code is not aimed against any particular religion or its customs, but to prevent oppression in the name of religion. It would naturally be based on internationally accepted principles of jurisprudence and would go a long way in providing a sense of security to people of various religious denominations.

Noorjehan Safia Niaz and Zakia Soman, co-founders of the Bharatiya Muslim Mahila Andolan, in a letter to Prime Minister Narendra Modi in November 2015, observed: “From the Shah Bano case in 1985 till date, Muslim women have never been heard in matters concerning their lives thanks to the politics in our country. Certain orthodox and patriarchal males have… stonewalled any attempt towards reform in Muslim personal law. In the process, Muslim women have been denied their Quranic rights as well as their rights as equal Indian citizens. Almost all Muslim countries the world over, such as Morocco, Tunisia, Turkey, Egypt, Jordan and even Bangladesh and Pakistan in our neighbourhood, have codified personal laws governing marriage and family matters… Indian Muslims are denied this opportunity. As a result, we see instances of triple talaq and polygamy in our society.” They further stated that they had just published national research findings “with a primary sample of 4710 Muslim women across 10 states. An overwhelming 92.1% women want a total ban on oral/unilateral divorce and 91.7% are opposed to polygamy. 83.3% women said that codification of Muslim family law will help Muslim women get justice”.

It was also mentioned that BMMA had prepared a draft Muslim Family Law based on Koranic tenets concerning the age of marriage, mehr, talaq, polygamy, maintenance, custody of children etc. The important provisions of this draft law include a minimum marriage age of 18 for girls and 21 for boys and that the consent of both parties must be obtained without force or fraud, minimum mehr to be equivalent of one full annual income of the groom to be paid at the time of nikah. Further, it said that Talaq-e-Ahsan should be adopted as the method of divorce requiring mandatory arbitration over a 90-day period, oral unilateral divorce to be declared illegal, polygamy to be declared illegal, daughters to get equal share as sons through hiba or gift deed or will, compulsory registration of marriages, and the qazi to be held accountable for violations during talaq, polygamy and other such matters.

About tolerance

From Shah Bano to Shayara Bano, who recently filed a PIL in the Supreme Court, the focus has been on gender-friendly reforms of Personal Laws. With changing times, the need has arisen for having a Common Civil Code for all citizens, irrespective of religion, ensuring that their fundamental and constitutional rights are protected. Nobody need have qualms on this count. While emphasising that the foundations of secularism would only get further strengthened by introducing a Common Civil Code, I would like to recall the words of Mahatma Gandhi: “I do not expect India of my dreams to develop one religion, i.e., to be wholly Hindu or wholly Christian or wholly Mussalman, but I want it to be wholly tolerant, with its religions working side-by-side with one another.”

With the government seeking the opinion of the Law Commission to examine all aspects pertaining to Uniform Civil Code, the time has come for an enlightened debate in the country to arrive at a consensus at the earliest.

M. Venkaiah Naidu is Minister for Urban Development & Information and Broadcasting, Government of India

One India, one market

The GST will decisively alter the economy for the better besides symbolising Indian politics at its cooperative, consensual best. Parliament should seize this historic opportunity

Hype and hyperbole are temptations to which government officials, in particular, must not succumb. Yet, it is difficult not to view the Goods and Services Tax (GST) Bill as a game-changing reform for the country; and, when it happens, it would be curmudgeonly not to acknowledge its passage as a major, historic achievement. Why is GST important? What can be said about its design? How does it compare with similar tax reform in other countries? Consider each question in turn.

Benefits in the offing

Three major benefits will flow from the GST. First, as the Prime Minister outlined in an interview, the GST will increase the resources available for poverty alleviation and development. This will happen indirectly as the tax base becomes more buoyant and as the overall resources of the Central and State governments increase. But it will also happen directly because the resources of the poorest States — for example, Uttar Pradesh, Bihar, and Madhya Pradesh — who happen to be large consumers will increase substantially.

