A high level visit produced concrete movement across trade, finance, energy, and connectivity between India and Sri Lanka. The development adds to the standing bilateral dossier rather than resolving a single dispute.
What is the 13th Amendment context?
Devolution law: The 13th Amendment to Sri Lanka’s Constitution created Provincial Councils to devolve power, including to Tamil majority areas.
India’s interest: India has consistently pressed for its full implementation and Provincial Council elections.
Pending status: Implementation has remained incomplete for decades.
What was agreed on this visit?
Trade and social security: Both sides agreed to advance the free trade agreement update and a social security pact.
Rupee credit: Agreements were exchanged on Indian Rupee denominated Lines of Credit worth $350 million within a $450 million Cyclone Ditwah reconstruction package.
Energy and connectivity: Talks covered grid interconnection, the Sampur solar project, the Trincomalee energy hub, and Kankesanthurai harbour.
Digital identity: A Unique Digital Identity project modelled on India’s system was discussed.
Why does the relationship matter for India?
Neighbourhood first: Sri Lanka is central to India’s regional policy.
Strategic location: Its position astride Indian Ocean sea lanes shapes maritime security.
China factor: Deeper Indian engagement counters competing external influence.
Conclusion
The visit deepens a multi sector partnership without a single headline pact. The next milestone is the finalisation of the free trade agreement update and the social security pact.
[2022, GS2, 10 marks] India is an age-old friend of Sri Lanka.’ Discuss India’s role in the recent crisis in Sri Lanka the light of the preceding statement.”
PYQ Relevance [UPSC 2024] The West is fostering India as an alternative to reduce dependence on China’s supply chain and as a strategic ally to counter China’s political and economic dominance.’ Explain this statement with examples. Linkage: The PYQ examines India-China strategic competition and the scope for selective cooperation amid geopolitical rivalry. The article shows how climate resilience and disaster management can provide a limited, low-risk avenue for India–China engagement despite strategic distrust.
Mentor’s Comment
El Niño delayed India’s monsoon, followed by intense rainfall that caused severe flooding in Mumbai, Surat, Assam, and Odisha. Similar extreme weather also affected Guangxi, Shaanxi, and Gansu in China, highlighting the increasing frequency of climate-related disasters. Shared exposure to extreme climate events is proposed as a low risk avenue for India China cooperation. The tension is between deep strategic rivalry and a narrow band of mutual interest in disaster resilience.
How do India and China face similar climate challenges?
Urbanisation: Wetlands, forests and permeable land are replaced by concrete, reducing natural water absorption.
Drainage Deficit: Outdated drainage systems and poor waste management aggravate urban flooding.
Loss of Green Spaces: Shrinking green cover increases runoff and weakens climate resilience.
Coastal Risks: Coastal megacities face extreme rainfall, storm surges and sea-level rise.
Economic Costs: Climate disasters disrupt supply chains, reduce productivity and cause economic losses.
Health Impacts: Frequent floods and heat events increase disease burden and public health risks.
Past Engagement: How have India and China cooperated on climate resilience?
Climate Frameworks: Since the early 1990s, summit-level joint statements, MoUs and agreements have promoted practical climate cooperation.
Disaster & Data Cooperation: Collaboration covered floods, earthquakes, droughts, extreme weather, along with hydrological, oceanic and seismic data sharing, joint R&D and governance exchange.
Strategic Economic Dialogues: Six dialogues focused on sustainable urban planning, waste management, sewage treatment, water efficiency and capacity building.
Sister City Agreements:Delhi-Beijing, Mumbai-Shanghai and Chennai-Chongqing were created to implement joint urban resilience projects, but diplomatic tensions limited execution.
Mutual Learning:China offers data-driven planning (transport, housing, drainage), while India contributes early warning systems, Heat Action Plans, cool roofs, nature-based solutions and community-led adaptation.
Future Cooperation: Scope exists for sponge cities, resilient agriculture, hydrological modelling, Himalayan glacier monitoring and revival of shared water agreements (which ceased in 2022).
What is the proposed cooperation pathway?
In April 2026, the visit by a Chinese delegation led by China’s Special Envoy for Climate Change to New Delhi suggests that climate cooperation remains a priority.
Shared exposure: Both countries face recurring monsoon floods and urban flooding disasters.
Low risk domain: Disaster mitigation and urban resilience avoid the sensitivities of border and trade disputes.
