
15th Finance Commission: Kerala won't accept decisions that undermine state's fiscal domain, says Thomas Isaac
We are not against the finance commission. All we are demanding is that it be allowed to perform its constitutional duty, says Thomas Isaac

Child healthcare: Despite high tax revenues, 14 of 20 states cut funding to key nutrition programme, data shows
Despite greater fiscal autonomy and higher tax revenues shared by the Centre with states, 14 of 20 states surveyed cut spending on a key nutrition programme–Supplementary Nutrition Programme

ToR of 15th Finance Commission: Ministers of five states meet President Ram Nath Kovind, urge amendment to terms
The Finance Ministers of Delhi, Kerala, West Bengal, Andhra Pradesh, Punjab and the Chief Minister of Puducherry met President Ram Nath Kovind in New Delhi

Chidambaram slams govt for fuel price hike, says brief pause was only for Karnataka Assembly polls
After a 19-day pre-Karnataka poll hiatus, the price of fuel went up with petrol today up by 17 paise a litre and diesel by 21 paise

1971 vs 2011: Time to question governments specifying census year for finance commissions
The terms of reference (ToR)of the first six Finance Commissions did not make any mention of population data at all.

Needless controversy created over ToR of 15th Finance Commission, says union minister Arun Jaitley
No inherent bias or mandate in the ToRs of the 15th FC that can be construed as discriminatory against states that made good progress in population control.

Kerala to host Andhra, Tamil Nadu, Karnataka, Puducherry finance ministers today to discuss Centre's allocation of funds
Finance ministers of southern states will meet in Thiruvananthapuram on Tuesday at a conference convened by Kerala to discuss the concerns on the 15th Finance Commission

Siddaramaiah's North India vs South India divide theory falls flat against facts of 14th Finance Commission
While the decision to adopt 2011's population statistics can be debated and argued over, as done so by Karnataka chief minister Siddaramaiah, who urged his south Indian counterparts to resist, to give it political colour is not healthy

Andhra Pradesh special category status row: Chandrababu Naidu seeks to ward off anti-incumbency with impractical demand
By pulling out his ministers and targeting the Centre for "betrayal" of promise to designate Andhra Pradesh as "special category status" state, Naidu is trying to whip up popular passions in the state against the BJP and the Modi government.

Narendra Modi to meet chief secretaries at NITI Aayog conference, enhance cooperation
Prime Minister Narendra Modi will on Monday interact with chief secretaries of all states and Union Territories during a conference organised by NITI Aayog to "further the spirit of cooperative and competitive federalism".

Andhra Pradesh: Centre denies Chandrababu Naidu's 'special category status' demand, offers financial aid
Another important reason why Andhra Pradesh didn't receive its SCS was because a number of so-called "backward" states have also been demanding the same

FinMin approval needed for all new schemes for efficient management of public expenditure
The Expenditure Department said that over the years the Ministries have started operating small and multiple schemes which spread resources too thinly to realise any meaningful outcomes.

Niti Aayog tells PM Modi to bring more experts to govt
The NITI Aayog is also working on a 7-year strategy starting from 2017-18 to 2023-24 to convert a vision document into implementable policy and action as part of the National Development Agenda.

Govt panel to examine feasibility of new financial year instead of April-March
The committee, which will submit its report by December, will examine merits and demerits of various dates for commencement of a financial year, including the existing dates (April-March), Finance Ministry said.

Mayors making all effort to get MCD workers back to work: Manish Sisodia
Mayors of all three municipal corporations of Delhi on Thursday assured Deputy Chief Minister Manish Sisodia of bringing the striking workers back to work though they refused to end their strike after Rs 551-crore loan announcement.

PM Modi's shallow remarks at Bhagalpur a result of falling GDP, Sensex: Nitish Kumar
Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar on Tuesday attacked Prime Minister Narendra Modi over his remarks on "package" saying he made "shallow" comments.

Fulfilling 100 smart city dream: Here is a workable but controversial solution
There is an element of skepticism when it comes to building our cities. While creating new ones is laudable, we never get down to maintaining what we have.

HRD Ministry to rebut Congress charges point-by-point
Seeking to counter allegations levelled by Congress in its report card on Modi government, the HRD Ministry is preparing a point-by-point rebuttal on charges that include infringing on the autonomy of higher educational institutions and a cut in the education budget.

Finance Commission got it right: GDP grows better when state govts spend more
There is a clear case of decentralisation of government expenditure