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The first commercial patient who underwent CAR T Cell Therapy was declared cancer-free.

India’s CAR T Cell Therapy NexCAR19

• The Drugs Controller General of India approved the ‘Chimeric Antigen Receptor (CAR) T-cell therapy’ called NexCAR19 in October 2023.
• NexCAR19 is available in over 30 hospitals in more than 10 cities in India. 
• Patients over the age of 15 years who suffer from B-cell cancers are eligible for this one-time therapy at these centers.

What Is CAR T Cell Therapy?

• NexCAR19, the indigenously developed therapy, treats B-cell cancers (types of cancers that form in the immune system’s cells) such as leukemia and lymphoma. 
• It has been developed collaboratively by ImmunoACT, a company incubated at the Indian Institute of Technology Bombay (IITB), IIT-B and Tata Memorial Hospital.
• CAR T Cell is a novel and highly complex immune therapy that redirects the body’s immune system to fight cancer. 
• CAR-T cells are often described as ‘the living drug’ because they actively search and target malignant cells.
• Principle: It uses a type of immune cell called a T-cell, which is extracted from a patient’s blood before being genetically altered to allow it to target surface proteins found on cancer cells.
• Mechanism: The patient’s T-cells (types of immune cells) are collected and genetically modified into potent cancer fighters known as CAR-T cells. 
• The genetically modified cells express chimeric antigen receptors (CARs) specific to cancer cells. 
• The modified CAR-T cells are then expanded in the laboratory before being infused into the patient. 
• Once in the body, these engineered cells recognise and attack cancer cells, with a focus on B-cell cancers, thus offering a targeted and potent immunotherapy.

Why is CAR T Cell Therapy Effective?

• Improves immunogenic memory, which provides continuous surveillance to treat local and distant metastatic lesions.
• Recognises and eliminates damaged cells and cells infected with harmful pathogens, such as viruses and cancerous cells.
• Reduces the need for aggressive chemotherapy and Bone transplantation.
• Affordability: Indigenous CAR T Cell Therapy brings treatment costs down from Rs 4 crore to Rs 40 lakh.
• Success Rate: In studies, 9 out of 10 people with acute lymphoblastic leukemia whose cancer didn’t respond to other treatments or whose cancer came back had complete remission with CAR T Cell Therapy.
  • Remission means the cancer can’t be detected in tests.

News Source: Indian Express

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Recently Rajya Sabha Passed Water Prevention and Control of Pollution Amendment Bill 2024.

Water Prevention and Control of Pollution Amendment Bill 2024

• It amends the Water Prevention and Control of Pollution Act, 1974. 
  • Decriminalizes several violations, and instead imposes penalties.
  • Changes in the Appointment of Chairman of the state Board .
  • It will initially apply to Himachal Pradesh, Rajasthan, and the union territories.

• Penalty for the offenses & Decriminalisation of Minor offenses 

• • The Water Prevention and Control of Pollution Amendment Bill removes imprisonment as a punishment, and prescribes a penalty between Rs 10,000 and Rs 15 lakh.
• Appointment of Adjudicating officer to determine penalties: Adjudicating officers will Decide on a penalty in cases of Violations.
• Cognizance of offenses:  
  • A court may take cognizance of an offense if a complaint is made by As per the Act, the CPCB or SPCB, or a person who has given a notice of the complaint to the Boards &  It adds that cognizance may also be taken if a complaint is made by the adjudicating officer.
• Offenses by government departments : The Bill specifies that the head of a department will be required to pay a penalty equal to one month of their basic salary if the department violates any provision of the Act.

Significance of the Amendment 

• Balancing Development and Environmental protection : It will ensure that citizens, businesses, and companies can operate without the looming threat of imprisonment for minor, technical, or procedural defaults. 
• Enhance transparency in addressing water pollution concerns : The penal consequences of offenses will align with the severity of the transgressions, promoting a fair and proportionate approach.

News Source : The Hindu

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Recently,  The Lok Sabha passed the Constitution Jammu and Kashmir Scheduled Tribes Order Amendment Bill, 2023 to add the Paharis community to the ST list.

