Page 5 - Latest Updates on 16th Finance Commission

16th FC Chair Panagariya calls for permanent data portal for continuity

He said that each finance commission has to start the work on data afresh and a data portal will resolve that issue and bring continuity

'Finance Commission to tackle issues of freebies, green cover compensation'

The 16th Finance Commission would address the issues pertaining to the distribution of freebies and compensation for providing green cover, Chairman Arvind Panagariya said on Monday. Speaking with reporters here after deliberations with the Himachal Pradesh government, Panagariya said that expectations and needs of the state have been discussed and a 90-slide presentation was given by the officials which emphasized that the cost of everything is much higher in the state due to its difficult terrain. Replying to a question, the chairman said, "The issue of freebies would also be addressed by the commission as we are aware that freebies have proliferated and there is a competition among the states and the political parties to give freebies.. It is pertinent to mention that the Congress government in the state had promised to give Rs 1,500 per month to women in the age bracket of 18 to 59 years in its poll manifesto released on the eve of the last assembly polls held in 2022. He said

Strong economic base to help new govt make India a developed nation by 2047

India's world record beating economic growth rate together with robust tax revenues, a fast expanding digital and financial infrastructure and a strong manufacturing sector will give the new government a base for unleashing next generation reforms that may make the country a developed nation by 2047. The new government will however have to tackle with problems like unemployment and rural distress, which seemed to have played a major role in voting pattern in states like Uttar Pradesh, while also keeping inflation under control. Given that no party, including BJP, have a clear majority of its own, tough reforms like big ticket privatisation and labour law reforms may take a backseat. As per the available trends, BJP is likely to win about 240 seats in a 543- member Lok Sabha. It would have to rely on its allies like TDP and JDU to form the next government. The new government will have to build upon the 8.2 per cent GDP growth recorded in 2023-24 and carry on with the reforms to make

India could be the third largest economy by 2026-27, says Arvind Panagariya

Panagariya stressed that in order to achieve this, it was important to reform labour laws and for markets to release capital to more labour-intensive industries

16th Finance Commission invites suggestions on its ToR, general approach

The Commission is also mandated to review the present arrangements on financing Disaster Management initiatives, with reference to the funds constituted under the Disaster Management Act, 2005

Decentralisation: India's struggle with persistent challenges

To push the decentralisation project forward, the first step is to create and distribute information on the activities and finances of local bodies

An idea for the next government

Swift delivery of justice will improve the investment climate, increase growth potential, and enhance the overall quality of development

Centre appoints Manoj Panda as member of 16th Finance Commission

Panda's research areas span monitoring and analysis of macro-economic trends and prospects, evaluation of alternative trade and fiscal policy options from the point of view of growth and distribution

The North-South divide: The 'fiscal injustice' rhetoric is biased

It should not be forgotten that in the 1950s and 1960s, the North Indian states subsidised Southern and Western India as part of the cooperative model of nation-building

Under-employment a problem for India: Panagariya as he pitches for reforms

Pitching for labour reforms, the chairman of the 16th Finance Commission and former NITI Aayog Chairman Arvind Panagariya on Saturday said that "unemployment," is not a problem for India but "under-employment" is. Speaking at a session 'The Economic Whisper: how to fuel growth with jobs' at the concluding day of the two-day ABP Network's 'Ideas of India Summit 3.0' here, he also sounded optimistic that the jobs problem in the country will be solved over the next 10 years. "Unemployment is really not India's problem in my view. Our problem is underemployment, so productivity is low. So the job that can be done by one person often gets done by two people or maybe three people. And that is where I think, the real challenge of jobs is creating well-paid high-productivity jobs," he said. Stating that in the economy's jargon, India is a labour-abundant and capital-scarce country, he said, "What we have done is to put much of the capital in very selective sectors which are in any case very

Politicians to economists, the changing composition of Finance Commissions

The govt is in the process of appointing a member in place of Niranjan Rajadhhyaksha, the executive director at Artha Global, who resigned from the Commission earlier this month

Govt must focus on exports to reach 10% economic growth: Finance Commission

India must focus on exports to achieve 10 per cent economic growth, Arvind Panagariya, Chairman of the 16th Finance Commission, has said. Paragariya also said that the temptation of import-substituting industrial policy is not unique to India. "I have looked at successful countries such as...Singapore, Taiwan, South Korea, China, and India - these are the...high-growth examples. "My conclusion is very clear - countries that have been open are the ones that have grown rapidly," he said in an interaction with 'Foundation For Economic Development'. He added that the intellectual support for industrial policy and import substitution remains strong in India. Panagariya also explained how the global export market was worth USD 32 trillion in 2022, almost ten times India's GDP. He pointed out that China acquired a very large share of certain products which gave the country a huge boost. "For 3-4 decades, it grew at 10 per cent a year," the economist said.

