NEW DELHI: Supreme Court on Wednesday said it would be extremely difficult for India to get counted among developed nations unless state govts earmark at least 25% of their budgetary allocations for improving the health, education, hygiene and infrastructure sectors.
“Whenever questions are raised by the court about opening schools, paying salary to teachers and allocating funds for health, hygiene and infrastructure, states have a standard ‘fund constraint’ response,” said a bench of Justices Surya Kant and N Kotiswar Singh.
It said that probably, the time has come for SC to “intervene and impress upon states to earmark 25% of their budgetary allocations to health, education, hygiene and infrastructure”. “Otherwise, it will be difficult to make India a developed country by a stipulated time,” the bench said but knew its limitations in intervening in matters falling squarely in the domain of financial policies. “We cannot direct any govt on where to spend its money. It is impermissible for the judiciary to intervene in policy matters,” it said.
The bench was hearing a PIL seeking direction to the Union govt to open libraries in panchayats to make children and citizenry aware of their rights and responsibilities, constitutional values, history and culture, and current affairs.
The Justice Kant-led bench said, “These are all subjects which fall in the state’s domain. If we ask the Centre to do it, then states will complain that the Centre is being imposed on them in violation of the federal structure of governance.”
“If people are struggling to get food, education and healthcare, what is the use of libraries to them,” it asked and said it would be difficult for the court to determine the areas which require attention of states and what are the facilities that are needed to be provided to people.
The bench disposed of the PIL while impressing upon states to examine the important issue raised by the petition and “take necessary steps to address the issue of lack of libraries in the villages”. “We expect state govts to take effective steps for the establishment of at least e-libraries in rural areas with the help of CSR funds from the corporate sector,” it said.