Lok Sabha Passes Bill Granting ST Status to Pahari & Paddari in Jammu and Kashmir

• Other communities like Gadda Brahman, the Paddari Tribe, and the Koli communities also added to the ST list of Jammu and Kashmir.
• Lok Sabha also passed another Bill to add the Valmiki community and synonyms to the Scheduled Castes list of the UT

About Scheduled Tribes

• The Constitution of India in Article 366 (25) prescribe that the Scheduled Tribes means such tribal communities as are deemed under Article 342 of the Constitution to be Scheduled Tribes.
  • Article 342: It  prescribes a procedure to identify and list the Schedule Tribes through passing of a Presidential Order through which a list of Scheduled Tribes are notified for each State or Union Territory and are valid only within the jurisdiction of that State or Union Territory and not outside.

• Constitutional Provision For Scheduled Tribes

  • Fifth and Sixth Schedule of Constitution: The  Fifth and Sixth Schedules of the Constitution have special provisions related to the administration and control of such areas declared as “Scheduled Areas” and “Tribal Areas” respectively.
    • Article 244(1): provisions of the Fifth Schedule shall apply to the administration and control of The  Scheduled Areas and Scheduled Tribes in any states other than the four NorthEastern states of Assam, Meghalaya, Tripura and Mizoram. 
    • Article 244(2): the tribal-dominated areas in the above four States of Assam, Meghalaya, Tripura and Mizoram are to be administered separately under the Sixth Schedule
  • Art. 15(4): Special provisions for advancement of other backward classes (which includes STs)
  • Art. 29: Protection of Interests of Minorities (which includes STs);
  • Art. 350: Right to conserve distinct Language, Script or Culture;
  • Art. 350: Instruction in Mother Tongue.
  • Article 243D: Reservation of Seats for Scheduled Tribes in Panchayats.
  • Article 330:  Reservation of seats for Scheduled Tribes in the House of the People.
  • Article 332: Reservation of seats for Scheduled Tribes in Legislative Assemblies of the States.

• Legal Safeguards To Scheduled Tribes

• • Protection of Civil Rights Act, 1955: To prevent discrimination and prescribe punishment for the preaching and practice of Untouchability.
  • Scheduled Castes and the Scheduled Tribes (Prevention of Atrocities) Act, 1989: To prevent atrocities against the members of SC and ST and provide speedy trials through  Special Courts and relief and rehabilitation of the victims.
  • Provisions of the Panchayats (Extension to the Scheduled Areas) Act, 1996: To extend the provisions of Part IX of the Constitution relating to the Panchayats to the Scheduled Areas.
  • Scheduled Tribes and Other Traditional Forest Dwellers (Recognition of Forest Rights) Act, 2006: To recognize and vest the forest rights and occupation of forest land in forest dwelling scheduled tribes and other traditional forest dwellers.

Process of Addition or Removal into a SC and ST List

• Initiation: The  State or UT  government seeking the addition or exclusion of a particular community from the SC or ST list prepares a proposal. 
• It is then sent to the Union Ministry of Tribal Affairs from the concerned State government.
• Ministry of Tribal Affairs, through its own deliberations, examines the proposal, and forwards  it to the Registrar General of India (RGI).

• The RGI then sends the proposal to the National Commission for Scheduled Castes or National Commission for Scheduled Tribes
• Cabinet: The proposal is sent back to the Union government, which after inter-ministerial deliberations, introduces it in the Cabinet for final approval.
• Bill is Introduced: An Amendment  bill is introduced in the both Houses of Parliament to amend the Constitution (Scheduled Castes) Order, 1950 and the Constitution (Scheduled Tribes) Order, 1950.
• Presidential assent: The bill is passed by the Parliament and the  President’s office issues  a notification specifying the changes under powers vested in it from Articles 341 and 342 to add or remove a community from the SC/ST list.

News Source: The Hindu

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Delimitation of Constituencies for Lok Sabha & State Legislatures is to be carried out based on the first census after 2026.

• The 2021 Census was originally postponed due to the COVID-19 pandemic and subsequently due to delays on the part of the Central government.

About Delimitation of Constituencies

• Delimitation of Constituencies means the act or process of fixing limits or boundaries of territorial constituencies in a country or a province having a legislative body. 
• The job of delimitation is assigned to a body- known as Delimitation Commission or a Boundary Commission.
• Delimitation Commissions have been set up four times — 1952, 1963, 1973 and 2002 under the Acts of 1952, 1962, 1972 and 2002.
• The 87th Amendment Act of 2003 provided for the delimitation of constituencies on the basis of 2001 census

Significance of Periodical Delimitation Exercise

• Maintain Proportional Representation:
  • Adjustment of boundaries (utilizing data from the most recent Census) to maintain equal population distribution across all constituencies within the State/Union Territory. 

