Governors should be free of additional responsibilities, says commission

If a recommendation made by the Commission on Centre-State Relations is accepted, the governor of the state will cease to be the chancellor of all the universities in the state.

A recent recommendation made by this commission stated that the governors of all states should focus only on the powers bestowed upon them by the Constitution of India and not on any additional responsibilities.

The Maharashtra government is, therefore, reviewing the governor’s role in different departments to prepare its own report on the recommendation.

According to an official from the higher and technical education department, the chief secretary’s office has asked all the departments to submit a report on the governor’s role in their administrative affairs. “The recommendation states that governors should not take up the duties of the chancellor of all state universities. Under the Maharashtra Universities Act, the governor is the chancellor of all the universities in the state,” said the official.

“All the departments have been asked to comment on the recommendation. We have also sent our department’s reports to the chief secretary laying down the role of the chancellor in the state universities. Since the office of the chief secretary will review the governor’s role bestowed by the state, we are awaiting the outcome.”