Second, the GST will facilitate ‘Make in India’ by making one India. The current tax structure unmakes India, by fragmenting Indian markets along State lines. These distortions are caused by three features of the current system: the Central Sales Tax (CST) on inter-State sales of goods; numerous intra-State taxes; and the extensive nature of countervailing duty exemptions that favours imports over domestic production. In one fell swoop, the GST would rectify all these distortions: the CST would be eliminated; most of the other taxes would be subsumed into the GST; and because the GST would be applied on imports, the negative protection favouring imports and disfavouring domestic manufacturing would be eliminated.

Arvind Subramanian & Hasmukh Adhia

Third, the GST would improve — even substantially — tax governance in two ways. The first relates to the self-policing incentive inherent to a valued-added tax. To claim input tax credit, each dealer has an incentive to request documentation from the dealer behind him in the value-added/tax chain. Provided the chain is not broken through wide-ranging exemptions, especially on intermediate goods, this self-policing feature can work very powerfully in the GST. The second relates to the dual monitoring structure of the GST — one by the States and one by the Centre. Critics and taxpayers have viewed the dual structure with some anxiety, fearing two sources of interface with the tax department and hence two potential sources of harassment. But dual monitoring should also be viewed as creating desirable tax competition and cooperation between State and Central authorities. Even if one set of tax authorities overlooks and/or fails to detect evasion, there is the possibility that the other overseeing authority may not.

Other benefits such as the boost to investment have been documented in the Report on the Revenue Neutral Rate that was submitted in December last year. Of course, these benefits will only flow through a well-designed GST. The GST should aim at tax rates that protect revenue, simplify administration, encourage compliance, avoid adding to inflationary pressures, and keep India in the range of countries with reasonable levels of indirect taxes.

The fewest flaws at inception
The report also urged that the GST be comprehensive in its coverage, that exemptions from the GST be limited to a few commodities that catered to clear social benefits, and that most commodities be taxed at the standard rate. There is no free lunch here. There is no escaping the fact that the more the exemptions/exclusions, the higher will be the standard rate which could affect poorer consumers.

Some have levelled the charge that the design of the GST is flawed. But the “flawed GST” charge fails to appreciate how reforms actually occur. In no country is the GST — even today after many years of implementation — perfect, and was therefore quite flawed at inception. In complex systems, change is introduced, learning from implementation takes place, leading to further and better change. That is what happened with the implementation of the value-added tax by the States and that is what will happen with the GST. It is far better to start and allow the process of endogenous change to unfold over time than to wait Godot-like for the best time and the best design before it is introduced.

That said, we must also be realistic about the time frame for assessing the GST. The GST is fiendishly, mind-bogglingly complex to administer. Such complexity and lags in GST implementation require that any evaluation of the GST — and any consequential decisions — should not be undertaken over short horizons (say months) but over longer periods, say one-two years.

In understanding GST systems around the world, we have been struck by how ambitious and how under-flawed the Indian GST is. GST-type taxes in large federal systems are either overly centralised, depriving the sub-federal levels of fiscal autonomy (Australia, Germany, and Austria); or where there is a dual structure, they are either administered independently — creating too many differences in tax bases and rates that weaken compliance and make inter-State transactions difficult to tax (Brazil, Russia and Argentina) — or administered with a modicum of coordination which minimises these disadvantages (Canada and India today) but does not do away with them.

The Indian GST will be a leap forward in creating a much cleaner dual VAT which would minimise the disadvantages of completely independent and completely centralised systems. A common base and common rates (across goods and services) and very similar rates (across States and between Centre and States) will facilitate administration and improve compliance while also rendering manageable the collection of taxes on inter-State sales. At the same time, the exceptions — in the form of permissible additional excise taxes on special goods (petroleum and tobacco for the Centre, petroleum and alcohol for the States) — will provide the requisite fiscal autonomy to the States. Indeed, even if they are brought within the scope of the GST, the States will retain autonomy in being able to levy top-up taxes on these goods.

To have achieved this, in a large and complex federal system of multiparty democracy, with a Centre, 29 States and 2 Union Territories of widely divergent interests via a constitutional amendment requiring broad political consensus, affecting potentially 7.5 million tax entities, and marshalling the latest technology to use and improve tax implementation capability, is perhaps breathtakingly unprecedented in modern global tax history.

