Uttarakhand wants more powers to store foodgrains

Uttarakhand chief minister Ramesh Pokhriyal has sought more powers to the state to store foodgrains. "The centre has to coordinate production, export, import and storage. Lakhs of metric tonnes of wheat is rotting, while people were dying of hunger. This clearly shows lack of coordination," he told reporters. Pokhriyal, who was in New Delhi to attend the National Development Council Meeting, said states were willing to store foodgrain but the Centre was not ready for it. On the proposed Goods and Services Tax regime, he said it would put a question mark on the rights of the states.

"Under GST, states cannot increase or decrease taxes as per their requirements. The right will rest with the centre which is not correct," he said. On the issue of centre's decision to withdraw special industrial package to the BJP ruled Uttarakhand and Himachal Pradesh, he said the two states will continue to press for resumption of the package. "We were given the package by the NDA government till 2013 but the UPA Government withdrew it in 2010," he said.