16th Finance Commission Tackles Freebies and Green Compensation

The 16th Finance Commission, chaired by Arvind Panagariya, addresses issues regarding freebie distribution and green cover compensation. In a discussion with Himachal Pradesh officials, concerns such as high costs due to difficult terrain and disaster management were highlighted. The commission aims to base its recommendations on these discussions.

The 16th Finance Commission, led by Chairman Arvind Panagariya, is set to address pressing issues surrounding freebie distributions and compensation for maintaining environmental green cover. These were key topics during a recent discussion with the Himachal Pradesh government.

Panagariya emphasized that the state presented a comprehensive 90-slide presentation, highlighting the higher costs of maintaining amenities in a terrain as challenging as Himachal Pradesh. He acknowledged the competitive trend among states and political parties to offer freebies, an issue the commission plans to tackle.

Chief Minister Sukhvinder Singh Sukhu underscored the state's debt crisis and environmental responsibilities. Himachal Pradesh, with 68% of its land covered by forests, acts as North India's lungs. The state refrains from exploiting this potential revenue stream, instead advocating for increased financial assistance to sustain this green cover.

(This story has not been edited by Devdiscourse staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)