FC may incentivise states doing well in population mgt: Singh

The 15th Finance Commission (FC) may consider incentixising those states who are doing well in population management as the terms of reference did allow for that, its chairman N K Singh said today.

Many states, mostly those in the south, where population levels have declined, had opposed choosing 2011 as the base year for population census and not 1972 in the terms of reference of the 15th FC.

"The states have correctly placed their demands to the President saying that they will lose if 2011 is taken as the year for taking population data," Singh said at an Indian Chamber of Commerce (ICC) event here.

He said that the FC would have to abide by the terms of reference given, adding "which also allows for incentivising states for doing better population control," he said.

"There will be no bias or prejudice governing us rather than what the Constitution does," he said.

In the 14th FC, both the population data of 1972 and 2011 were used, he said.

Earlier in the day, Singh met representatives of political parties of West Bengal and held discussions with them.

Singh said all the parties had raised the issue of the state's debt during the deliberations.

Singh is scheduled to meet Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee tomorrow.

The 15th FC, formed in November 2017, would have to submit its report to the Centre by end 2019.