Daily Hindu Editorials

‘Uncooperative’ Federalism The 15th Finance Commission’s Terms of Reference need moderation, or else states will lose fiscal powers. The Finance Commission is a constitutional body, an indepen­dent arbiter of resources between the union and the states. The core mandate of the commission is to divide union taxes in a way that enables the union and the states to perform their respective expenditure responsibilities defined in the 7th Schedule of the Constitution of India. Finance commissions in the past had performed this role admirably, and as an institution it earned tremendous respect among all stakeholders. One of the major strengths of India’s federal fiscal structure is an independent finance commission and the role it has played in strengthening federalism in this country. The commission’s mandate is defined by its “Terms of Reference” (ToR). The 15th Finance Commission’s (XV-FC) ToR have raised serious apprehensions among states. Apart from the controve

Remember Asifa Bano Stop and ask, can depravity, brutality and injustice be justified by religion and politics? Asifa Bano is a name we should not forget. The brutal murder and serial rape of this eight-year-old Bakherwal–Gujjar girl living in a village 72 km from Jammu is horrific enough in all its detail. But, what has emerged since the police investigation led to the arrest of the alleged perpetrators of the crime is even worse, for it has exposed the fault lines in our society. How have we reached a point where the rape and murder of a child is used to fuel communal hatred and promote politically sanctioned impunity for criminals? The gruesome details about what happened to Asifa between 10 January, when she disappeared, to 17 January, when her brutalised young body was found, are terrifying because of what this represents in terms of human depravity. That a child could be abducted, drugged, confined in a temple, repeatedly beaten and raped, and then mu

👉 Govt launches e- FRRO scheme to provide hassle-free travel for foreigners • The government has launched the web-based application ‘e-FRRO’ (e-Foreigners Regional Registration Office) which aims to provide efficient visa related services online to foreigners visiting India. => About ‘e- FRRO ’ scheme • The e-FRRO scheme is aimed at building a centralized, transparent online platform for the foreigners to avail visa related services and to provide Faceless, Cashless and Paperless services to the foreigners with user friendly experience. • Under the scheme, foreigners would be able to get as many as 27 Visa and Immigration related services in India from the comfort of their place of stay. • Using the e-FRRO application, foreigners can apply online on the portal and obtain the service(s) through email/post without appearing in person at the FRO/FRRO office. • Advantages of e-FRRO include facilitation of legitimate foreigners through “Digital India” vision of the Govern