Sometimes, we are insufficiently appreciative of how much the country has achieved in coming to this point with the GST. As the Prime Minister suggested, credit should go to all stakeholders at the Centre and the States for having worked towards the GST. The time is ripe to collectively seize this historic opportunity; not just because the GST will decisively alter the Indian economy for the better but also because the GST symbolises Indian politics and democracy at its cooperative, consensual best.

Hasmukh Adhia and Arvind Subramanian are, respectively, Revenue Secretary and Chief Economic Adviser to the Government of India.

Archaeological Site of Nalanda Mahavihara (Nalanda University) Gets Inscribed in World Heritage List

Archaeological Site of Nalanda Mahavihara (Nalanda University) Gets Inscribed in World Heritage List

“The Excavated Remains at Nalanda” got included in the Tentative List of World Heritage on 09.01.2009. The nomination dossier for ‘Excavated Remains of Nalanda Mahavihara’ was prepared by the ASI and submitted in January 2015 to the World Heritage Committee for the purpose of its inscription in the year 2016 and on 15 July 2016 it has got inscribed as a World Heritage Site by UNESCO.

The “Excavated remains of Nalanda Mahavihara”, the great monastic-cum-scholastic establishment are located around 88 km away from Patna, state capital of Bihar in India. It presents a key archaeological evidence of a truly international centre for organised learning. Nalanda Mahavihara was founded by Kumargupta I of the Gupta dynasty in 5th century CE. It was patronized by various rulers including King Harshavardhana of Kannauj (7th century CE) and the Pala rulers (8th – 12th century CE) as well as various scholars. Later, number of factors spread over centuries caused the decline of this famed institution. The same region, later, saw emergence of a number of reputed educational institutions like Vikramshila and Odantpuri but the eminence of Nalanda remains unrivaled. About six centuries after Nalanda’s decline, the site was first discovered and reported by Sir Francis Buchanan. The site was systematically excavated and consolidated by Archaeological Survey of India from 1915 to 1937 and again from 1974 to 1982.

Nalanda is a rare combination of outstanding achievements in institution-building, site-planning, art and architecture. Nalanda symbolized the multiplicity of knowledge production, the innovative processes of the organized transmission of ideas through education, and a shared heritage of people living in multiple regions of Asia.

Built ensembles in Nalanda are physical manifestation of influence of ancient Indian pedagogy where planning, architecture and artistic traditions of Indian sub-continent and beyond developed into subsequent architectural and artistic prototypes. Nalanda distinguished itself as the earliest planned university of the Indian subcontinent. Thematic and iconographic assimilation of features from major art-centres of the sub-continent with local practices is evident in art of Nalanda. While Nalanda stucco influenced practices in Thailand, its metal art influenced art of the Malayan archipelago, Nepal, Myanmar and Tibet travelling out through scholars.

Nalanda attracted scholars from the Indian subcontinent and beyond and received patronage of local rulers and foreign kings for unbroken period of 800 years. Students were admitted after rigorous evaluation only. Apart from teaching of topics related to Buddhism, contemporary texts and philosophies, logic, grammar, science, and medicine were also part of the knowledge imparted at Nalanda. Earning the title of ‘Medieval School of Discussion and Logic’, Nalanda`s scholars mastered the art and science of debate developing it into a critical tool for higher learning. Today, the continuity of its systems is also evident in contemporary monasteries in Sri Lanka, Tibet and Nepal. In fact, the term Nalanda has become synonymous with aspired standard of education as evidenced in several 21st century namesake institutions all over the world.

All surviving remains of Nalanda Mahavihara in the proposed property area demonstrate amply the attributes of the property such as its planning and layout, its architectural manifestation and extant building materials and applied ornamental embellishments. Preserved in-situ is structural remains of viharas (residential-cum-scholastic structure) and chaityas (temple-like structure) whose layers of construction show evolution of the respective forms. The positioning of these structures over the length of the site shows the planned layout unique to Nalanda. The viharas retain infrastructure for residential-cum-scholastic functions. The quincuxial or five-fold plan-form characteristic of a Nalanda chaitya is evident in the temple within the property. The site also retains a corpus of moveable and immoveable artefacts and artistic embellishment that shows iconographic development reflecting changes in Buddhist belief system. While stucco and engraved art are conserved in-situ, metal and stone objects are exhibited today at the adjoining Site Museum.