• • Balanced Electoral Landscape : It guarantees an equitable allocation of territorial divisions to ensure that all political parties or candidates in the elections.
• Adequate Representation : For Reserved Seats for SCs & STs.
  • One Vote One Value Principle

Why Is Delimitation Exercise Frozen?

• To encourage the Population Control Measures 
  • Maintain federal principles of our country by allowing equal representation from all the states & UTs concerned.
  • States with higher population growth do not end up having higher numbers of seats.

Issues in Delimitation of Constituencies in Present Scenario

• Population Explosion in the states which already had higher population compared to the states which improved. 
• Inconsistent Delimitation Based on Census: Delimitation in 2002-08 was based on the 2001 census, but the total number of seats was determined as per the 1971 Census.
  • The 87th Amendment Act of 2003 advocated delimitation based on the 2001 census, but this was not tied to altering seat allotments to each state in the Lok Sabha.
• Population Control Discrepancy: States showing little interest in population control could gain a greater number of seats in Parliament.
  • Southern states, which emphasized family planning, faced the risk of seat reduction.
• North-South Representation Disparity: Projections indicate that northern states might gain seats while southern states could lose, raising concerns about regional imbalances in representation.
  • For Example: Based on the previous census data and population projection, after the 2026 delimitation, Bihar and Uttar Pradesh will have a total of 222 MPs, while four South Indian states will have a combined representation of 165 in the Lok Sabha.

Probable Alternatives to Delimitation of Constituencies

• Proposal to Maintain Current Lok Sabha Representation:The number of MPs in Lok Sabha may be capped at the present number of 543 which would ensure no disruption in the present representation from various States. 
  • This will maintain and uphold the federal principle. 
• Enhancing State Legislative Representation: The number of MLAs in each State may be increased in line with the current population (without changing the number of Rajya Sabha seats) to address the democratic representational requirement.

News Source: The Hindu

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Recently, Rajya Sabha passed the Constitution (Scheduled Tribes) Order Amendment Bill, 2024 and Constitution (Scheduled Castes and Scheduled Tribes) Order Amendment Bill, 2024.

Bills to Include PVTGs of Odisha and Andhra Pradesh in Scheduled Tribes

• Several new communities were added to the Scheduled Tribes list of Odisha and the inclusion of synonyms and phonetic variations of existing tribes in the ST lists of both Andhra Pradesh and Odisha.

PVTG Tribes In ST List

Highlights of the Bill

• Addition of PVTGs: The names of  four PVTG groups in Odisha and three in Andhra Pradesh  had been specifically added as synonyms or sub-tribes of communities already on the ST lists of these States.
• New Entries: 
  • Tamadia and Tamudia communities of Odisha has now been included in the Scheduled Tribes list shifted from Scheduled Castes list. 
• Expansion of Odisha’s ST List: The Muka Dora community and the Konda Reddy community of Odisha were also added in Odisha’s ST list.
  • The Bill also added synonyms, phonetic variations and sub-tribes of at least eight existing communities in the State’s ST list.

News Source: The Hindu

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CBSE has established rules for how private residential schools under its affiliation should execute the SHRESHTA scheme (Residential Education for Students in High Schools in Targeted Areas).

About Shreshta Scheme:

• Nodal Ministry: Ministry of Social Justice and Empowerment (MoSJE).

• Objectives of SHRESHTA SCHEME

  • To offer excellent educational opportunities to deserving SC students in grades 9 and 11 through residential programs.
  • To enhance the reach of the development initiative of the government.
  • To fill the gap in service-deprived Scheduled Castes (SCs) dominant areas in the sector of education by collaborating with voluntary organizations.
  • To provide an environment for socio-economic upliftment and overall development of the Scheduled Castes (SCs).

• Eligibility Criteria Under SHRESHTA SCHEME

• • SC students currently enrolled in 8th and 10th grade are eligible for the scheme.
  • Students from SC backgrounds with family incomes up to Rs 2.5 lakh per year qualify for the benefits.
• Bridge Courses: The scheme includes a Bridge course to help SC students who are admitted to catch up with their classmates.
  • Bridge courses focus on improving the student’s abilities to adapt easily to the school environment.

