Rajamannar Committee

Tamil Nadu was the first state to establish Rajamannar Committee on Centre-State Relations.

About the Rajamannar Committee:

• The Rajamannar Committee was constituted by the Union government in response to demands for greater powers to States.
• It was established in 1969 under the chairmanship of the P.V. Rajamannar, former Chief Justice (CJ) of the Madras High Court.

Key Recommendations of the Committee:

• Establish an Inter-State Council to address Centre-State relations.
• Widen the base of revenue devolution to States.
• Make all excise duties and cesses compulsorily divisible between the Union and States.
• Some subjects must be transfer from the Union List to the State List of 7^th Schedule such as mineral oil resources.
• It strongly favored autonomy for States and recommended unburdening the Centre in many areas of responsibility and advocated State autonomy.

Differences with the Administrative Reforms Commission (ARC):

• The ARC had emphasized a “Strong Union,” whereas Rajamannar Committee aimed to eliminate the concept of legislative supremacy of the Centre and grant maximum autonomy to States.

Other bodies set up by Government for the same issues:

• The first Administrative Reforms Commission (ARC), which submitted its report in 1969
• The Commission on Centre-State Relations (1988)
• The National Commission to review the Working of the Constitution (2002)
• The Commission on Centre-State Relations (2010)

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