The Centre continues to ignore Tamil Nadu by imposing conditions against the policies of the State Government for various schemes implemented. This is creating difficulties not only in the implementation of state government schemes but also in a situation where they are stalled, said Chief Minister MK Stalin in the Assembly on Saturday.
For instance, under the Integrated Education Mission, ₹2,152 crore is still pending from the Centre. The funds received under this scheme are crucial for payment of salaries to teachers, reimbursement of RTE Act to educational institutions, maintenance of schools and implementation of training programmes for teachers, he said in a Motion of Thanks on Governor’s Address. Despite many reminders, the subsidy has not been released. As a result, these expenditures are being met by the State Government from its own resources.
Due to the imposition of the National Education Policy by the Union Government, the schemes implemented under the National Higher Education Mission have also come to a standstill, he said.
Also read: Punjab & Sind Bank rejects Supertech Township Projects’ settlement proposal; NCLAT to decide on insolvency
Referring to the devastation caused by Cyclone Fenjal, the State government has assessed the requirement of ₹6,675 crore for temporary and permanent relief and rescue operations and sent a request for release of funds to the Centre. However, the Centre has not released any funds so far, he said.
In the last financial year, Cyclone Makjam caused heavy rains in southern districts. Even after these two calamities, the Centre sanctioned a meagre amount of ₹276 crore, that too after a delay of four months. This is not even a single per cent of the ₹37,906 crore demanded by the state government, he said.
The Centre has a scheme of drinking water for every household. Of the ₹4,142 crore to be released under the scheme, only ₹732 crore has been disbursed. “We are implementing this scheme by contributing our own funds so that the implementation of the schemes should not be hampered due to lack of funds,” he said.
Tamil Nadu has achieved progress in all economic indicators. While India’s average poverty indicator is 14.96 per cent, Tamil Nadu’s average is 2.2 per cent. Tamil Nadu is in the list of states with no starvation deaths. The State accounts for 41 per cent of the total female workforce in India, said Chief Minister MK Stalin in the Assembly on Saturday.
In the last three years, private investment projects worth more than ₹10 lakh crore have been assured. Tamil Nadu stands first in the growth of industrial units in India, he said.
Also read: Zuckerberg calls for more ‘masculine energy’ in corporate culture, critiques shift away from aggression
“It is because of the Dravidian ideology that Tamil Nadu is a developed state today. The State is the second most developed economy in India. The share of Tamil Nadu in the National Domestic Product has increased from 5.4 per cent to 9.21 per cent in the last four years,” he said. “Inflation across India has soared. Inflation has come down in Tamil Nadu alone”, he added.
Stalin said business is growing in the State. There are 39,666 industrial units in Tamil Nadu; 31,031 in Gujarat and 26,446 in Maharashtra. Tamil Nadu has a better track record than the two states of Maharashtra and Gujarat in developing human resources. There are 39,699 MSMEs in Tamil Nadu. This has ensured employment opportunities for 4,81,807 workers, he said.
Reserve Bank of India data says that Tamil Nadu ranks first in the country in providing maximum employment opportunities to workers with 8,42,720 man-days, he said.
SHARE
Copy linkEmailFacebookTwitterTelegramLinkedInWhatsAppReddit
Published on January 11, 2025
https://www.thehindubusinessline.com/news/national/centre-continues-to-ignore-tamil-nadu-cm-stalin/article69088031.ece