Existing channels: An April 2026 visit by a Chinese Special Envoy and past sister city agreements offer a base.
What models could underpin it?
Sponge cities: China’s urban water absorption model is cited as a resilience approach.
Glacier concerns: Shared Himalayan glacier risks link both countries’ water security.
City linkages: Past agreements between major cities offer a template for exchange.
Asymmetry: Cooperation must manage a large power imbalance.
Narrow scope: Resilience cooperation cannot resolve the core rivalry.
How can India and China bridge the climate finance gap?
Public Funding Dependence: Climate adaptation is financed mainly through public funds in both countries.
Private Capital: Expand blended finance, municipal bonds and credit enhancement to mobilise private investment.
Ecosystem Gaps: Climate finance markets remain nascent, constrained by weak local capacity and regulatory gaps.
Knowledge Exchange: Share evidence-based practices on innovative climate finance models.
Global South Leadership: Develop common standards, metrics and fiscal frameworks for climate resilience financing.
Win-Win Cooperation: Climate finance collaboration offers a low-risk pathway to strengthen India–China engagement and resilience.
Conclusion
Climate resilience offers a contained space for engagement without touching the strategic core. The unresolved question is whether either side will invest political capital in so narrow a domain.
A large intensive revision of electoral rolls has removed millions of names across States, with objection windows now open. The tension is between cleaning the rolls of ineligible entries and the risk of wrongful deletion of genuine voters.
What is the Special Intensive Revision (SIR)?
Roll revision: The Special Intensive Revision (SIR) is a house to house re verification of electoral rolls by the Election Commission of India.
ASDD categories: Names are marked under absent, shifted, duplicate, and dead (ASDD) categories for deletion.
Claims window: Deletions are provisional until the claims and objections period closes.
What is the scale of deletion?
Jharkhand: About 43.6 lakh names, or 16.5%, were removed from the draft roll.
Karnataka: The State projects deletions of about 20% of electors.
Correction route: Voters can seek restoration through Booth Level Officers and Form 6.
Why is the revision contested?
Wrongful removal: Genuine voters risk deletion through data errors.
Compressed timeline: The claims and objections window runs only to 4 September 2026.
Legal challenge: The revision faces litigation over its process and scale.
“[2017] Consider the following statements: 1. The Election Commission of India is a ‘ five-member body. 2. Union Ministry of Home Affairs decides the election schedule for the conduct of both general elections and bye-elections. 3. Election Commission resolves the disputes relating to splits/mergers of recognized political parties. Which of the statements given above is/are correct ? (a) 1 and 2 only (b) 2 only (c) 2 and 3 only (d) 3 only
A parliamentary panel warned a large social media company that its legal immunity could be withdrawn after a content takedown and content safety failures. The tension is between platform safe harbour and the state’s demand for accountability.
What is intermediary immunity under Section 79 of the IT Act, 2000?
Definition of intermediary: An intermediary is any person or entity that receives, stores, or transmits an electronic record on behalf of another person, or provides any service with respect to that record. It includes, Internet and telecom providers, Web-hosting and cloud service providers, Search engines, Online marketplaces and e-commerce websites, Social media and messaging platforms, Online payment and auction sites and Cyber cafes.
Safe harbour:Section 79 of the Information Technology Act, 2000 shields an intermediary from liability for third party content it hosts.
Conditions: This protection applies only if their function is limited to providing access to communication, and they do not initiate, select, or modify the content, and they comply with due diligence requirements (such as removing unlawful content upon receiving actual knowledge or a court order).
Intermediary test: The immunity depends on the platform qualifying as an intermediary rather than a content publisher.
What triggered the summons?
Video takedown: The platform briefly removed a video of the Prime Minister and later apologised.
Harmful content: The government flagged child sexual abuse material and deepfake content on its platforms.
Panel ultimatum: The Standing Committee on Information Technology sought testimony from the platform’s global head.
Why is the immunity in question?
Compliance failures: Officials argue the platform did not act on directives and grievances.
Definition dispute: Officials contended it may not fall within the intermediary definition.
Withdrawal threat: Loss of Section 79 cover would expose it to liability for user content.
Conclusion
The episode tests how far platform immunity survives repeated compliance failures. The next milestone is the platform’s response to the committee’s summons.
Back2Basics
Standing Committee on Communications and Information Technology
It is a department-related parliamentary committee in India tasked with overseeing specific ministries, examining legislation, reviewing budget demands, and ensuring executive accountability. It was renamed from the Standing Committee on Information Technology in November 2021.