Prime Minister Shri Narendra Modi chairs the Inter-State Council meeting

Prime Minister Shri Narendra Modi chairs the Inter-State Council meeting

A meeting of the Inter-State Council took place here today. The Prime Minister Shri Narendra Modi chaired the meeting. Union Ministers participated in the meeting along with the Chief Ministers and Administrators of States and Union Territories.

This Inter-State Council meeting has many firsts. Notable among them is that, for the first time a meeting of the Inter-State Council has covered a wide ranging topics of common interest to the Centre and the States. Previously Inter-State Council meetings focused on just one or two sectors. It is also important to add here that this meeting has been held after a gap of 10 years.

The Union Home Minister, Shri Rajnath Singh welcomed the Members of the Council and mentioned about the importance of cooperative federalism and how this Government was committed to the ideal of Centre-State cooperation. The completion of all the Zonal Council meetings in 2015 was a reflection of this commitment, he added.

The Prime Minister, in his inaugural address mentioned, that the Inter State Council is the most significant platform for strengthening Centre-State and Inter-State relations. He observed that the Council should discuss matters which are of concern to large segments of our population. It is with that intention that the agenda subjects for discussion in the Council have been chosen. So far 102 crore Aadhaar cards have been distributed and today the Aadhaar card has become a symbol of empowerment. He added that India’s greatest assets are the youth of the country and, therefore, they should be equipped with the skill and ability to think logically and work creatively. He emphasized the need to focus on intelligence sharing and ensure greater coordination among agencies, so as to strengthen the internal security of the country.

Following this, presentations were made by the Secretary of Inter-State Council Secretariat and the Secretaries of the Departments of Electronics and IT, School Education and Literacy and the Ministry of Home Affairs.

The Chief Ministers then presented their views on the agenda items. The recommendations of the Commission on Centre-State relations headed by Justice M.M. Punchhi, retired CJI, will be first referred to the Standing Committee and with their recommendations be placed before the Council. On the issue of Aadhaar enrollment and using Aadhaar as an identifier for direct benefit transfers, the State Governments assured that they will provide maximum support in completing the enrollment and also in setting up DBT (Direct Benefit Transfer) cells. The consensus view that emerged in the Council with regard to improving the quality of education and learning outcomes was that there has to be an improvement in the pupil-teacher ratio and in the training of teachers. Besides, focus also needs to be there on improving classroom processes and in the quality of school infrastructure. All these should be achieved in a time-bound manner. The Council discussed the importance of maintaining internal security by better intelligence sharing between the States and Central agencies. Terrorism should be put down with an iron hand. The need for modernizing the police force with better equipment and training was also emphasized.

Many Chief Ministers lauded the Government of India for convening the meeting of the Inter-State Council and requested that such meetings should be convened more frequently.

In his concluding address the Prime Minister mentioned that Aadhaar seeding should be attempted to the maximum extent possible in the implementation of welfare schemes. While expansion of educational facilities for school education was the only area of priority focus earlier, today we should, in addition focus on the quality of education and learning outcomes also. Technology can greatly help in this. We should proactively take steps to bridge the disparities in the standards between the better endowed and poorly endowed schools.

There should be better coordination and interaction between the police departments of the States and ‘Smart Policing’ should be practiced and in this, technology and focus on training of the police personnel in matters relating to cyber crimes should be important points of emphasis.

PM's inaugural address in eleventh Inter-State Council Meeting

English rendering of excerpts of the PM's inaugural address in eleventh Inter-State Council Meeting at New Delhi

Chief Ministers and Lt. Governors of States and Union Territories, and my Cabinet colleagues,

I welcome you all to this important meeting of the Inter State Council.

There are only a few occasions when the leadership of the Centre and the States, assembles together. This forum of cooperative federalism is the perfect setting to deliberate on the interests of the people, address their problems, and take collective and concrete decisions. It highlights the vision of the makers of our Constitution.

Let me begin by recalling what our beloved former Prime Minister Shri Atal Bihari Vajpayee ji had said at this very forum sixteen years ago:

“In a democracy as big and diverse as ours, debate, deliberation and discussion help evolve policy that relates to the ground reality. More importantly, they enable the effective implementation of such policies.

