Archive · 23 Jul 2025
Rajan: Finance Commission Needs to Prioritize Local Body Funds
Former RBI Governor Raghuram Rajan says India needs to give more money to local governments like towns and villages.
He thinks the 16th Finance Commission should help with this.
Rajan believes this is important so these local areas can better solve their own problems.
He also discussed the Production Linked Incentive (PLI) scheme, saying it's hard to tell if it's creating many new jobs.
Rajan also talked about China limiting exports of materials and how India needs a plan to deal with such challenges, including potentially developing its own resources.
Raghuram Rajan says the 16th Finance Commission should focus on devolving funds to local bodies.
Rajan suggests shifting funds from states to municipalities and panchayats for effective problem-solving.
He notes that the US and China have more local government employees compared to India.
Rajan stated that there is no strong public data available to evaluate the PLI scheme.
Rajan also spoke on India's need for a strategic view on industries, considering China's rare earth material export curbs.
- Who
- Raghuram Rajan, former RBI Governor
- What
- Raghuram Rajan discussed the role of the 16th Finance Commission and strategic economic issues.
- When
- Recently
- Where
- India
- Why
- To strengthen local governance and address economic challenges.
- Finance Commission Focus
- Devolving funds to local bodies
- Current State Tax Distribution
- States receive 41% of the divisible tax pool
- Remaining Tax Pool
- 59% retained by the Centre
- PLI Scheme
- Rs 1.97 lakh crore outlay for 14 sectors