What’s the Issue?
Prime Minister Narendra Modi recently told all the Chief Ministers at a big meeting (NITI Aayog’s Governing Council) that India can only move forward if the Centre and States work together as “Team India.”
Sounds great, right? But in reality, many State governments feel they are not being heard enough and that the partnership is one-sided — with the Centre making most decisions, and the States just expected to follow.
🤝 What’s Missing in the ‘Team India’ Spirit?
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Lack of Regular Meetings
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The NITI Aayog and the GST Council, where such discussions should happen, don’t meet often.
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For example, the GST Council hasn’t met in over 5 months, though it's supposed to meet every 3 months.
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States Struggle to Share Their Views
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Because of these rare meetings, when States do get a chance to talk, they mostly focus on their own problems rather than national goals.
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🌟 Some Positive Suggestions from States
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Andhra Pradesh CM Chandrababu Naidu:
Proposed creating 3 sub-groups of States to work together on big issues like:-
Boosting GDP and investments
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Using India’s young population for growth
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Technology-led governance
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Tamil Nadu CM M.K. Stalin:
Suggested the Centre should share 50% of its tax money with the States, instead of the current 41%.-
Why? Because after GST, States lost many of their taxes, so it’s fair to ask for a larger share.
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📊 What About GST?
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The GST (Goods and Services Tax) replaced many taxes that States used to collect.
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The Centre promised compensation to States for 5 years for any loss — but that support has ended.
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Some States have improved their tax systems, and overall State taxes have increased slightly (from 6.6% to 7.2% of their GDP).
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However, GST itself hasn’t been as successful as expected in bringing in more money.
✅ Why This Matters
If we truly want a strong and united “Team India”, then:
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The Centre must listen more to the States.
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Regular meetings and discussions should happen.
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States should get a fair share of resources, especially since GST changed how they collect money.