The Inter-State Council is an inter-governmental forum that can be used for evolving policy as well as ensuring its implementation. I, therefore, urge the States to increasingly use this forum as an effective instrument to strengthen our democracy, our society and our polity.”

The Inter-State Council is certainly the most significant platform for strengthening Centre-State and Inter-State relations. There has been a long hiatus since the last meeting in 2006, but I am happy that through the efforts of Home Minister Rajnath Singh ji, the process has been restarted. Over the last one year, he has convened meetings of five zonal councils. The increased dialogue and connect has culminated in this gathering today.

The nation can progress only if the Union and State Governments walk shoulder to shoulder. It would be difficult for any Government to successfully implement a scheme on its own. Therefore, provision of adequate financial resources is as important as the responsibility for implementation.

With the acceptance of the 14th Finance Commission recommendations, the States’ share in central taxes has increased from 32 per cent to 42 per cent. This means that States now have greater financial resources to utilize in accordance with their requirements. I am happy to share that the total amount received by States from the Centre during 2015-16 is 21 per cent higher than the amount received in 2014-15. Similarly, Panchayats and Urban Local Bodies will receive 2.87 lakh crore rupees during the period of the 14th Finance Commission, which is substantially higher than last time.

The rights of States have been kept in mind, even in revenue received from the auction of natural resources, Auctions of coal blocks will yield 3.35 lakh crore rupees to States in the years to come. Auctions of other mines will yield an additional 18,000 crore rupees to states. Similarly, through amendments to CAMPA Act, we are attempting to free up about 40,000 crore rupees lying idle in banks, for disbursal to States.

The Union Government also wishes to share with States, the amount that is being saved as a result of transparency being introduced into the system. Kerosene is one example. Electricity connections are increasing in villages. The Union Government will provide 5 crore new cooking gas connections over the next three years. The supply of LPG will further increase. All these efforts have a direct bearing on the consumption of kerosene. Recently, the Chandigarh administration declared the city a kerosene-free zone. Now, the Union Government has launched a scheme, under which, if there is a reduction in the consumption of kerosene by a State, the Centre will disburse 75 per cent of the resultant savings in subsidy, as grant to that State. The Government of Karnataka, while moving swiftly on this initiative, has sent its proposal to the Petroleum Ministry. This has been accepted and the grant has been disbursed to the State Government. If all States decide to reduce kerosene consumption by 25 per cent, and actually do so, they can receive about 1600 crore rupees as grant this year.

Apart from Centre-State relations, the Inter State Council is an appropriate forum to discuss matters which are of concern to large segments of our population. How can we evolve consensus at the policy formulation stage? How can we address issues of mutual interest?

Therefore, in this meeting of the Inter State Council, besides the Punchhi Commission Report, three very important subjects have also been added to the Agenda.

One of these is Aadhaar. Parliament has passed the Aadhaar Act-2016. The passage of this Act enables us to use Aadhaar for Direct Cash Transfers for subsidy and other services.

As on date, 102 crore Aadhaar cards have been distributed in our country of 128 crore people. 79 per cent of our people now have Aadhaar cards. Among adults, 96 per cent people have Aadhaar cards. With your support, we shall connect every citizen of the country with an Aadhaar card by the year-end.

Today the simple Aadhaar card has become a symbol of empowerment. Benefits now flow only to people genuinely entitled to receive them, with money getting directly credited to their bank accounts. This has not only brought in transparency, but also resulted in savings of thousands of crores of rupees, which are being utilized for development.

Friends, Babasaheb Ambedkar had written – “The path of social reform like the path to heaven at any rate in India, is strewn with many difficulties. Social reform in India has few friends and many critics.”

The words written by him continue to be relevant even today. Therefore, eschewing criticism, we must lay emphasis on promoting social reform schemes through mutual cooperation. Many of these schemes have been designed by sub-groups of Chief Ministers under the aegis of the NITI Aayog.

Another important area of discussion in the Inter State Council is Education. India's greatest asset is its youth. More than 30 crore children are currently of school-going age. Hence, our country has the potential to provide the world with skilled manpower for many years to come. The Centre and the States must work together to provide our children an enabling environment in which they can develop their skills and prepare themselves for today's needs.

