The Sixteenth Finance Commission of India, chaired by Dr. Arvind Panagariya, recently decided to set up a five-member Advisory Council to make the Commission’s work more expansive. This Council shall be headed by Ms. Poonam Gupta, the incumbent Director General of the National Council of Applied Economic Research (NCAER). The other four constituents of the panel are Mr. DK Srivastava, Mr. Neelkanth Mishra, Mr. Pranjul Bhandari, and Mr. Rahul Bajoria.
This Council has a substantial role to play in the functioning of the constitutional body by broadening its ambit and understanding by seeking the best national and international practices on matters about fiscal devolution and improving the quality, reach, and enforcement of its recommendations.
The panel will also assist in the preparation of papers or research studies and monitor or assess studies commissioned by the Finance Commission, to enhance the commission’s understanding of the issues in its terms of reference.
