-The Hindu The terms of reference of the 15th Finance Commission raise questions about constitutional propriety It is not without reason that the presidential terms of reference (ToR) of the Fifteenth Finance Commission have raised questions, and the recent conclave of Finance Ministers of the southern States to discuss contentious issues in the ToR is only the beginning. In the months ahead more debate on this is likely. But the line by...

-The Economic Times KOLKATA: Charges for SMS alerts on banking transactions may not squeeze account holders much but can be a reasonable earning for many banks, especially in accounts with meagre monthly transactions though income from SMS alert service goes against the advisory from the sector regulator. While Reserve Bank of India told banks to send SMS alerts for every transaction as means to fight frauds, the regulator also directed banks to...

-PTI The case pertains to Commodore Lokesh Batra (Retd) who had sought to know details of bills, invoices and other records related to abroad visits of Prime Minister between Financial Years 2013-14 and 2016-17. The Central Information Commission has directed the external affairs ministry to disclose records related to the expenses incurred on chartering Air India aircraft for abroad visits of the prime minister from 2013 to 2017. Chief Information Commissioner R...

-The Telegraph New Delhi: A Right to Information applicant has drawn a blank while trying to access studies carried out on black money by autonomous research institutions under the finance ministry, making him wonder whether these documents have been sucked into some black hole. Even the much-touted special investigation team on black money - set up by the Narendra Modi government soon after assuming office - has informed Venkatesh Nayak of the...

-The Indian Express Operation Greens must build forward and backward linkages between farmers and markets. It can learn from Operation Flood. The finance minister announced Operation Greens, on the lines of Operation Flood, with a seed capital of Rs 500 crore in his speech on February 1. Three days later, the Prime Minister backed the scheme at a parivartan rally in Bengaluru. He said farmers are his TOP priority — T is...