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Cities can be effective vehicles for competitive federalism: Economic Survey

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Economic_survey_2_356x200_5216_356New Delhi: Cities, which are empowered with resources, can become effective vehicles for competitive federalism and competitive sub-federalism, according to India’s Economic Survey released on Tuesday.The survey urged the state governments to empower cities to “levy all feasible taxes”.”Competition between states is becoming a powerful dynamic of change and progress, and that dynamic must extend to competition between states and cities and between cities,” the ES said.”Cities that are entrusted with responsibilities, empowered with resources, and encumbered by accountability can become effective vehicles for competitive federalism and, indeed, competitive sub-federalism to be unleashed,” it added.

The Survey observed that urbanisation will pose considerable challenges for municipalities over the coming decades. But these challenges have to be overcome.”The first task is empowering urban local bodies (ULBs) financially. The analysis shows that municipalities that have generated more resources have been able to deliver more basic services. The states should, therefore, empower cities to levy all feasible taxes,” the Survey noted.However, the Survey also dwelt upon the dilemma of respecting sovereignty of the states versus Finance Commissions allocating more resources to ULBs.

“The ULBs need to be empowered but the political economy challenges — higher level bodies (state governments) needing to cede power and sharing resources — are daunting. “The big question here is whether Finance Commissions should take cognizance of this political economy challenge and allocate even more resources to ULBs or whether to respect the sovereignty of states and hope that they will themselves be forthcoming in decentralising down — fiscally and governance-wise — commensurate with the needs of urbanisation,” it said.It said municipalities also “need to make the most of their existing tax bases” and should fully utilise property tax potential to generate additional revenue at the city level.

“There is a need to adopt the latest satellite based techniques to map urban properties. The government should leverage the Indian Space Research Organisation/National Remote Sensing Agency to assist ULBs in implementing GIS mapping of all properties in the areaof a ULB,” the Survey said. The Economic Survey also suggested that NITI Aayog should “compile comparative indices of municipalities’ performance annually” based on the “actual accountability and administrative capacity” to deliver the core public services.

 

 

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What monkey fled with a bag containing evidence in it: Read full story

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The court, generally, considers a person who commit a crime and the one who destroys the evidence, as criminals in the eyes of law. But what if an animal destroys the evidence of a crime committed by a human.

In a peculiar incident in Rajasthan, a monkey fled away with the evidence collected by the police in a murder case. The stolen evidence included the murder weapon (a blood-stained knife).

The incident came to light when the police appeared before the court and they had to provide the evidence in the hearing.

The hearing was about the crime which took place in September 2016, in which a person named Shashikant Sharma died at a primary health center under Chandwaji police station. After the body was found, the deceased’s relatives blocked the Jaipur-Delhi highway, demanding an inquiry into the matter.

Following the investigation, the police had arrested Rahul Kandera and Mohanlal Kandera, residents of Chandwaji in relation to the murder. But, when the time came to produce the evidence related to the case, it was found that the police had no evidence with them because a monkey had stolen it from them.

In the court, the police said that the knife, which was the primary evidence, was also taken by the monkey. The cops informed that the evidence of the case was kept in a bag, which was being taken to the court.

The evidence bag contained the knife and 15 other important evidences. However, due to the lack of space in the malkhana, a bag full of evidence was kept under a tree, which led to the incident.

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