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Which of the following statements with regard to recommendations of the 15th Finance Commission of India are correct

Q. Which of the following statements with regard to recommendations of the 15th Finance Commission of India are correct?

I. It has recommended grants of ₹ 4,800 crores from the year 2022-23 to the year 2025-26 for incentivizing States to enhance educational outcomes.
II. 45% of the net proceeds of Union taxes are to be shared with States.
III. ₹ 45,000 crores are to be kept as performance-based incentive for all States for carrying out agricultural reforms.
IV. It reintroduced tax effort criteria to reward fiscal performance.

Select the correct answer using the code given below.

(a) I, II and III
(b) I, II and IV
(c) I, III and IV
(d) II, III and IV

76. भारत के 15वें वित्त आयोग की सिफारिशों के संदर्भ में, निम्नलिखित में कौन-कौन से कथन सही हैं?

I. इसने राज्यों द्वारा शिक्षा परिणामों में उन्नयन लाने हेतु प्रोत्साहन राशि प्रदान करने के लिए वर्ष 2022-23 से वर्ष 2025-26 तक ₹ 4,800 करोड़ के अनुदान की अनुशंसा की है।
II. संघ के करों के निवल आगम का 45%, राज्यों के साथ बाँटा जाना चाहिए।
III. सभी राज्यों के लिए कृषि सुधारों के क्रियान्वयन हेतु निष्पादन आधारित प्रोत्साहन के रूप में ₹ 45,000 करोड़ रखे जाएँ।
IV. इसने राजकोषीय निष्पादन को पुरस्कृत करने हेतु कर प्रयास निकष (Tax Effort Criteria) को फिर से आरम्भ किया।

नीचे दिए गए कूट का प्रयोग कर सही उत्तर चुनिए।

(a) I, II और III
(b) I, II और IV
(c) I, III और IV
(d) II, III और IV

Answer: (c) I, III and IV

Explanation:

  • Statement I is correct: The 15th Finance Commission recommended grants of ₹4,800 crores for the period 2022–23 to 2025–26 to incentivize States for improving educational outcomes.
  • Statement II is not correct: The 15th Finance Commission recommended that 41% of the net proceeds of Union taxes should be devolved to the States, not 45%.
  • The reduction from 42% (recommended by the 14th Finance Commission) to 41% was due to the reorganization of the former State of Jammu and Kashmir into Union Territories.
  • Statement III is correct: The Commission proposed ₹45,000 crores as performance-based incentives for States undertaking agricultural reforms.
  • These reforms included modernization of agricultural marketing systems, crop diversification, and improvement in agricultural infrastructure.
  • Statement IV is correct: The 15th Finance Commission reintroduced the “Tax Effort” criterion in the horizontal devolution formula to reward States with better tax collection performance relative to their Gross State Domestic Product (GSDP).