By Express News Service

HYDERABAD: Continuing his tirade against the Centre, Chief Minister K Chandrasekhar Rao on Thursday said Narendra Modi government was trying to keep more powers with it instead of devolving powers to states with each passing day. If the UPA government in the past had taken some steps towards centralised administration, the present NDA government was taking more steps to consolidate all powers in its hands, ignoring states’ local needs, he said.

Referring to the implementation of Pradhan Mantri Gram Sadak Yojana (PMGSY), which is aimed at providing connectivity to unconnected habitations as part of poverty reduction programme, Rao asked, “Why should the Centre implement this programme? Doest it have knowledge of the topography and local needs of 6.4 lakh villages in the country? Why should the Union government control subjects like rural roads?”

While taking part in a debate on the Telangana Panchayat Raj Bill, 2018, the Chief Minister advocated for decentralisation of administration so as to empower all states and local governments to formulate policies as per the needs of local people.

“Can’t state governments implement MNREGA programmes on their own? Why should Delhi deposit the money of labourers who work under MGNREGA in various villages across the country? Why should PM involve in PMGSY which is related to development of roads in rural areas?” he said.

KCR made these comments when BJP floor leader G Kishan Reddy accused the state government of curtailing the powers of local bodies in the state.

When Kishan Reddy tried to hit back at the Chief Minister saying that the decision to implement PMGSY and MGNREGA was taken by the UPA-1 government in which Rao was a minister, the chief minister responded quickly, saying, “I am not denying the fact that the then UPA government took the decision to deposit money to labourers under NREGA scheme from Delhi. But, after assuming power, even the NDA government is continuing the same practice.Further, the Modi government is trying to establish more centralised administration by transferring various powers from states to the Union government. Is it right?”

Then Kishan Reddy again retorted, saying that even the state government was doing the same. “The saplings being planted under Haritha Haaram are provided and supervised by departments from Hyderabad. Why is the government not giving free hand to gram panchayats to implement the programme at village level?” he asked.

CM remembers Patancheru history

How many of us know that Patancheru was one of the two panchayat samitis (blocks) which were constituted first in India during the Jawaharlal Nehru period? KCR, while speaking in the Assembly on the new panchayat Raj bill, went down the memory lane to recall how Surendra Kumar Dey, the first Union minister for cooperation and panchyati raj, pioneered and steered community development in independent India. Rao explained how Dey had chosen Hyderabad as a place for studying village administration He accused governments at Centre of destroying PR system.