The Uttarakhand government has constituted the 6th State Finance Commission with former Chief Secretary N Ravishankar as its Chairman. Two retired IAS officers P S Jangpangi and Dr M C Joshi have been made members of the commission. Additional Secretary (Finance) Dr. Ahmed Iqbal will serve as Secretary to the Commission.
Additional Chief Secretary (Finance) Anand Bardhan issued the notification for its formation.
The commission will have a one-year term and give its recommendation for a period of five years starting April 1, 2026. During this period, it will assess the financial condition of the three-tier panchayat raj institutions and urban local bodies and submit its recommendations to the governor.
The Finance Commission will allocate respective share of net proceeds of taxes, duties, tolls and fees among Panchayats and Urban Local Bodies at all levels and suggest measures to strengthen their financial position. It will also recommend additional resource mobilisation and any other matter considered by the Governor in the interest of the sound finances of the three-tier Panchayats and urban local bodies.
It will assess the status of infrastructure in urban, semi-urban areas and census towns, identify gaps, suggest measures for their improvement and enhancement. It will further assess the status of implementation of reforms in Panchayati Raj Institutions and Urban Local Bodies and suggest measures to improve governance and implementation.
While making its recommendation, the Finance Commission will also look into the revenue resources of the State Government and the demand thereon, particularly the expenditure on civil administration, debt service and other committed expenditure or liabilities. It will recommend resource mobilization capacity for the coming years and tax efforts in this direction, as well as additional resource mobilization.
The Commission will make specific recommendations with regard to provision of funds for expenditure on both revenue and capital sides. Plus, it also has to identify issues for the Seventeenth Finance Commission of the Centre. The Commission is empowered to call for any information or document from any officer or authority. Similarly, it can also summon any person to submit documents. The Commission will lay down its own procedure.
It may be recalled that former Chief Secretary Indu Kumar Pandey was the Chairman of the Fifth Finance Commission, while Dr BK Joshi was the Chairman of Fourth State Finance Commission in Uttarakhand.
