Finance panel chiefs should meet, says TNN

By Our Special Correspondent

BANGALORE, DEC. 13. Mr. T.N. Narasimhamurthy, who assumed office as Chairman of the State Finance Commission (SFC) on Wednesday, has appealed to the Union Government to convene a meeting of the chairmen of State finance commissions on the lines of the meeting of State chief ministers every year, to discuss measures to strengthen resources of local bodies.

The suggestion was made to the Deputy Chairman of the Planning Commission, the Union Finance Minister and the Union Minister for Rural Development whom he met soon after his appointment as Chairman of the State Finance Commission. The suggestion had been welcomed by them, Mr. Narasimhamurthy said here on Wednesday.

Panel report by October

Addressing presspersons who met him, he said he proposed to convene a meeting of the three-member SFC within a week to discuss the steps that needed to be taken, and the details of its functioning, so that it could submit its first report by October next year as suggested by the Government.

The immediate plan of the SFC was to convene a meeting of the presidents, vice-presidents and chief executive officers of the zilla panchayats at the State level, to be followed by meetings of mayors, deputy mayors and commissioners of urban local bodies and other local bodies, to elicit their views on how their resources could be strengthened. The exercise would be completed before February, Mr. Narasimhamurthy said.

It was proposed to hold meetings of taluk panchayats at the divisional level, and of gram panchayat bodies at the district level, he added.

He said he had met the Governor and the Chief Minister and assured them that the SFC would function in such a way as to provide a model for the country.

Veteran MLC

A senior Congress leader, Mr. Narashimhamurthy said with pride that after entering the Vidhana Soudha as a member of the Legislative Council on March 28, 1970, he had served as its Chairman, Deputy Chairman, Leader of the Opposition, Leader of the House and Chief Whip. Till he ceased to be a member of the Council on June 16 this year, he had served it for 10,950 days. He had entered the Vidhana Soudha again after a lapse of 175 days to assume office as Chairman of the SFC, he added.

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Section  : Southern States
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