Implementation Procedure Of SHRESHTA SCHEME

The scheme operates in two modes:

• SHRESHTA Schools: Mode-I: approximately 3000 talented SC students from various States/Union Territories (UTs) are chosen annually through the National Entrance Test for SHRESHTA (NETS).
  • These students are then enrolled in private residential schools affiliated with CBSE/State Boards.
• NGO/VO operated Schools/Hostels (EXISTING COMPONENT): Mode-II involves providing financial support to non-governmental organizations (NGOs) to manage schools or hostel projects focused on educating Scheduled Caste students.

News Source: PIB

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The Indian Air Force (IAF) Exercise Vayu Shakti-24 will be conducted on February 17 at the Pokhran air-to-ground range near Jaisalmer in Rajasthan.  

Exercise Vayu Shakti 2024: Key Highlights

• About Exercise: It will involve more than 120 aircraft, including 77 fighter jets, with the drills aimed at showcasing the air force’s offensive and defensive capabilities by day and night.
  • IAF will deploy its frontline assets including Rafale fighter jets, Mirage-2000s, Sukhoi-30 MKIs, light combat aircraft Tejas and Jaguars.
• New Platforms: The platforms taking part in the exercise for the first time include Rafales, Prachand light combat helicopters and Samar surface-to-air weapon systems.
• Significance: It will demonstrate the IAF’s capability to deliver weapons with long-range, precision capability as well as conventional weapons accurately, on time and with devastating effect, while operating from multiple air bases.

News Source: ET

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Recently, a dangerous storm blew in California, USA. It threatened coastal areas and caused flooding and mudslides 

Atmospheric Rivers Hit California With Flooding

• This storm is also known as a “Pineapple Express”.
  • It is named “Pineapple Express”because it brings moisture from the tropics near Hawaii across the Pacific over to the West Coast of the US. 
  • A Pineapple Express is a type of atmospheric river that can affect the entire west coast of North America, resulting in extreme rainfall, excessive flooding, property damage, and disrupted travel.

What is an Atmospheric River?

• An atmospheric river is a plume of moisture, or water vapor, that moves from the tropics and is dumped over a region as heavy rain or snow. 
• Atmospheric rivers are narrow bands that tend to occur on the eastern side of strong mid-latitude storms.
• It usually causes heavy precipitation and rainfall when it hits the land region. 

Atmospheric Rivers Impact in India

• India has also seen its impact during 1985 and 2020.
  • During this period, India’s 70% flooding was due to atmospheric rivers. 
• Weather events like 2013 Uttarakhand flood and Kerala flood in 2018 were also triggered by this. 
• The southern region of western ghats and eastern ghats of India face major issues like heavy rainfall and precipitation. 

Reasons For Rise in Atmospheric Rivers In India

• In India, its formation is largely caused by sea surface temperature in the south-central Indian ocean. 
  • Evaporation has increased in the Indian ocean due to higher Vapour Pressure Deficit (VPD).
    • VPD is a measurement unit that measures the pressure needed to turn liquid into vapor. 

News Source: PIB

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The 24th meeting of PM-STIAC (The Prime Minister Science Technology and Innovation Advisory Council) discussed issues related to medical and health industries in India. 

• The meeting was convened by the Principal Scientific Advisor of Govt of India

PM-STIAC: Prime Minister Science Technology and Innovation Advisory Council

• About: Constituted in August 2018, PM-STIAC serves as an important council to assess the status of various science and technology-related matters, comprehend challenges, formulate interventions, develop a futuristic roadmap, and advise the Prime Minister accordingly.
• Presided by: Principal Advisor to the Govt of India

• Objectives of PM-STIAC:

  • Synergising collaborative science and technology; 
  • Enabling future preparedness; 
  • Formulating and coordinating S&T missions; 
  • Providing an enabling ecosystem for techno entrepreneurship; 
  • Driving innovation, and technology, developing innovation clusters, and fostering effective public-private linkages among other responsibilities.

• Missions and initiatives Being Shaped Under PM-STIAG: 

  • One health mission: Coordinating human, animal, and environmental health to prevent pandemics and control priority diseases.
  • National Quantum Mission: To develop quantum technologies for communication, computing, and sensing applications.
  • Artificial Intelligence: To develop and deploy AI technologies for applications in various sectors, such as healthcare, agriculture, and manufacturing.
  • Waste to Wealth: To convert waste into wealth by developing recycling and resource recovery technologies.
  • Deep Ocean Exploration: To explore the deep ocean and develop technologies for its sustainable utilization.

