Abstract: The lecture would attempt to contextualize the reflections of fiscal federalism in India through the lens of history, society, the constitutional framework, economic compulsions, and the dynamics of politics. The narrative would revolve around three frames: a) how does the planning of revenue & expenditure of different levels of government in India happen? b) What is the basis for the distribution of revenues and expenditures between different levels of government? c) The importance of inter-governmental transfers. Experience has also shown that inter-governmental transfers (mostly from the federal to the states and from the federal and states to the local governments) are the order of the day. High expenditure functions linked to welfare, development, education, and health sectors are largely assigned to the states. These functions involve significant resources. States have been mobilizing greater resources, but are also dependent on the federal government for fiscal transfers. The dialogue will conclude with a discussion on the challenges of achieving federal equalisation. Some states may have greater access to revenues, while other states may have limited fiscal resources, and there are clear differences in their revenue-raising capacities. How does the federal government ensure equalisation?
About the speakers: Dr Shastri is Director – Academics at NITTE Education Trust. He was earlier Vice Chancellor of Jagran Lakecity University, Bhopal, and Pro Vice Chancellor of JAIN University at Bengaluru, and a faculty member in the Department of Political Science at Bangalore University.
Dr Shastri’s research has been on survey-based election studies, Indian Politics, Karnataka politics, and the teaching- learning process. He has authored 14 books, 60 chapters in edited books, and over 100 articles in reputed journals, besides over 500 articles in leading newspapers and online portals. Having been a teacher for over four decades, he has interacted with undergraduate, postgraduate, and research students across disciplines. He has pioneered inter-disciplinary connections, which are today at the core of the National Education Policy (NEP). He is a popular television commentator on politics and elections. He is the national coordinator of Lokniti network – an All-India network of political scientists involved in election studies. He played a key role in drafting Karnataka’s Youth policy by serving as the Chairman of the Drafting Committee of the said policy. He has been a consultant to the United Nations, World Bank, and the Forum of Federations. He has spoken at universities in over 50 countries on all six inhabited continents. He describes himself as a teacher by instinct, researcher by choice, trainer by passion, and above all, a lifelong learner.