Tamil Nadu Finance Minister D Jayakumar presented the maiden state Budget under new Tamil Nadu Chief Minister Edapadi K Palaniswami in the Assembly on Thursday.
Here are the highlights of the TN Budget:
- The fiscal deficit for 2017-18 is expected to decrease to less than 3 percent of the GSDP. For 2016-17, the fiscal deficit is Rs 61,341.23 crore against Rs 40,533.84 crore. The expenditure for the year 2016-17 increased from Rs 167,493.27 crore to Rs 183,745.03 crore.
- Tax revenue decreased by Rs 3,000 crore this year while commercial taxes revenue in the next fiscal year would be Rs 77,234 crore.
- Rs 983 crore has been allotted for the welfare of the Backward Classes and the Most Backward Classes. The Adi Dravida welfare ministry has been given Rs 3,009 crore.
- The government will encourage the cultivation of sugarcane in the state under the drip irrigation scheme.
- Rs 615 crore has been earmarked to solve the drought situation across Tamil Nadu.
- The school education department has been allocated Rs 26,932 crore while the higher education department has been allotted Rs 3,680 crore. At least 256 new primary schools have been started. Rs 352 crore has been allocated to improve infrastructure for schools.
- The number of PG medical seats has also been increased from 1,188 to 1,362.
- Rs 10,158 crore allotted for public health and family welfare. Rs 43.76 crore has been allocated for the setting up of 30 new Primary Health Centres. A Medical Park will also come up in Kanchipuram for which Rs 130 crore has been allotted.
- Rs 200 crore has been allocated to help 1 lakh women purchase scooters at subsidised rates.
- Rs 116 crore has been allotted for the Refugee Welfare Fund set up for Sri Lankan refugees.
- The Thamirabarani - Nambiyaaru river linking project gets Rs 300 crore
- The government has increased the relief fund for fishermen to Rs 4,500 from the existing Rs 2,700. The fishing ban compensation has been increased to Rs 5,000. Mookaiyur in Ramanathapuram district will get a new fishing harbour.
- The Farmer Producer Organisations gets Rs 100 crore. Jayakumar has also said that he would "work towards getting co-operative banks to offer Rs.7,000 crore and grain loan to farmers."
- The economically weaker sections will be given 3.5 lakh plots of land under the new Budget.
- Finance Minister Jayakumar has said that an online process will be put in place to introduce a "single window system for all permission for industries."
- The Tamil Nadu Police department have been allotted Rs 1,483 crore while the Prisons department gets Rs 282 crore. Another 3,000 housing projects for Tamil Nadu police staffers has been proposed for which Rs 450 crore has been allotted.
- The state government has earmarked Rs 75 crore for the Global Investors Meet, which will be held in 2017-18.
- Rs 272 crore has been earmarked for the eradication of poverty in cities
- Environmental projects, like conservation of the Pallikaranai marshland, will be undertaken from the Green Climate Fund.
- The Tamil Nadu government will replace the State Planning Commission with the State Development Policy Council.
- Rs 1 lakh has been allotted to each temple as part of an initiative to renovate 1,000 temples in rural area. The Anna Daanam scheme started by Jayalalithaa will be continued in 265 temples in Tamil Nadu.
- The Budget allocated Rs 229 crore for the construction of court complexes across the state.
- The government has allocated Rs 174 crore to conduct local body elections across the state.
- Rs 13,996 crore has been allotted to facilitate the administration of municipalities.
- Rs 194 crore has been allocated to the Handloom and Khadi department.
- The 100 days employment scheme in rural areas gets Rs 1,000 crore.
- Rs 600 crore has been allotted for the Urban Swachh Bharat Mission
- Rs 420 crore earmarked to build 20,000 houses as part of the Green Housing project
- Rs 400 crore earmarked for the Chennai Mega City development mission to finish infra projects undertaken by Greater Chennai Corporation.
- The government has also said that the old tenements, which were constructed by the Tamil Nadu Slum Clearance Board, will be reconstructed
- Rs 116 crore alloted to the Information Technology department
- Rs 2,192 crore alloted to the Transport department
- Rs 160 crore has been earmarked to widen state highways while Rs 100 crore has been alloted for the Highways safety fund. The government has also earmarked Rs 3,156 crore for maintaining the road infrastructure
- Rs 3,042 crore loan from the World Bank will be used for the conservation of several water bodies.
- Kudi Maramathu project gets Rs 300 crore
- Rs 1,000 will be given as food allowance to college students staying in hostels
- Rs 1,161 crore allotted to the animal husbandry department
- Government employees/pensioners welfare fund gets Rs 22,394 crore
