Second Administrative Reforms Commission
The Second ARC was setup by the Government of India on 31 August 2005 under the Chairmanship of Shri M. Veerappa Moily with the mandate to suggest measures to achieve a proactive, responsive, accountable, sustainable and efficient administration for the country at all levels of the government.
The Commission submitted its report in 15 parts during June 2006 to May 2009. Part-7 of the report titled ‘Capacity Building for Conflict Resolution: Friction to Fusion’ made the following two recommendations regarding the Inter-State Council:
- The Inter-State Council must be given the complete role provided to it under the Constitution i.e. both conflict resolution and better coordination of policy and action in matters of interest to the Union and States. For resolution of conflicts, whether inter-State or Union-State, the mechanism of enquiring and advising, even without having the power to adjudicate, envisaged by clause (a) of Article 263 can be an effective method to resolve disputes.
- The Inter-State Council should be constituted as and when the need in that behalf arises and that the Council need not exist in perpetuity. The Council could best serve its purpose as a pro tem body with a flexible composition suited to its term of reference. The present omnibus Council may be dissolved. There should not be any bar or impediment for constituting more than one Council at a given time with different composition for each to consider different disputes or other matters of concern to different States and the Union. This approach would also facilitate meaningful, result-oriented discussions by parties directly interested in an item and facilitate time-bound solutions.
Capacity Building for Conflict Resolution: Friction to Fusion [Size – 12.7mb]