TN awaits crucial budget of populist schemes

CHENNAI: Tamil Nadu’s budget for 2020-21, which will be presented in the Legislative Assembly on Friday, is expected to focus on several key issues as it is the last budget of the Edappadi Palaniswami-led Anna DMK government before the state elections.

Experts say this is likely to be a populist budget, filled with many sops.

It is expected that more funds will be allocated for the conservation of water bodies. Funds could be allotted for the construction of Collectorates in the newly-formed districts.

Announcements about foreign investments in the state are also expected to be made. Palaniswami had travelled to some foreign countries including the United States last year, and had claimed that the state will receive huge investments.

Special sops for farmers, new schemes for agriculture, MSME sector and employment creation etc., are likely to be the highlights of this budget.

Deputy Chief Minister O. Panneerselvam will present the budget at 10am.

Panneerselvam, also holding the finance portfolio, will outline the government’s priorities for the next fiscal year.

This would be the ninth time that Panneerselvam would be presenting the budget in the Assembly as finance minister.

Members from opposition benches are expected to raise various issues in the House, including the recent malpractices at the Tamil Nadu Public Service Commission, the Citizenship Amendment Act etc.

Assembly Secretary K. Srinivasan said in an official communication that the Governor has fixed February 14 as the date on which the budget is to be presented in the House.

The official communication in this regard has been sent to the Council of Ministers and all the MLAS, he added.

The state government is to receive a revenue deficit grant of Rs40 billion and net an additional non-tax revenue of Rs26 billion during 2020-21.

Recently, Palaniswami chaired a meeting during which discussions were made about the ways to handle the issues that would be raised in the Assembly by the opposition.

The meeting was attended by Panneerselvam and other ministers. Funds needed for different departments that will be allocated during the budget session was discussed.

After the budget is tabled, Speaker P. Dhanapal will call for the business advisory committee meeting during which the duration of the present session will be decided. Palaniswami and Panneerselvam have been paying special attention to the preparation of the budget.