Structure and Composition
Total Members: 31 members (21 from Lok Sabha nominated by the Speaker and 10 from Rajya Sabha nominated by the Chairperson).
Leadership: The Chairperson is appointed by the Lok Sabha Speaker.
Tenure: The term of office for members does not exceed one year.
Ministers: Sitting ministers are barred from holding membership on this committee
Ministries under its Jurisdiction
Ministry of Communications (including the Department of Telecommunications and Department of Posts)
Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology (MeitY)
Ministry of Information and Broadcasting (MIB)
Core Functions
Scrutinizing the annual Demands for Grants of the designated ministries.
Examining Bills referred to it by the Lok Sabha Speaker or Rajya Sabha Chairperson.
Considering national policy documents, performance reports, and long-term trends related to digital infrastructure, telecommunications, media regulations, and cyber security.
PYQ Relevance
[UPSC 2024] Social media and encrypting messaging services pose a serious security challenge. What measures have been adopted at various levels to address the security implications of social media? Also suggest any other remedies to address the problem.
Linkage: The PYQ examines the regulatory and legal measures to address the security and accountability challenges posed by social media platforms. The article highlights the limits of intermediary immunity under Section 79 and the need for greater platform accountability for harmful content.
The Indian Statistical Institute (ISI) Bill, 2026 seeks to restructure the governance of the Indian Statistical Institute by converting it from a registered society into a government controlled statutory body corporate. The proposal has sparked concerns over institutional autonomy.
What is the Indian Statistical Institute (ISI)?
Founded: Established in 1931 by Prasanta Chandra (P.C.) Mahalanobis.
Premier institution: A leading centre for statistics, mathematics, data science, computer science, quantitative economics and related research.
Institution of National Importance: Declared under the Indian Statistical Institute Act, 1959.
Administrative Ministry: Ministry of Statistics and Programme Implementation (MoSPI).
Current governance: Functions as a registered society managed by a representative Governing Council.
What does the Bill propose?
Repeals the 1959 Act: Introduces the Indian Statistical Institute Bill, 2026.
Body corporate: Converts ISI from a society into a statutory body corporate with perpetual succession.
New governance structure: Replaces the Governing Council with an 11 member Board of Governors.
Greater government role: The Board will have a majority of government nominated members, increasing the Centre’s role in administration.
Why are faculty members concerned?
Reduced academic autonomy: Faculty argue that greater government control may affect academic freedom and institutional independence.
Lack of consultation: They claim the Bill was drafted without adequate consultation with ISI’s academic community.
Demand for scrutiny: Opposition members have sought referral of the Bill to the Standing Committee on Finance for detailed examination.
Prelims Pointers
Indian Statistical Institute (ISI) was founded in 1931 by P.C. Mahalanobis.
P.C. Mahalanobis developed the Mahalanobis Distance and played a key role in India’s statistical system and economic planning.
ISI is an Institution of National Importance under the Ministry of Statistics and Programme Implementation (MoSPI).
The Indian Statistical Institute Bill, 2026 proposes replacing the Governing Council with an 11 member Board of Governors.
[2023] Consider the following organizations/bodies in India: 1. The National Commission for Backward Classes 2. The National Human Commission Rights 3. The National Law Commission 4. The National Consumer Disputes Redressal Commission How many of the above are constitutional bodies?
Parliament passed the Supreme Court (Number of Judges) Amendment Bill, 2026, increasing the sanctioned strength of the Supreme Court through the Money Bill route, triggering debate over the constitutional validity of bypassing the Rajya Sabha.
What is a Money Bill?
Constitutional basis: Defined under Article 110 of the Constitution.
Scope: A Bill is a Money Bill only if it deals exclusively with matters such as:
Taxation, Government borrowing, Custody or withdrawal of money from the Consolidated Fund of India, Contingency Fun, and Appropriation of public money
Speaker’s certification: The Speaker of the Lok Sabha decides whether a Bill is a Money Bill, and the certification is endorsed on the Bill.
Limited role of Rajya Sabha: The Rajya Sabha can only recommend amendments within 14 days, which the Lok Sabha may accept or reject.
What does the Bill provide?
Higher judicial strength: Increases the sanctioned strength of the Supreme Court from 34 to 38 judges, including the Chief Justice of India (CJI).