In the words of Pt. Deen Dayal Upadhyay: “Education is an investment. While planting trees, we do not charge them any fee.” We are aware that these trees will give us oxygen in the future, and benefit the environment. Likewise, education is also an investment that benefits the society.

Pt. Deen Dayal Upadhyay ji said this in 1965. Since then we have come a long way in terms of education. But a lot still remains to be done with regard to the standard of education. We must discuss the extent to which our system of education is genuinely educating our children.

The best way of improving the standard of education among children is to make them aware of the purpose of education. Merely going to school is not education. Education should generate curiosity among children. It should teach them how to attain and enhance knowledge. It should motivate them to continuously keep learning throughout their lives.

Swami Vivekananda also used to say that education does not mean merely attaining bookish knowledge. The aim of education is character building. Education means strengthening the mind, and enhancing one's intellect, so that one can become self-reliant.

Given the kind of efficiency and ability that is required in the economy of the 21st century, it is our responsibility to ensure that our youth are equipped with at least some skill-sets. We have to prepare our youth to think logically, think out of the box, and work creatively.

Internal Security is another important issue on the agenda today. We have to discuss internal security challenges confronting the country, the solutions to these challenges, and mutual cooperation in this regard. The internal security of the country cannot be strengthened until we focus on intelligence sharing, ensure greater coordination among agencies, and equip our police with modern approach and technology. While, we have come a long way, we need to continuously increase our efficiency and capacity. We must constantly remain alert and updated.

The meeting of the Inter State Council provides an opportunity for exchange of views in an extremely free and frank manner. I am sure you will share your thoughts and suggestions on all the agenda items. These will be of tremendous value.

The more we are able to forge consensus on these vital issues, the better we shall be able to tackle them. In doing so, we shall not only strengthen the spirit of cooperative federalism and Centre-State relations, but also secure a better future for our citizens

India felicitated for Maternal and Neonatal Tetanus Elimination (MNTE) and yaws-free status India:

India felicitated for Maternal and Neonatal Tetanus Elimination (MNTE) and yaws-free status India: first nation to be formally acknowledged to be yaws-free “proud moment for India to have achieved these two momentous public health milestones”: J P Nadda

“Proud moment for India to have achieved these two momentous public health milestones”. This was stated by Shri J P Nadda, Union Minister of Health and Family Welfare as he received the official citation from WHO and UNICEF, in the presence of Smt. Anupriya Patel, Minister of State, Health & Family Welfare, for Elimination of Maternal and Neonatal Tetanus and for being YAWS-free, here today. India is the first country to be officially acknowledged as being Yaws-free. India was validated for Maternal and Neonatal Tetanus Elimination (MNTE) in April 2015, much ahead of the global target date of December 2015.

Speaking at the occasion, Shri Nadda stated that following the success of polio eradication programme, these achievements reflect the dedication of the country towards achievement of health equity and universal health coverage. This has been possible due to the commitment and dedication of the lakhs of health workers, various stakeholders and concerted efforts of planners and policymakers, he added. He congratulated them all for this singular honour the country has achieved in a short span of time. He further added this accomplishment is significant as India has achieved this important milestone of being Yaws-free much before the WHO global target year of 2020.

The Union Health Minister stated that India has shown the world that there is no such thing as impossible. These are likely the greatest lessons, and the greatest inspirations for the rest of the world, the Health Minister added. The Health Minister appealed to sustain this achievement of Maternal & Neonatal Tetanus Elimination (MNTE) by health system strengthening; high routine immunization coverage and promotion of institutional/Clean Delivery/clean cord practices and effective surveillance system. The gains in keeping India free from preventable deaths continues with introduction of newer vaccines such as Rotavirus vaccine, IPV, Adult JE and soon-to-be introduced Measles-Rubella in the public health programme of the country, the Minister added.

Smt Anupriya Patel, Minister of State for Health and Family Welfare said that this is a huge public health feat. She further added that this has been possible through continued efforts of political leadership and hard work of health workers. Smt. Anupriya Patel congratulated all stakeholders and said that this achievement is particularly significant as both MNTE and YAWS have been achieved much before their target dates.