24th Meeting of PM-STIAC

• Aim: To provide recommendations for a robust regulatory ecosystem in the medical and health industry 
• Themes Discussed:
  • Approval process of Drugs and suggested changes
    • Focused on promoting innovation while manufacturing drugs.
    • Enabling regulatory systems that align with global practice
  • Vaccine regulation in India
    • To simplify the approval process for vaccine development.
    • To streamline all approval processes and channelise all ministries, agencies, and committees in an organised system.
  • Diagnostic and medical device ecosystem
    • Focussed on ways and means to build an ecosystem for medical devices in India.
  • Regulatory ecosystem for the animal health product
    • Focused on both, progress made and issues faced by industries producing animal health products.
  • Regulations of emerging therapies in India 
    • Discussed harnessing the potential of India to become a global leader in Cell and Gene Therapy (CGT).

Regulation of Medical Products

• The regulations for medical products in India are primarily governed by the Medical Devices Rules, 2017 (MDR 2017), amended in 2020.
• These rules are implemented by the Central Drugs Standard Control (CDSCO).

News Source: PIB and The Hindu

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This article is based on the news “Why is fiscal consolidation so important? | Explained” which was published in the Hindu. The states of Karnataka and Kerala are bringing their protest against the Centre’s alleged biased fiscal policies to the national capital, Delhi.

Kerala Chief Minister to Lead Protest Against Centre’s Financial Embargo

• Protest by Kerala: The Kerala Chief Minister has decided to lead a protest in New Delhi against the Centre for placing Kerala on a financial embargo.
  • According to the Kerala government, there has been a fall of Rs 57,400 crore in state’s receipts from the Centre, a shortfall of Rs 12,000 crore in GST compensation, another cut of Rs 8,400 crore in this year’s revenue deficit grant, and a fall in Kerala’s eligible borrowing limit to Rs 28,830 crore from the Rs 39,626 crore it expected.
  • It has accused the Centre of pushing the State into a severe financial crisis by imposing a limit on its borrowings.
• Karnataka’s Protest: Karnataka Chief Minister has put the losses suffered by the state exchequer due to factors such as reduction of Karnataka’s share in the divisible pool of taxes and faulty implementation of GST at around Rs 1.87 lakh crore.

About Fiscal Federalism

• Fiscal Federalism: It entails the division of responsibilities and resources between the central and state governments, with the Finance Commission playing a key role in recommending tax proceeds distribution. 

• • Equitable intergovernmental transfers, involving fund transfers from the central to state governments, are vital for balanced regional development, reducing fiscal imbalances, and promoting cooperative federalism.
  • Federalism: It is a mode of government that combines a general government with regional governments in a single political system, dividing the powers between the two.
• Constitution provides for a significantly centralized federal structure, with the bulk of revenue-raising powers residing with the Union government. As a result, Union government transfers to the States are vital for the latter’s fiscal space.
  • The Union government’s fiscal transfers to States are made through two mechanisms viz. the Finance Commission and a variety of Central government schemes. 
• Finance Commission (FC): The Constitution envisages the Finance commission as the balancing wheel of fiscal federalism in India. 
  • Article 280 of the Constitution of India provides for a Finance Commission as a quasi judicial body. It is constituted by the President of India every fifth year or at such an earlier time as he considers necessary.
  • The Finance commission was formed to define the financial relations between the central government of India and the individual state governments.
  • It makes recommendations on three areas:
    • The share of the divisible pool of the Union government’s taxes that is to be devolved to the States.
    • Grants made by the Union government to the States to meet their revenue deficits. 
    • Certain other grants to States and local governments. 

India’s Fiscal Federalism and Associated Challenges

• Tax Devolution

  • The share of devolution for the less populous and fiscally stronger southern states tends to be lower, while few northern states, which are weaker on these metrics, get a larger share of central taxes.
  • According to the Reserve Bank of India’s (RBI) of State Finances: A Study of Budgets of 2023-24 report, due to increase in cesses and surcharges, the divisible pool has shrunk from 88.6 percent of gross tax revenue in 2011-12 to 78.9 percent in 2021-22 despite the 10-percentage point increase in tax devolution recommended by the 15th finance panel.