Replaces an Ordinance: Substitutes the Ordinance promulgated in May 2026.
Government’s objective: Reduce case pendency, improve judicial efficiency, and strengthen access to justice.
Why is the Money Bill route controversial?
Constitutional issue pending: The validity of certifying certain laws as Money Bills is under consideration by a larger Constitution Bench of the Supreme Court.
Concern over precedent: In the Aadhaar judgment (2018), the dissenting opinion described the use of the Money Bill route for substantive legislation as a “fraud on the Constitution.”
Reduced parliamentary scrutiny: Since the Rajya Sabha has only an advisory role, critics argue that the route weakens bicameral legislative oversight.
“[2014] The power to increase the number of judges in the Supreme Court of India is vested in? (a) The President of India. (b) The Parliament. (c) The Chief Justice of India. (d) The Law Commission.
FCRA Amendment Bill, 2026 will amend the foreign funding law would let a designated authority take over the assets of organisations that lose their registration. The tension is between the state’s control over foreign money and the autonomy of civil society and religious bodies.
What is the Foreign Contribution (Regulation) Act, 2010?
Governing law: The Foreign Contribution (Regulation) Act, 2010 (FCRA) regulates the acceptance and use of foreign donations by individuals and organisations.
Registration: Bodies receiving foreign funds must register and route money through a designated bank account.
Home Ministry: The Union Home Ministry administers registration, renewal, and cancellation.
Key Rules and Goals
Main Goal: Stop foreign money from harming the country, public order, or politics.
Who Cannot Get Funds: Politicians, judges, government workers, and news media cannot accept foreign money.
Bank Routing: Groups must use a single, approved bank account to get these funds.
What does the amendment propose?
Cessation clause: A new provision defines cessation of an FCRA certificate on cancellation or lapse. A certificate stops working if an organization fails to apply for renewal, gets denied, or lets the 5-year validity expire. The Bill proposes to increase oversight into processes relating to the handling of assets upon cancellation, surrender, or cessation of a certificate of registration, the management of defunct organisations, and other administrative and compliance processes.
Asset vesting: On cessation, foreign contributions and assets vest in a government appointed Designated Authority, with proceeds going to the government.
Retrospective reach: A clause would apply the vesting to assets already acquired.
Why is the Bill contested?
Sweeping powers: Critics argue it lets the executive seize and sell the assets of non governmental organisations.
Faith bodies: Christian and other religious institutions fear disproportionate impact.
Constitutional concerns: Objections cite Articles 14, 25, 26 and 300A on equality, religious freedom, and property.
What are the challenges to the FCRA framework?
Funding squeeze: Foreign contribution inflows have already fallen sharply after earlier tightening. Amnesty International India had to freeze operations in 2020 after the government froze its bank accounts over FCRA compliance disputes.
Compliance burden: Small organisations struggle with reporting and renewal requirements.
Chilling effect: Advocacy and rights groups face uncertainty over registration.
Discretion risk: Wide discretion in cancellation invites arbitrariness.
Judicial overhang: Asset vesting is likely to face challenge in the courts.
Conclusion
The Bill shifts the balance from regulating foreign money toward controlling the organisations that receive it. The next milestone is whether the government refers it to a Select Committee before passage.
Back2Basics
The Foreign Contribution (Regulation) Amendment Bill, 2026:
It was introduced in the Lok Sabha on March 25, 2026 and it establishes a framework for managing and disposing of assets and unutilised foreign contributions of organizations that lose their FCRA certification.
Key Provisions of the Bill
Designated Authority: Creates an official body to supervise, manage, and temporarily or permanently vest assets created using foreign funds if an organization’s certificate is cancelled, surrendered, or expires.
Places of Worship: Requires the authority to preserve the religious character of any asset that functions as a place of worship.
Rationalized Penalties: Reduces maximum imprisonment terms for minor or technical violations of the Act from five years down to one year.
Investigation Coordination: Mandates that state-level agencies secure central government approval prior to launching independent FCRA-related investigations.
PYQ Relevance
[UPSC 2015] Examine critically the recent changes in the rule governing foreign funding of NGOs under the Foreign Contribution (Regulation) Act (FCRA), 1976.
The Reserve Bank of India (RBI) has announced that it will resume issuing licences for new Urban Cooperative Banks (UCBs) on an on tap basis, ending a pause of more than two decades. The move follows regulatory reforms aimed at strengthening governance and supervision in the cooperative banking sector.
