Panel formed to advise on finance commission's terms of reference
New Delhi, May 9: The 15th Finance Commission on Wednesday set up an advisory council to assist it in matters related to its terms of reference (ToR).
The panel, to be headed by Forum for Strategic Initiatives President Arvind Virmani, will advise the commission on all relevant issues and subjects and help conduct research studies to enhance the commission's understanding of issues in its ToR, an official statement said.
It will also "help in broadening the commission's ambit and understanding to seek best national and international practices on matters pertaining to fiscal devolution and improving the quality and reach and enforcement of its recommendations", it added.
The other members of the advisory council include Prime Minister's Economic Advisory Council member (part-time) Surjit Bhalla, Ex-Deputy Director (Fiscal Affairs Department) of International Monetary Fund Sanjeev Gupta, National Institute of Public Finance and Policy professor Pinaki Chakraborty, JP Morgan's Chief India Economist Sajjid Chinoy and Credit Suisse India economist and strategist Neelkanth Mishra.
On Monday, a meeting of 11 state finance ministers held in Amaravati described the Finance Commission's ToR as undermining the federal structure and decided to seek President Ram Nath Kovind's intervention to reframe them.
They claimed that the ToR almost penalises states for being progressive and well-performing.
On Tuesday, Congress leader P. Chidambaram urged the finance ministers of all states to sign a memorandum against the ToR.
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Gujarat man held for impersonating govt official, duping people with forged letters
Ahmedabad (PTI): The Ahmedabad police have arrested a 29-year-old man who allegedly posed as a senior revenue official and used fake letters claiming to be from various government departments to cheat people, an official said on Sunday.
Mehul Shah, an engineer who manages two schools at Vankaner in Gujarat’s Morbi district, is accused of making lakhs of rupees with bogus documents and false claims, said inspector (crime branch) JK Makwana.
Shah had forged an appointment letter from the Ahmedabad district education officer (DEO) to offer a computer operator’s job in a government office to a complainant’s son. He also introduced himself as a trustee of a school and did not pay a man Rs 7 lakh due to him over the painting of a school building, the official said.
“Despite holding no official position in the state or central government, he used fake work permits and NOCs to cheat people of lakhs of rupees,” the police official said.
One complainant alleged that Shah identified himself as a top revenue department official and produced a fake letter from the chairman of the “department of science and research development” to make him install a siren and curtain in a hired vehicle but did not pay for the job, he said.
Bogus letters claiming to be from the Union Ministry of Home Affairs and the Ahmedabad DEO were used by the accused to cheat the complainants, the police official said.
Police have recovered from his possession fake identity cards and letters with headings like “bharat gaurav ratna shri samman council”, “chairman of department of science and research development”, “health and family welfare department”, and “road and building department”.
“The FIR is based on complaints by three victims. We appeal to the people to come forward and submit their complaints if they have been cheated by Shah in any way,” Makwana said.
