The state of the economy is continuously reviewed. So is the working of central ministries. The state of the states however remains neglected. Performance of an individual state is reported, evaluated and at the very least examined during the annual plan discussions in the Planning Commission. There is however no opportunity for a collective discussion on the comparative performance of all states with their differentiating characteristics.

In this sense the Annual India Today Conclave remains unique. Not only chief ministers of many states across the regional and political spectrum engage in interactive discussions, but it is preceded by a well-considered analytical evaluation, ranking the states on various criteria ranging from infrastructure, human resources development and governance quality to improvement factors. This is followed by a ceremony where states which have performed well on various criteria are awarded. This year was no different.

At a function last week 10 chief ministers representing a combination of big and small states, as well as different parties, including regional parties, considered the broader issues of Centre-state relations. This was followed by awards conferred by President Kalam as well as a presentation made by him on various key issues like the provision of urban facilities in rural areas (PURA), fiscal policies, infrastructure, and governance quality. They certainly brought out key concerns, areas of convergence and the enormous implementation obligation on the states.

In the panel discussion of chief ministers, which I moderated, several issues came up for consideration. Given the number of attempts to overhaul the basic framework of Center-state relations, and the number of these attempts that have ended up gathering dust as governments change and time moves on, it also seems like it is appropriate to identify an incremental path towards a more harmonious federation. What are the small steps we can take to move towards a process for a consensus, and a process for managing the many and diverse voices that make up this country? With the aforesaid background, I suggested five topics for discussions:

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