The government has extended the tenure of the 16th Finance Commission by one month till November 30. The 16th Finance Commission was constituted by the government on December 31, 2023, with former Niti Aayog vice-chairman Arvind Panagariya as its Chairman.
The government on Sunday appointed former Niti Aayog vice chairman Arvind Panagariya as the Chairman of the 16th Finance Commission. Joint Secretary in the finance ministry Ritvik Ranjanam Pandey will be the secretary to the commission, the government said in a notification. "The President is pleased to constitute a Finance Commission with Dr Arvind Panagariya, former Vice-Chairman, NITI Aayog and Professor, Columbia University, as the Chairman. Members of the Commission will be notified separately," it said.
The Finance Commission, which makes recommendations on sharing of tax revenues by the Centre and States, has suggested a new path for fiscal prudence in its report submitted to President Pratibha Patil on Wednesday.
The Pakistan Cricket Board has filed a petition in the Islamabad High Court against the Pakistan Information Commission's directive to disclose its confidential financial records, player contracts, and employee salary details. The PCB argues that such disclosure would harm its commercial interests and contractual negotiations, as it operates in a competitive international environment and does not receive government funding.
The Twelfth Finance Commission is ready with its report and has sought time from the President to submit the recommendations, its chairman C Rangarajan said on Saturday.
'My suggestion to Nandan Nilekani is that it would be worthwhile for him to take a holistic review in a manner in which examination is just one critical component.'
Former chief secretary Indu Kumar Pande, the chairman of the commission, has been left with only seven months to complete the recommendations.
A recent Central Vigilance Commission (CVC) report reveals that over 70,500 corruption complaints were lodged against various government bodies last year, with banks and the Railways accounting for the highest numbers. While a significant portion of these complaints has been disposed of, thousands remain under process, highlighting ongoing challenges in addressing corruption within public sector entities.
As of December 2025, India had 880 Fast-Track Courts with 1.39 million pending cases, despite disposing of 1.33 million cases during the year.
The Indian government has introduced a 0.4% Merchant Discount Rate (MDR) on UPI person-to-merchant (P2M) transactions exceeding Rs 2,000, effective October 15. This move ends nearly six years of fully free UPI payments, though person-to-person (P2P) transfers and small P2M payments remain free. The charges aim to bolster investment in UPI infrastructure, with specific exemptions and caps for essential sectors.
The commission in its report, tabled in Parliament, recommended increase in share of states to 32 per cent of central tax proceeds from the current 30.5 per cent.
With the creation of the state of Telangana, additions were made to ToRs of the 14th Finance Commission to make recommendations for the newly created states after the reorganisation of Andhra Pradesh.
Eighteen of India's 28 states exceeded the fiscal deficit ceiling of 3 per cent of GSDP in FY25, a deterioration comparable to the Covid year of 2020-21, according to the Comptroller and Auditor General (CAG). The report also noted a decline in states reporting a revenue surplus, with Bihar, Mizoram, and Telangana moving into deficit.
'Wages have not risen. Rural wages have stagnated. The growth was 0.7 per cent last year. For casual and irregular labour, the wage growth is negative.'
The Indian government has introduced a 0.4% transaction fee on Unified Payments Interface (UPI) payments exceeding Rs 2,000 for merchants, effective October 15, marking the end of nearly six years of free service. Person-to-person transfers and small-value transactions below Rs 2,000 remain free. The new Merchant Discount Rate (MDR) is capped at Rs 300 for transactions above Rs 75,000, with differentiated rates for essential sectors and investments, and safeguards to prevent costs from being passed to consumers.
The Bharatiya Janata Party received nearly Rs 1,473 crore at its central headquarters alone during the last five state assembly elections, more than seven times the Rs 207 crore in net receipts reported by the Congress across its central and state units, according to expenditure statements filed with the Election Commission.
'The prohibition regime has been accompanied by concerns regarding the expansion of the illicit liquor trade, increased enforcement challenges and corruption, and the growing use of alternative intoxicants, including illicit drugs.'
Election-related freebies and populist measures are other factors crimping the revenue profile of these states.
'Improved law and order and transparent governance have helped change UP's investment image.'
