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15th FC’s terms of reference not loaded against any state: Jaitley
New Delhi, April 10 (IANS) Describing as “needless” the ongoing controversy around the terms of reference of the 15th Finance Commission, Finance Minister Arun Jaitley on Tuesday said these are not biased “against any particular region of the country.”
Following a daylong meeting in Thiruvananthapuram on Tuesday of ministers from Kerala, Karanataka, Andhra Pradesh and Puducherry, it was decided to prepare a joint memorandum to be submitted to the President and others for reframing of the 15th Finance Commission’s terms of reference, Kerala Finance Minister Thomas Issac told reporters.
According to the southern states, under the 15th Finance Commission’s terms of reference, they stand to receive relatively less share from the central taxes because their population has fallen, which is an achievenment that deserves to be praised and not penalised.
As per its terms of reference, the commission is required to use population data from the 2011 Census and not the 1971 Census that was used earlier.
“Needless controversy is being sought to be created that the Terms of Reference (ToR) of the 15th Finance Commission are loaded against any particular region of the country. Nothing could be further from truth,” Jaitley said in a Facebook post.
“The share in Central taxes is allocated to the States based on recommendations made by the Finance Commissions to help states to meet fiscal deficiency in providing a minimum standard of services to their people.”
Two criteria are applied by FCs in recommending allocation of the state share of central taxes.
“This calls for assessing states’ ‘needs’ on rationale and equitable basis. Population proxies very well for the needs of the people in quantitative sense. Another criterion, the Income Distance, which captures very well relative poverty of people in the states, is used to assess qualitative needs,” Jaitley said.
“These two parameters allocate more resources to the populous and poorer States, which need additional funds for providing education, health and other services to the people, which own resources of these poorer States may otherwise not allow,” he added.
Noting that although the 14th Finance Commission had no specific mandate for using the 2011, Jaitley said it, nevertheless, “rightly used the 2011 census population data to capture the demographic changes since 1971 to make realistic assessment of the needs of the states”.
The 14th finance panel allocated 10 per cent weight to the 2011 Census, and allocated a 42 per cent share in the Central Taxes to the states, more than ever before, he added.
The 15th Finance Commission has the specific inclusion of another reference – “efforts and progress made in moving towards replacement rate of population growth”.
“This ToR recognises the efforts of all the states which have done well in population control. This specific ToR would allow the 15th FC to propose a specific incentive Scheme to reward the states which have achieved replacement level of population growth.
“There is no inherent bias or mandate in the ToRs of the 15th FC which can be construed as discriminatory against the states which made good progress in population control,” said Jaitley.
–IANS
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Dr. Abhishek Verma Dedicates a Shelter in Memory of His Mother, Veena Verma, at KGMU; Inaugurated by Daughter Nicolle Verma
World-renowned business tycoon Dr. Abhishek Verma has supported Foodman Vishal Singh’s Hunger-Free World mission. In memory of his mother, Late Veena Verma, who was a 3 term Rajya Sabha MP.
Dr. Verma dedicated a state-of-the-art free permanent shelter for the attendants of patients at KGMU Medical University, Lucknow, under the aegis of Vijay Shree Foundation. His daughter, Nicolle Verma, inaugurated the shelter.
During the event, Foodman Vishal Singh honored Nicolle Verma by presenting her with a memento. Mrs. Nidhi Sharma and Avantika Yadav, associated with the organization, welcomed her with garlands. Following this, Nicolle Verma distributed essential items to the attendants and also handed out fruits. She became emotional remembering her grandmother on her birth anniversary.
On this occasion, she also inaugurated the “Veena Verma Sevalaya” in memory of her grandmother, Veena Verma, to serve the attendants. She expressed, “I feel proud that my family is engaged in nation-building as well as social service. Today, in collaboration with Vijay Shree Foundation founder Foodman Vishal Singh Ji, I feel immensely proud to dedicate this shelter for the poor, helpless, and needy attendants of patients battling serious illnesses like cancer. I am honored to be associated with the Hunger-Free World Mission for humanity.”
Inspired by the continuous humanitarian service provided by Vijay Shree Foundation over the past 17 years, Nicolle Verma donated 10 lakh rupees to support the cause. The purpose of this donation is to ensure that services continue for the needy attendants of patients suffering from severe illnesses in hospitals, as facilitated by Foodman Vishal Singh.
It is noteworthy that Dr. Abhishek Verma’s family has a legacy of public and philanthropic service. They are helping millions to carry forward the values and service work of their parents. On the occasion of his mother’s birth anniversary, Dr. Abhishek Verma dedicated this state-of-the-art permanent shelter at Lucknow Medical College to serve the attendants of patients through the Vijay Shree Foundation.
Supporting Foodman Vishal Singh’s Hunger-Free World mission, Dr. Abhishek Verma assured that he would continually support keeping this flame of humanity alive. He also promised to assist in providing medicines to the helpless patients.
Continuing her grandmother’s legacy of service, Nicolle Verma personally served food to the needy patients and attendants. She said, “It is our good fortune to have received the joy of doing this noble work today through Foodman Vishal Singh. I have taken another step forward in carrying my family’s values and cooperation by joining hands with the Vijay Shree Foundation. My father taught me to serve and help the needy, and I feel happy when I bring a smile to someone’s face.”
On the birth anniversary of the late Veena Verma, the event organizer, Vijay Shree Foundation founder Foodman Vishal Singh, said, “We feel proud and happy that Dr. Abhishek Verma, a globally renowned business tycoon, has extended his support to uplift our country from the hunger index. Today, on his mother’s birth anniversary, he inaugurated a state-of-the-art permanent shelter at Lucknow Medical College, which will always be helpful for the needy attendants of patients. It is a pleasure for me and the organization to receive the affection of Mr. Verma.”
The event was attended by General Manager Verma Family Office Hemant Garg, Sonu Rajput, and the organization’s volunteers, including Sandeep Singh, Parmeshwar Ji, Prashant Rao Gautam, Balram Singh, Ramesh Chaudhary, Suman, Jeetu, Anil, Suraj, Vinay, Manish Bhadauria, Manas Mehrotra, Vivek, Apurv, Happy, and others.
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