Dr. Poonam Khetrapal Singh, Regional Director WHO-SEARO congratulated India and said that these are achievements for entire humanity and not just India. She further added that this has been possible because of education and early treatment of vulnerable population. She said that lessons learned from these two huge public health milestones should guide other programmes as well. The achievements will not only improve the health of marginalized communities, but will also enhance their socio-economic status and contribute to India’s wider development, Dr Singh noted.

India completed validation of maternal and neonatal tetanus elimination in all of its 36 states and union territories in April 2015, much earlier than the target date of December 2015. While progress continues to be made, by June 2016, 19 countries have still not reached the maternal and neonatal elimination status. The elimination of Maternal and Neonatal Tetanus as a public health problem means that in our country the annual rate of Maternal and Neonatal Tetanus is now less than 1 per 1000 live births.

The Health Ministers also released Immunization Handbook for Medical Officers; Routine Immunization Monitoring Guidelines & SOPs; INCHIS survey report of Mission Indradhanush; Guidelines for establishing sentinel stillbirth surveillance; Maternal & Child Health Guidelines on Birth Defects Surveillance and Still Birth; “Yaws Disease - End of Scourge in India” booklet along with the new Communication Plan for Routine Immunization featuring Shri Amitabh Bachchan.

Mr. James Gitau, Country Representative (officiating), UNICEF; Shri Bhanu Pratap Sharma, Secretary (HFW); Dr. Jagdish Prasad, DGHS; Shri C K Mishra, ASnMD (NHM); senior officers from the Ministry and representatives of various Development Partners were also present at the felicitation ceremony.

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Prime Minister to chair the Inter-State Council meeting tomorrow

Prime Minister to chair the Inter-State Council meeting tomorrow

The Prime Minister Shri Narendra Modi will chair the eleventh meeting of the Inter-State Council here tomorrow. The Union Ministers and Chief Ministers of all states are expected to attend the meeting.

The Prime Minister is the Chairman of the Inter-State Council. During the eleventh meeting of Inter-State Council being held tomorrow, following issues will be discussed:

i). Consideration of the recommendations of the Punchhi Commission on Centre-State relations,

ii). Use of Aadhaar as an identifier and use of Direct Benefit Transfer (DBT) for providing subsidies, benefits and Public services,

iii) Improving quality of school education with focus on improving learning outcomes, incentivising better performance, and

iv). Internal security

The Inter-State Council Secretariat, under the Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA), Government of India, also organises the Zonal Council meetings under the chairmanship of Union Home Minister. During the year 2015, all the five Zonal Council meetings namely East, Central, North, West and South have been held in that order. Apart from this, the meeting of North Eastern Council (NEC) with all the Chief Ministers of the North Eastern States was held under the Chairmanship of Union Home Minister Shri Rajnath Singh. During the current year, the Eastern Zonal Council meeting was chaired by Home Minister Shri Rajnath Singh in Ranchi, Jharkhand on June 27, 2016. During these meetings, the subjects such as economic and social sectors, infrastructure, health, security related matters and various other developmental schemes were discussed by Shri Rajnath Singh with the concerned Chief Ministers and other participants.

The members of the Inter-State Council consist of Chief Ministers of all states, Chief Ministers of Union Territories having a Legislative Assembly and Administrators of UTs not having a Legislative Assembly, Six Union Ministers and eleven Union Cabinet Ministers/Minister of State (Independent Charge) as permanent invitees. The six Union Ministers Shri Rajnath Singh, Smt Sushma Swaraj, Shri Arun Jaitley, Shri M. Venkaiah Naidu, Shri Nitin Jairam Gadkari and Shri Manohar Parrikar are the members of the Inter- State Council. Union Ministers Shri Suresh Prabhu, Shri D. V. Sadananda Gowda, Shri Ramvilas Paswan, Shri Ravi Shankar Prasad, Smt Harsimrat Kaur Badal, Shri Jual Oram, Shri Thaawar Chand Gehlot, Smt Smriti Zubin Irani, Shri Dharmendra Pradhan, Shri Piyush Goyal and Smt Nirmala Sitharaman are the permanent invitees to the Inter-State Council.

The tenth meeting of the Inter State Council was held on December 9, 2006 in New Delhi.