Extending relief in the aftermath of the Cyclone Gaja, the state has allocated Rs 2361.41 crore along with a promise of building 1 lakh new concrete homes
Chennai: Tamil Nadu deputy chief minister O Panneerselvam on Friday presented the budget for 2019-20, throwing focus on the welfare and developmental schemes. The government proposed a revenue deficit estimated at around Rs 14,300 crore. Tamil Nadu speaker has adjourned the Assembly till Monday (February 11).
Solid waste management:
The state has set up a comprehensive solid waste management project for the collection and transportation of solid waste in eight zones in two packages for Chennai. Along with this, a housing scheme for urban poor to construct 38,000 tenements for Chennai has also been proposed.
Cyclone Gaja:
Extending relief in the aftermath of the Cyclone Gaja, the state has allocated Rs 2361.41 crore along with a promise of building 1 lakh new concrete homes.
Farmers:
The state has allocated two lakh hectares of land to be covered by micro irrigation at Rs 1,361 crore. 2000 solar-powered pumps up to a capacity of 10 HP to be given to farmers with a subsidy assistance of Rs 84.09 crore. The government will also notify more crops and expand the coverage under crop insurance.
Transport development:
12,000 new buses and 2,000 new electric buses will be procured at a cost of Rs 5,890 crore with about 2,000 buses and 500 electric buses for Chennai, Coimbatore, Madurai during the first phase.
Parking facilities:
A comprehensive integrated parking management project will be implemented in Chennai at a cost of Rs 2,000 crore to accommodate two lakh four-wheelers and two lakh two-wheelers. There will be an underground parking facility, multilevel parking facilities and on-lane smart parking to accommodate two lakh four-wheelers and an equal number of two-wheelers.
Education:
Panneerselvam stated that Rs 28,757.62 crore has been set aside for school education department. Rs 4,584.21 crore has been allocated for higher education department and Rs 1,656 crore has been allocated for school education, laptop scheme to get 1072 crore.
Athikadavu-Avinashi water scheme:
"The government will commence the scheme soon," said the deputy chief minister, adding that Rs 1,000 crore has been provided in the next year's budget estimates for the same.
Chennai metro rail:
O Panneerselvam has assured that the phase-1 of the project covering two corridors running to 45 km would be fully commissioned by this month. Feasibility study is being taken up for the extension of the metro rail line from Meenambakkam airport to Kilambakkam metro bus terminus in the southern suburbs, he added.
Tourism:
The government will launch a promotion project by identifying specific circuits for western, Asian and domestic tourists with quality amenities and infrastructure such as logistics and hotels that will be upgraded under the private-public-partnership mode.
Liquor sales:
The deputy chief minister has stated that the number of retail Indian Made Foreign Liquor (IMFL) shops run by Tamil Nadu State Marketing Corporation (TASMAC) has been reduced from 7,896 to 5,198.
O Panneerselvam stated that the outstanding debt at the end of March 2020 will be Rs 3,97,495.96 crore. He also went on to say that the fiscal deficit had been maintained within 3% of the GSDP, despite financial difficulties. The deputy chief minister promised to take all efforts to support the ongoing welfare schemes and development programmes without compromising on fiscal discipline. About Rs 54 crore has been set up for the development of the state. "The per capita income of the state has increased from Rs 1.03 lakh in 2011-12 to Rs 1.42 lakh in 2017-28," said Panneerselvam.
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