16th Finance Commission team arrives in Nagaland, meeting with state govt today
The grant-in-aid will include the demand for the next five years, amounting to nearly Rs 1 lakh crore in various sectors such as revenue deficit grants, funds for local governments, and sector-specific grants to supplement expenditures in sectors such as education & health
AT Photo: 16th Finance Commission Chairman Dr Arvind Panagariya (centre) and his team being received by the Nagaland Deputy Chief Minister Y Patton in Dimapur airport on Monday
Dimapur, Nov. 5: A four-member team of the 16th Finance Commission, led by its chairman Dr Arvind Panagariya, arrived in Dimapur on Monday on a three-day visit to Nagaland.
The other three members of the Commission are Ajay Narayan Jha, Annie George Mathew, and Dr Manoj Panda. The Commission members were received by Nagaland Deputy Chief Minister Y Patton and State Government officials at the Dimapur airport on arrival. They will hold a series of meetings with the Nagaland Government and various other stakeholders on Tuesday.
On November 6, the team will make field visits to various sites of historical importance in and around State capital Kohima.
PTI adds from Kohima: Other than the funds provided to the State through Centrally sponsored schemes, the State Government is likely to present to the Commission demands for grant-in-aid for the next five years, amounting to nearly Rs 1 lakh crore in various sectors, an official said.
The sectors include revenue deficit grants, funds for local governments to empower the rural and urban local bodies, sector specific grants to supplement expenditures in sectors such as education and health and also State-specific grants given to specific States for specific projects, the official said.
The demands would be made through a power-point presentation by Nagaland's additional chief secretary and finance commissioner at the meeting.
The Finance Commission team will also meet representatives of trade, industries, and commerce, rural and urban local bodies and political parties on Tuesday.
They are scheduled to visit the picturesque Kapamodzu Peak in Phek district to meet women entrepreneurs and get updates of their work on empowerment-oriented tourism. After the three-day stay, the team will leave for Manipur on November 7.
The 16th Finance Commission was constituted on December 31, 2023. The Commission has been asked to make its recommendations available by October 31, 2025, covering an award period of 5 years commencing on April 1, 2026.
- By Correspondent
