Eminent economist M.A. Oommen has emphasised on the need to bridge inter-State disparities and the inequality that exists in the delivery of services like primary health care, primary education and essential commodities for the Indian federal structure to become truly cooperative, inclusive and democratic.
The former chairman of the State Finance Commission also bemoaned the fiscal imbalance that has significantly widened during the last ten years.
He was speaking while delivering the keynote address at a national seminar jointly organised by Kerala Economic Association, Gulati Institute of Finance and Taxation and Inter University Centre for Alternative Economics, Kerala University, on ‘Cooperative federalism: Challenges ahead’ here on Saturday.