The US push for clearer crypto rules is putting pressure on India to fill its own regulatory gap for virtual digital assets.
A third generation murtikar and probably one of the first in her family, Manaswi Bagwe, a self-taught sculptor, is quietly pushing the boundaries of idol-making.
The Jharkhand government has cancelled 44 recruitment examinations conducted by the state Public Service Commission (JPSC) and an outsourced agency since 2014, including the JSSC Combined Graduate Level (CGL) examination, following a 25-day student agitation over alleged irregularities. This decision has led to protests from around 2,000 candidates who had already been appointed to various state government departments after clearing the JSSC-CGL exam.
The question for the next 20 years is not whether India can become a $5 trillion or $10 trillion economy. Those are attractive targets, but the real question is whether India can create enough productive jobs, educate its children properly, make its cities liveable, and give hundreds of millions of people a substantially better life, asserts Ramesh Menon.
The 12th Finance Commission on Monday held a meeting with leading economists and economic administrators in Chennai to elicit their views on current issues concerning inter-governmental resource transfers.\n\n\n\n
'Once you're wrestling with making a merger of that scale value-accretive, you're also under pressure to keep growing the balance sheet and chasing liabilities, and other things start to slip as a consequence.'
Major General Faisal Naseer, infamously dubbed 'Dirty Harry' for his controversial tenure in the ISI, has been appointed national co-ordinator of Pakistan's National Counter-Terrorism Authority.
The government on Wednesday constituted the 13 Finance Commission, which would look into sharing of taxes between Union and the States, under the chairmanship of former finance secretary Vijay Kelkar.
'The sales pressure on the ground, a board and CEO not fully aligned, and a senior team that isn't pulling together -- that's when these things surface.'
Students protesting against alleged irregularities in Jharkhand's recruitment exams announced burning the effigies of Chief Minister Hemant Soren and Rahul Gandhi in all districts on Sunday, accusing the Jharkhand Mukti Morcha-Congress alliance of "failing to take concrete action" on their demands.
The overhaul comes after a series of controversies surrounding the conduct of examinations administered by NTA, which has faced questions over examination security and its handling of irregularities.
'It is not because of the war in West Asia, which began on February 28.' 'Petroleum product prices are already going through the roof. They are bound to have a serious inflationary impact.' 'A country's leadership is tested in trying times. It is here that the current leadership is failing.'
Tata Sons has the balance sheet to support them, for now.
The Supreme Court will hear petitions on August 17 seeking a court-monitored SIT probe into alleged embezzlement of donations at the Ram temple in Ayodhya, after deferring the original hearing due to the Solicitor General's UN engagement.
Ashok Lahiri, a distinguished economist with experience in government, the private sector, and electoral politics, has been appointed as the new Vice-Chairman of NITI Aayog, tasked with strengthening India's reform trajectory and policy-making.
Public-sector banks (PSBs) have reported a substantial increase in non-interest income for Q1FY27, primarily driven by the sale of Priority Sector Lending Certificates (PSLCs) backed by their rapidly expanding gold loan portfolios. This strategy has allowed several lenders to book significant profits by exceeding priority sector lending targets.
The 16th Finance Commission, led by Arvind Panagariya, has recommended maintaining the states' share in central taxes at 41% for the five-year period starting April 1, 2026. The government has accepted this recommendation, with Rs 1.4 lakh crore allocated to states for FY 2026-27 as Finance Commission Grants.
The Supreme Court has provided significant relief to Congress leader Rahul Gandhi by directing the Allahabad High Court to cease proceedings in a case alleging disproportionate assets against him. The apex court also instructed the CBI and ED not to submit any reports based on the high court's previous directives.
The Supreme Court on Monday asked the Uttar Pradesh government to apprise it about the possibility of setting up an SIT to probe the alleged embezzlement of donations at the Ram temple in Ayodhya and cautioned the litigants not to politicise the issue.
Panel to recommend sharing of divisible resources between states and the Centre from 2015 to 2020.
The Supreme Court on Monday took note of setting up of a four-member SIT headed by IGP Kiran S to probe alleged embezzlement of donations at the Ram temple in Ayodhya and asked the Uttar Pradesh government to also include a forensic auditor in the probe team.
