The Centre is “continuing to be partial” in allocation and release of funds to States like Tamil Nadu, TN Finance Minister, Thangam Thennarasu said in the Assembly on Friday. “The fact that we are a developed State is being used against us when it comes to releasing funds for us,” he said.
Stressing on the need for federalism, Thennarasu said that the announcement of the GST 2.0 by the Prime Minister in his Independence Day speech “without consulting states” goes against the principle of cooperative federalism
From education to roads, railways and Metro projects, States like Uttar Pradesh, Bihar, Maharashtra and Gujarat continue to get first preference for funding, he added, while speaking in the Assembly. “While Metro projects have been approved for cities beyond the state capitals like Lucknow, Agra, Kanpur, Noida , Pune, Nagpur and others, in Tamil Nadu, Coimbatore and Madurai continue to await Union nod for such projects,” he added.
Citing instances of education and housing, he said that State government is taking care of its citizens using its own funds under these basic necessities.
The Kalaignar Kanavu Illam (KKI), a flagship scheme of the DMK government in the area of rural housing for the poor, has touched a key milestone, he added. “We have built 1 lakh homes already under this flagship scheme, and 74,000 more homes are currently being built,” he added.