What is an Urban Cooperative Bank (UCB)?
Cooperative bank: A UCB is a cooperative society that provides banking services primarily in urban and semi urban areas.
Ownership: Owned and managed by its members on the principle of one member, one vote.
Dual regulation:
RBI: Banking operations, licensing, prudential norms and supervision.
State/Central Registrar of Cooperative Societies: Management, elections and administration.
Size: India has around 1,457 Urban Cooperative Banks.
What is RBI changing?
On tap licensing: New UCB licences will be granted throughout the year, instead of one time licensing windows.
Review of concentration norms: RBI will revisit concentration risk norms for rural cooperative banks.
Interest rate framework: Plans to rationalise the interest rate framework across regulated entities for greater consistency.
Why was licensing suspended?
Governance failures: Several UCBs suffered from weak governance, poor risk management and financial irregularities.
Bank failures: High profile failures raised concerns about depositor protection and financial stability.
Regulatory limitations: The dual control structure often hampered effective supervision.
Why has RBI resumed licensing?
Stronger regulation: Amendments to the Banking Regulation Act, 1949 have enhanced RBI’s supervisory powers over cooperative banks.
Improved governance: Regulatory reforms have strengthened oversight and accountability.
Financial inclusion: New UCBs can expand access to affordable banking and credit in underserved urban and semi urban areas.
Prelims Pointers
Urban Cooperative Banks (UCBs) operate mainly in urban and semi urban areas.
They are subject to dual regulation by the RBI and the Registrar of Cooperative Societies.
The Banking Regulation (Amendment) Act, 2020 strengthened RBI’s supervisory powers over cooperative banks.
On tap licensing allows eligible entities to apply for banking licences at any time instead of waiting for a specific licensing window.
“[2021] With reference to ‘Urban Cooperative banks’ in India, consider the following statements: 1.They are supervised and regulated by local boards set up by the State Governments. 2.They can issue equity shares and preference shares. 3.They were brought under the purview of the Banking Regulation Act, 1949 through an Amendment in 1966. Which of the statements given above is/are correct? (a) 1 only (b) 2 and 3 only (c) 1 and 3 only (d) 1, 2, and 3
The Taxation and Other Laws (Amendment) Bill, 2026 proposes to allow the government to impose Merchant Discount Rate (MDR) on selected Unified Payments Interface (UPI) transactions, reviving the debate over how India’s digital payments infrastructure should be financed.
What is the Merchant Discount Rate (MDR)?
Transaction fee: The Merchant Discount Rate (MDR) is the fee charged to merchants by banks and payment service providers for processing digital payments.
Who pays? It is generally borne by the merchant, not the customer.
Current position: Since January 2020, UPI and RuPay debit card transactions have zero MDR, making them free for merchants and users.
Government support: The government has compensated service providers through incentive schemes to sustain the digital payments ecosystem.
What does the Bill propose?
Enabling provision: The Taxation and Other Laws (Amendment) Bill, 2026 relaxes the existing restrictions on MDR.
Selective application: It empowers the government to notify specific UPI transactions on which MDR may be levied.
Likely scope: Discussions indicate the levy may apply to:
Merchants with high annual turnover, and
High value transactions above ₹2,000.
Objective: Ensure a financially sustainable digital payments ecosystem while protecting small merchants.
Who should bear the cost of UPI?
Government funding: Continue compensating payment providers through budgetary support.
RBI surplus: The Reserve Bank of India’s surplus transfer could partly finance UPI infrastructure.
Banks and payment providers: Costs may be absorbed by financial institutions.
Merchants: Large merchants could bear MDR without affecting small businesses.
Policy challenge: Balance financial sustainability, merchant affordability, and continued digital payment adoption.
Prelims Pointers
Merchant Discount Rate (MDR) is the fee paid by merchants for processing digital payment transactions.
UPI is operated by the National Payments Corporation of India (NPCI).
NPCI is an umbrella organisation for retail payment systems in India, established by the Reserve Bank of India (RBI) and the Indian Banks’ Association (IBA).
Zero MDR on UPI and RuPay debit card transactions has been in force since 2020.
The RBI periodically transfers its surplus to the Central Government under the provisions of the RBI Act, 1934.
