Chennai
oi-Prakash KL
After all the drama surrounding the arrest of Udhayanidhi Stalin, the Leader of Opposition in the Tamil Nadu Assembly, the TVK government will present its first budget on Wednesday.
Marie Wilson, the finance minister of Tamil Nadu, will present the first budget of the Tamilaga Vettri Kazhagam government while Agriculture Minister R Vinoth will present the Agricultue Budget on August 6.
Tamil Nadu Finance Minister Marie Wilson presents the state’s first budget, outlining a five-year vision for higher education, student aid, reservations, new tech institutes, and revenue reforms, following a report on significant state debt.
Ahead of the budget session, the TN Police arrested Udhayanidhi Stalin for his alleged remarks on Chief Minister Vijay and actress Trisha. The Leader of the Opposition was released on station bail later in the evening.
The government, which has already announced the one-gram gold ring scheme for newborns in the state, is expected to make key announcements today, including a possible increase in the women’s monthly honorarium, free bus travel, major revenue reforms, and the launch of the ‘Vettri Thamizhagam’ Vision Document, ANI reported.
The Budget is expected to outline a comprehensive five-year vision plan titled “Vetri Tamil Nadu”, which is likely to improve the state’s higher education infrastructure. One of the most major proposals is a financial assistance package of Rs 8,000 for government school students transitioning to government colleges, along with free higher education for children of small farmers, the IANS reported.
The government is also expected to renew its demand for bringing education under the State List, while outlining measures to address what it perceives as hurdles in the sector, including the implementation of the National Education Policy and the NEET examination.
The Budget may introduce a collateral-free education loan of up to Rs 20 lakh for students pursuing undergraduate to research-level programmes.
The Vijay government is also planning to increase their reservation in undergraduate and postgraduate admissions from 7.5 per cent to 10 per cent for the students who studied in state government schools.
The government is also considering establishing five new engineering colleges in districts currently lacking government professional institutions. Additionally, around 30 government arts and science colleges could be upgraded to autonomous status.
The Budget is likely to announce the establishment of the Periyar Institute of Emerging Technology, a specialised university focusing on artificial intelligence, quantum computing, biotechnology, climate technology, space technology, and cyber security.
There are also proposals for India’s first complete AI City, an AI University, a high-performance GPU computing centre, and world-class skill development training centres.
The government recently released a “White Paper” on the state’s financial management, revealing total liabilities of Rs 13.18 lakh crore and debt reaching Rs 10 lakh crore, driven largely by what it termed “revenue collapse.”