• Issues With the Seventh Schedule

  • The 7th Schedule of the Indian Constitution broadly divides governance functions into three lists: the central, state, and concurrent lists. Over time, the Concurrent List has expanded its scope, surpassing its designated boundaries and encroaching upon the domains of subnational governments. 
  • For example, the 42nd Amendment of the Constitution (1975) shifted the subjects of forest and education from the State List to the Concurrent List. 
  • The Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Act of 2005, the Right of Children to Free and Compulsory Education Act of 2009 and the National Food Security Act of 2013, and many others impose an extra burden on the States.
  • The report of the 15th Finance Commission notes that in 2018-19, the states had only 37.3 per cent of the resources but were responsible for 62.4 per cent of the expenditure that was incurred.

• Incongruence of Article 282 with the Letter and Spirit of 7th Schedule

  • Article 282 enables the Union (as well as the states) to make discretionary grants, even beyond their respective legislative competences, for any ‘public purpose’. 
  • Originally, it was an extraordinary provision that was to be used very sparingly. 
    • Based on an exercise by the 15th FC, there are around 211 schemes/sub-schemes under the umbrella of 29 core schemes with the total outlay of the central government on these centrally sponsored schemes is around INR 3.32 trillion in 2019-20. 

• Issues with GST

  • Goods and Services Tax (GST) subsumes the majority of the indirect taxes viz. excise, services tax, sales tax, octroi etc. and the GST Council decides the central and state GST rates. 
  • However, states have lost the autonomy to decide the tax rates of subjects that fall within the State List and the inability of states to fix tax rates to match their development requirements implies greater dependence on the centre for funds.

• Issues in Finances of the Third Tier of Government

• • The persistent failure to place the third tier properly on the fiscal federal map of India is a serious issue. 
  • For example, the 73rd and 74th Constitutional Amendments introduced  XIth and XIIth Schedule, which, respectively, list out the subject matter for the panchayat raj institutions and municipalities by simply lifting items from the State list and Concurrent list lack operational meaning. 

• Limits State’s Borrowings

  • The Net Borrowing Ceiling (NBC) limits the borrowings of States from all sources including open market borrowings. 
  • For example, Kerala has moved the Supreme Court contending that the Centre’s imposition of a NBC on the State, violates Article 293 (borrowing by states) of the Constitution. 

• Determining State Finances

  • According to Article 293 of the Constitution, the State has to obtain the consent of the Centre to raise any loan, if any part of the previous loan extended by the Centre is outstanding. 
  • Parliament does not have the power to legislate upon the ‘Public Debt of the State’ as this finds place in the State List of the Constitution.

Way Forward to India’s Fiscal Federalism

• 16th Finance Commission Directive: The directives could be given to the 16th FC to enhance devolutions effectively, including:
  • Review Tax-Sharing Principles: In line with India’s evolving fiscal federalism, its mandate could center on consolidating the indirect tax base between the Union and states.
  • Revamp Statutory Sharing of Indirect Taxes: The evolving landscape requires a reevaluation and redesign of the statutory sharing of indirect taxes, both vertically and horizontally.
  • Vertical Devolution: Aligning the vertical sharing principle with the new system necessitates redefining the divisible pool. For instance, the commission should outline the procedures for incorporating Integrated GST (IGST) entirely into the pool, including unsettled IGST with input tax credit.
  • Horizontal Devolution: Revisit the criteria for distributing the divisible pool among states, especially regarding equalizing grants, to accommodate the shift from a production-based to a consumption-based tax system.
• Revisiting Article 246 and the Seventh Schedule: Article 246 deals with the division of power between the Union and the States, since India is no longer one-party governance and has become a multi-party system, there is a need to revisit and reform this division of power to ensure cooperative federalism. 
• Rationalise Central Spending: There’s a necessity for a more credible approach to rationalize Central Sector Schemes (CSS) and Central outlays. It’s imperative to establish a mechanism for thorough financial rationalization of these schemes, ideally in collaboration with state governments.
  • Given that NITI Aayog serves primarily as a Think Tank rather than a financial authority, there currently isn’t a central entity responsible for overseeing CSS and exploring their integration with central sector outlays. 
• News List for Third Tier: A new local list that maps out the functional and financial responsibilities of the panchayat raj institutions and municipalities is need of the hour, with moving of the irrelevant item in the State list to this new local list. 
• Expanding Scope of GST to Boost Revenue: The main point of contention between the Center and States regarding GST Compensation Cess stemmed from revenue shortages. Currently, GST does not encompass electricity, petrol, diesel, real estate, and agriculture. Broadening the scope of GST could establish a broader taxation base in the long term.

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