Can't treat J&K on a par with states: 15th Finance Commission chairman

The Jammu and Kashmir Reorganisation Act, 2019 says that UT of J&K should get grants from the divisible pool.

The 15th Finance Commission (FFC) did not take note of the provisions of Jammu and Kashmir Reorganisation Act, 2019, which require it to treat the Union Territory (UT) of Jammu and Kashmir (J&K) as a state for the purposes of transfer of net proceeds of taxes.

“We cannot take suo motu notice of pieces of legislation unless they constitute ToR (Terms of Reference) of the commission. We only act on ToR of the commission,” FFC Chairman N K Singh told Business Standard.

The Jammu and Kashmir Reorganisation Act, 2019 says that UT