“[2025] Consider the following countries: I. United Arab Emirates II. France III. Germany IV. Singapore V. Bangladesh How many countries amongst the above are there other than India where international merchant payments are accepted under UPI? (a) Only two (b) Only three (c) Only four (d) All the five
The 16th Finance Commission has retained the size of the tax pool for States but reshaped the grants that equalise between them. The tension is between fiscal efficiency and the constitutional intent of equity across unequal States.
What is the Finance Commission?
Constitutional body: The Finance Commission is set up under Article 280 every five years to recommend the sharing of taxes between the Union and the States.
Vertical devolution: It fixes the share of central taxes that goes to States as a whole.
Horizontal devolution: It sets the formula distributing that share among individual States.
What are the Key Recommendations of the 16th Finance Commission?
Vertical devolution retained at 41%: The States’ share of the divisible pool stays at 41%, the same level as the 15th Finance Commission, giving continuity and predictability.
Income distance weight trimmed: The income distance weight in the horizontal formula is cut from 45% to 42.5%.
New GDP contribution weight: A 10% GDP contribution weight is introduced in the horizontal formula.
Revenue Deficit Grants eliminated: The Revenue Deficit Grants that plugged the gap for States unable to meet committed expenditure are discontinued.
Sector and State specific grants cut: Most sector specific and State specific grants are removed.
Grants in aid share halved: Grants in aid fall from 19.4% to 8.3% of total transfers.
Why do the changes raise equity concerns?
Rewarding the prosperous: A GDP contribution weight favours already prosperous States that contribute more to national output.
Removing the equaliser: Revenue Deficit Grants had cushioned States that cannot meet committed expenditure from their own revenue.
Constitutional intent: Grants in aid under Article 275 are meant to lift weaker States, and a shrinking grant share works against that purpose.
Conclusion
The award tilts the transfer system toward fiscal performance and away from equalisation. The unresolved question is whether poorer States can meet their obligations once the grant cushion is withdrawn.
What is Fiscal Federalism?
About:Fiscal federalism is the division of taxation powers, expenditure responsibilities, borrowing powers, and intergovernmental transfers among the different levels of government in a federal system.
Rationale: It is not merely a mechanism for dividing taxes, it ensures that a citizen’s access to essential public services does not depend excessively on the fiscal capacity of the State in which they live. Indian fiscal federalism reconciles three imbalances.
Vertical fiscal imbalance: The Union has access to buoyant, broad based taxes, while the States carry expenditure intensive responsibilities such as health, education, agriculture, police, and local infrastructure.
Horizontal fiscal imbalance: States differ widely in income, resources, geography, demographics, and revenue raising ability, so a lower income State cannot fund the same services as a richer one at similar tax rates.
Third tier fiscal imbalance: Panchayats and Municipalities carry substantial service delivery duties but have limited own source revenue and depend on transfers from the Union and the States.
Article 246 and the Seventh Schedule: Divides legislative and taxation powers through the Union, State, and Concurrent Lists, placing public order, health, agriculture, and local government largely in the State domain.
Article 246A: Inserted by the 101st Constitutional Amendment Act, 2016, gives Parliament and State Legislatures concurrent power over Goods and Services Tax, with Parliament exclusive over inter State GST.
Article 270: Defines the taxes forming the divisible pool shared with the States on the Finance Commission’s recommendation.
Article 271: Allows Union surcharges, which along with cesses are excluded from the divisible pool.
Article 275: Empowers Parliament to give grants in aid from the Consolidated Fund of India to States in need, including for Scheduled Tribes and Scheduled Areas.
Article 280: Requires the President to constitute a Finance Commission every five years to recommend vertical and horizontal devolution, the principles of grants in aid, and measures to augment State funds for local bodies.
Article 282: Permits the Union or a State to make grants for any public purpose, the constitutional basis for many discretionary and centrally sponsored transfers.
Articles 243-I and 243-Y: Require States to constitute State Finance Commissions every five years for Panchayats and Municipalities respectively.
Article 293: Lets States borrow within India, but a State indebted to the Union needs Union consent for further borrowing.
Article 279A: Establishes the GST Council, institutionalising cooperative Union State decision making on indirect taxes.
[2023] Consider the following : 1. Demographic performance 2. Forest and ecology 3. Governance reforms 4. Stable government 5. Tax and fiscal efforts For the horizontal tax devolution, the Fifteenth Finance Commission used how many of the above as criteria other than population area and income distance? (a) Only two (b) Only three (c) only four (d) All five
