Chennai, 19 February (H.S.) : A high-level committee led by retired Supreme Court judge Justice Kurian Joseph has submitted a landmark report to Chief Minister M K Stalin, proposing extensive constitutional and institutional reforms to rebalance Union-state relations.

Part I of the report, which was tabled in the Tamil Nadu Legislative Assembly, calls for a structural reset of Indian federalism. The committee argues that decentralization is a necessity for effective governance and proposes that the Union government should focus on national responsibilities while restoring autonomy to the states.

Key recommendations include significant changes to the process of constitutional amendments under Article 368. The panel suggests that any amendment should require a two-thirds majority in both Houses of Parliament and ratification by two-thirds of state legislatures representing at least two-thirds of the population.

Furthermore, the report proposes that the basic structure doctrine, including features like federalism and secularism, be explicitly codified as unamendable. It also recommends curbing the Union's power to unilaterally alter state boundaries, suggesting that such changes should require the mandatory consent of the affected state legislatures.

The report also touches upon language policy, advocating for the abandonment of the One Nation, One Language approach. It suggests making English the permanent official language for Union-state communication and expanding the Eighth Schedule to include more regional languages.

Regarding the office of the Governor, the committee recommends that the President appoint a Governor from a list approved by the State Legislative Assembly, effectively ending the pleasure doctrine that allows for arbitrary removals.

Other proposals include restoring education and health to the State List, reforming the GST Council to remove the Union's veto power, and withdrawing the One Nation, One Election proposal.

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Hindusthan Samachar / Dr. R. B. Chaudhary