Federalism Debate: N K Singh, Haseeb Drabu On Tax Devolution | BT India@100

At the BT India@100 summit, former Finance Commission heads and policymakers dive deep into the federal fiscal fault lines of India. N K Singh, Chairman of the 15th Finance Commission, explains how cess and surcharges are shrinking the divisible tax pool—despite a constitutional promise of greater state share. Haseeb Drabu, former J&K Finance Minister, calls for a radical rethink of Indian federalism, beyond just tax sharing, toward economic integration and market-linked governance. In this riveting session moderated by Rajdeep Sardesai, the panel unpacks why states feel disempowered, and what it’ll take to truly empower them by 2047.