States to bear 40 pc of midday meal expense

States will have to bear 40 per cent of the total expenditure in implementation of 17 centrally-sponsored schemes including Mid-Day Meal (MDM) and Sarva Shiksha Abhiyan (SSA) with the Narendra Modi government rationalising the funding pattern.

The Centre-state share in funding of these 17 schemes will, however, continue to remain in the ratio of 90:10 for eight North-Eastern states and three Himalayan states—Uttarakhand, Himachal Pradesh and Jammu and Kashmir.

“For Union Territories, the centrally-sponsored schemes will be funded 100 per cent by the central government. However, schemes that will be implemented in a particular Union Territory will be decided by the central government in consulation with the administration of the Union Territory concerned,” Finance Secretary Ratan P Watal said in a communication to all the Union ministries.

This comes months after the Finance Commission awarded more revenues to states under centre-state tax devolution plan. The Centre has rationalised its 73 schemes and fixed Centre-state funding ratio at 60:40 on the recommendations of a sub-group of the chief ministers.