The Kerala government will host a fiscal conclave in Thiruvananthapuram on September 12 to discuss the approach towards the 16th Finance Commission.
The non-BJP ruled states of Tamil Nadu, Karnataka, Telangana and Punjab will participate in the conclave. The conclave will be inaugurated by Kerala Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan. Kerala finance minister KN Balagopal will preside over the function.
Deputy Chief Minister and Finance Minister of Telangana Mallu Bhatti Vikramarka, Karnataka’s Revenue Minister Krishna Byre Gowda, Punjab Finance Minister Harpal Singh Cheema, Tamil Nadu Finance Minister Thangam Thennarasu, Kerala’s Leader of Opposition V D Satheesan and the finance secretaries of the five states will also attend the meeting.
Experts, including Arvind Subramanian, former chief economic advisor of the Union government, State Planning Board vice chairman V K Ramachandran, former finance minister T M Thomas Isaac, former Union cabinet secretary K M Chandrasekhar, chief minister’s principal secretary K M Abraham, fourth State Finance Commission chairman M A Oommen, 12th Finance Commission member DK Srivastava, and economist Prabhat Patnaik will attend the conclave.
“Kerala considers Finance Commission as an important avenue where the state can raise the demand for restructuring Centre-state fiscal relations. A united stand of the state governments on fiscal matters has become imperative and the meeting will help achieve this,” said Kerala Finance Minister K N Balagopal.