THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan stressed on the need to re-energise the Niti Aayog and the Inter-State Council to discuss matters of importance referred by the Centre and the chief ministers.
Referring to the need for structural reforms in agriculture, Pinarayi said the concept of bringing in corporate farming and putting farmers in direct contact with them to increase their income, would not be a reality. The corporate entities would have exploitative conditions, he said.
The draft legislation on Agricultural Produce Marketing Committees and Contract Farming - which propose to exempt agricultural commodities according to the Essential Commodities Act - can be misused to create price hike.
“A meaningful cooperative federalism would require more flexible fiscal space for the states which shoulder substantial social sector obligations, as per the constitutional division of powers. The government of Kerala is of the firm opinion that states should be able to perform their constitutionally assigned developmental role effectively.
Deficit targets should be flexible to state-specific and situation specific realities,” he said while referring to the scenario where the state was not able to avail Central assistance after the 2018 floods.