Sarkaria Commission

In 1983, the Central government appointed a three-member Commission on Centre-state relations under the chairmanship of R.S. Sarkaria, a retired judge of the Supreme Court to examine and review the working of existing arrangements between the Centre and states.

Recommendations

• A permanent Inter-State Council called the Inter-Governmental Council should be set up under Article 263.
• Article 356 (President’s Rule) should be used very sparingly, in extreme cases as a last resort when all the available alternatives fail.
• The institution of All-India Services should be further strengthened and some more such services should be created.
• The residuary powers of taxation should continue to remain with the Parliament, while the other residuary powers should be placed in the Concurrent List.
• When the president withholds his assent to the state bills, the reasons should be communicated to the state government.
• The procedure of consulting the chief minister in the appointment of the state governor should be prescribed in the Constitution itself.
• The net proceeds of the corporation tax may be made permissibly shareable with the states.
• The surcharge on income tax should not be levied by the Centre except for a specific purpose and for a strictly limited period