Chennai: “Unlike the previous government, we can welcome the decision to abandon the confrontational approach toward the Central government and announce collaborative schemes through certain projects, including solar power generation, which are Central government initiatives,” said BJP national women’s wing president Vanathi Srinivasan.
In an X post she released on this, she said, “Today, the first budget of the TVK government, presented in the Tamil Nadu Legislative Assembly by Finance Minister Mari Wilson, has simply copy-pasted the schemes implemented during the previous administrations, changed only the names, and reduced the financial allocations, while allocating more to some schemes.
While people were waiting for changes in the TVK government’s budget, the budget presented today has only delivered deep disappointment.
At a time when the people of Tamil Nadu were expecting new ideas, new economic policies, long-term plans to increase revenue, and investment announcements that would create jobs, this budget has been presented as nothing more than an empty balloon, with nothing in the budget speech.
The free laptop, marriage financial assistance, the scheme to provide bicycles to students, skill development programs, and various other announcements are all merely continuations of the previous governments’ schemes; there is nothing innovative in them that reflects any new thinking of this government.
TVK came to power by promising ₹2,500 per month to women heads of households, money to be deposited in bank accounts for the purchase of 6 cooking gas cylinders per family, free travel for women on all government buses, full waiver of loans taken by farmers with less than 5 acres of land from cooperative banks, 50 percent waiver of loans taken by farmers with more than 5 acres of land from cooperative banks, free higher education for farmers’ children, and an increase in milk procurement prices. However, there is no announcement in the budget regarding these important promises.
Tamil Nadu’s financial situation is already facing serious challenges. In this context of rising debt burden, it is disappointing that this budget has not given sufficient importance to strong economic plans to increase the state’s revenue, measures to attract industrial investment, and reforms to create new employment opportunities.
As a result, the TVK government’s approach to financial management, which would place an additional fiscal burden on future generations, will not be conducive to Tamil Nadu’s development.
Moreover, it is concerning that in most parts of the budget speech, greater emphasis has been placed on praising the Chief Minister. A budget speech that should guide the expectations of the people and the economic growth of the state has turned into a speech extolling the Chief Minister, which is not a good democratic tradition. Overall, the question arises: is this a budget speech for the people, or a speech praising the Chief Minister?
Overall, this budget is nothing more than an empty financial statement, lacking a visionary outlook that points a new path for Tamil Nadu’s economy, lacking new plans for the state’s development, and lacking action plans that raise the future hopes of youth, farmers, entrepreneurs, and the middle class.
It is disappointing that the Tamil Nadu government has completely missed the historic opportunity of presenting the state’s first budget, which was regarded as a special moment for change.
However, unlike the previous government, it is welcome that it has abandoned the confrontational approach toward the central government and announced collaborative projects through certain central government schemes, including solar power generation.
He has stated, “Recognizing that true development is development achieved in coordination with the central and state governments, I urge the TVK government to implement many more welfare schemes for the people.”