Tamil Nadu’s Vijayawada government presented its first budget on Wednesday. The budget sets a target of growing Tamil Nadu’s economy to $1.5 trillion by 2031. Finance Minister N. Mary Wilson praised CM Vijayawada’s leadership and presented a visionary roadmap for Tamil Nadu’s progress. The Vijayawada government announced an end to the practice of receiving “cuts” (commissions) from tenders for certain parties and individuals. The budget also announced several populist schemes.
The Vijaya government has taken steps to modernize schools. 3,734 government schools will be modernized with an investment of ₹300 crore. An initiative called “Super Clean, Super Campus” has been launched, with a budget of ₹139 crore. The plan will focus on cleanliness of school campuses. Maintenance of facilities such as drinking water and toilets will be ensured. A budget of ₹125 crore has been allocated for a state-of-the-art government residential school scheme for students from grades 9 to 12, named after former Chief Minister K. Kamaraj.
Brides will get eight grams of gold.
The Tamil Nadu government has also taken steps toward fulfilling its election promises. A budget of over ₹1,300 crore has been allocated for two gold assistance schemes. Under “Annan Seer Thittam,” brides will receive eight grams of gold and a silk sari at the time of marriage. The budget provision is ₹812 crore. Under the second scheme, the “Golden Ring Scheme,” ₹560 crore has been allocated for newborns born in government hospitals.
Students will get laptops
Vijay’s government has also made provisions for providing laptops to college students. A budget of 2000 crore rupees has been allocated for this scheme. People going on Haj pilgrimage will now receive a subsidy of 35 thousand rupees instead of 25 thousand rupees. Meanwhile, the Tamil Nadu government demanded the abolition of the National Eligibility cum Entrance Test (NEET). The Finance Minister said that the admission system based on 12th class marks should be restored. The Tamil Nadu government will provide 200 units of free electricity to domestic consumers. Apart from this, it has announced the closure of 717 liquor shops across the state. A provision of 7 crore rupees has been made for the ‘Drug Free Tamil Nadu’ scheme.
Budget is dull and ineffective: MK Stalin
Former Tamil Nadu Chief Minister MK Stalin said, “If I had to explain the budget presented in the Assembly today in terms that even the ‘real CM’ could understand, I would say that people expected it to be a ‘slam dunk’ budget, but it turned out to be a complete ‘dumb’! Moreover, this budget is simply a remake of the Dravidian model government’s existing schemes!”
He further said, “In layman’s terms, this budget doesn’t address issues like farmers’ problems, confusion over electricity rates, or rising inflation. Nor does it outline any new, visionary plans tailored to the state’s actual needs. Furthermore, the budget makes no mention of key election promises, such as monthly financial assistance of ₹2,500 to women, ₹4,000 to unemployed youth, six free LPG cylinders a year, and complete waiver of crop loans.”
Stalin said, “This is the first budget of the ‘Reels Government’ – a budget that lacks any new thinking, fails to deliver on its promises. It has neither substance nor passion, and ultimately proves to be a dull and ineffective budget.”