16th FC chairman Panagariya warns against pitfalls of import substitution

On why countries with low per-capita incomes, such as India, must focus on exports, Panagariya explained how the global export market was worth $32 trillion in 2022, almost ten times India's GDP

16th Finance Commission: Centre to replace Rajadhyaksha as member

Niranjan Rajadhyaksha was appointed as a member to the 16th Finance Commission on January 1, 2024

Artha Global's Rajadhyaksha expresses inability to join Finance Commission

Artha Global Executive Director Niranjan Rajadhyaksha has expressed his inability to join as a member of the 16th Finance Commission due to personal reasons, the Finance Ministry said on Monday. The government had on January 31, appointed four members of the 16th Finance Commission chaired by Arvind Panagariya. Apart from Rajadhyaksha, former expenditure secretary Ajay Narayan Jha and retired bureaucrat Annie George Mathew were appointed as full-time members of the commission. SBI Group Chief Economic Advisor Soumya Kanti Ghosh was named a part-time member. "Dr. Rajadhyaksha has expressed his inability to take up this responsibility due to unforeseen personal circumstances. Action will be taken to appoint a Member of the 16th Commission in lieu of Dr. Rajadhyaksha," a ministry statement said. Officials said Rajadhyaksha did not attend the first meeting of the 16th Finance Commission which was held on February 14. The government constituted the 16th Finance Commission under the ...

FM Sitharaman meets 16th Finance Commission chairman Arvind Panagariya

Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman on Friday met 16th Finance Commission Chairman Arvind Panagariya. The meeting came within two days of the first meeting of the commission in which the members and the chairman discussed the terms of reference. Full-time members of the commission are former expenditure secretary Ajay Narayan Jha, retired bureaucrat Annie George Mathew, and Artha Global Executive Director Niranjan Rajadhyaksha, while SBI Group Chief Economic Advisor Soumya Kanti Ghosh is a part-time member. "Shri @APanagariya, Chairman - 16th Finance Commission, calls on Smt @nsitharaman," Sitharaman's office said in a post on X. The commission, chaired by former vice chairman of Niti Aayog Panagariya, will be assisted by Secretary Ritvik Ranjanam Pandey, two joint secretaries and one economic advisor, in its functioning. The government constituted the commission under the chairmanship of Panagariya on December 31, 2023. The panel would submit its report to the President by Octobe

16th Finance Commission: Chairman Panagariya discusses ToR in first meet

The Finance Commission is a constitutionally-mandated body established once every five years to devise a formula for distributing net tax proceeds between the Centre and the states

North-South divide: Decoding unfair tax money devolution to southern states

The row over depriving southern states of their share picks up steam with Karnataka Congress leaders' protest

FPIs investment in debt market over 6-year high at Rs 19,800 cr in January

Foreign Portfolio Investors (FPIs) have injected over Rs 19,800 crore in the country's debt market in January, making it the highest monthly inflow in more than six years, on the back of inclusion of Indian government bonds in the JP Morgan Index. On the other hand, they pulled out Indian equities worth Rs 25,743 crore last month owing to surging bond yield in the US. According to the data with the depositories, FPIs made a net investment of Rs 19,836 crore in the debt markets in January. This was the highest inflow since June 2017, when they infused Rs 25,685 crore. Before this, FPIs injected Rs 18,302 crore in the debt market in December, Rs 14,860 crore in November, and Rs 6,381 crore in October. "Indian fixed income markets witnessed robust net inflows from FPIs to the tune of USD 2.39 billion in January on the back of inclusion of Indian government bonds in the JP Morgan Index," Himanshu Srivastava, Associate Director- Manager Research, Morningstar Investment Research India, .

Budget: Tax devolution to states seen at 32%, but lags 15th FC advice

The final report of the 15th Finance Commission had recommended the transfer of 41 per cent to the states after Jammu and Kashmir was carved out into two union territories