15th Finance Commission: All states that have worked on population control will benefit, PM Modi says

CHENNAI: Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Thursday said the central government has suggested to the 15th Finance Commission that it consider incentivising states that have worked on population control.
Modi was speaking at an event to inaugurate the diamond jubilee building at Adyar Cancer Institute here.

The Prime Minister’s reaction comes close on the heels of southern states expressing concerns over the terms of reference of the Finance Commission, especially the mandate to make recommendations using 2011 census data. The southern states that had made great strides in controlling the rate of population growth felt penalised by the Centre. The devolution of central taxes is based on census 1971 until now.

Modi said a baseless allegation was being made about the terms of reference of the 15th Finance Commission. He said there was no bias against certain states or a particular region.



"(With the Centre's latest recommendation to the Finance Commission)... a state like Tamil Nadu, which has devoted a lot of effort, energy and resources towards population control would certainly benefit," he said.



The Prime Minister said the Centre was committed to cooperative federalism. "Let us all build together a New India which would make our freedom fighters proud," Modi said.