Bhubaneswar: The Sixth State Finance Commission submitted its interim report to Odisha Chief Minister Mohan Charan Majhi at Lok Seva Bhavan on Monday.
Led by Commission’s Chairman Arun Kumar Panda, other members of the panel met the Chief Minister and submitted the report. They also briefed Majhi on the various recommendations of the Commission, an official statement said.
Tasked with reviewing the financial distribution between the state and local bodies, the Commission presented a report outlining recommendations to enhance the fiscal health of Panchayati Raj Institutions (PRIs) and Urban Local Bodies (ULBs).
Chairman Panda was accompanied by members of the Commission, Prof Asit Ranjan Mohanty, Prof Amaresh Samantaray and Bibhu Prasad Nayak, Member Secretary Dr. Satyapriya Rath, and ex-officio member Arindam Dakua. The delegation discussed key suggestions to streamline the allocation of taxes, duties, tolls, and fees collected by the state.
Earlier in the day, the commission also presented the interim report to Governor Hari Babu Kambhampati at Raj Bhavan.
The meeting with the Chief Minister was attended by Deputy Chief Minister Pravati Parida, Minister for Rural Development, Panchayati Raj, and Drinking Water Rabi Narayan Naik, Minister for Housing & Urban Development and Public Enterprises Krushna Chandra Mahapatra, Chief Secretary Manoj Ahuja, Principal Secretary to the Chief Minister Shaswat Mishra, Principal Secretary of Housing & Urban Development Usha Padhee, Principal Secretary of Finance Sanjeev Kumar Mishra, and Director of Panchayati Raj Vineet Bhardwaj.
Constituted under Articles 243-I and 243-Y of the Indian Constitution by the Governor, the Sixth State Finance Commission is responsible for recommending policies to regulate the distribution of state revenues among PRIs and ULBs. The commission aims to bolster the financial stability of these institutions by suggesting measures to optimise resource allocation.
The interim report, which will be forwarded to the 16th Finance Commission for consideration, addresses the immediate financial concerns of local bodies. The commission plans to conduct a deeper analysis of the challenges faced by these institutions and submit a final report within a specified timeline.
