Tamil Nadu budget 2019 to be presented today: Farmer welfare, unemployment on agenda

Chennai, Feb 07: Amidst expectations of populist announcements by the ruling AIADMK government ahead of the Lok Sabha polls, Tamil Nadu Deputy Chief Minister and finance minister, O Panneerselvam will present the state budget for 2019-2020 in the Assembly today. The budget session will begin from 10 am.

The speech of the Finance Minister is expected to go on for two hours.

The Pongal gift of ₹1,000 for a ration card announced during the last Assembly session in January and the huge amount of funds spent on Cyclone Gaja relief operations might be the largest parts of expenditure, which is expected to reflect in the budget.

According to reports, the state government is likely to announce annual income support of Rs 6,000 to all farmer families and employment opportunities for youth. The budget, is also likely to include some tax sops for the middle class and also unveil measures to alleviate rural stress. The issue of rising unemployment and job losses has become a major embarrassment for the government. The Budget is also likely to have something for every section of society in the form of freebies, exemptions, subsidies and other sops.

The State Budget is likely to also give a major boost to infrastructure projects such as water, sewerage and road works.

The government is also likely to make special announcements for farmers affected by Cyclone Gaja and agrarian families facing a drought-like situation in several parts of the State.

As the Lok Sabha elections are scheduled this year, the state budget is being presented a bit early this year. With the Union budget bringing relief to the middle classes by pushing up the income tax threshold to Rs five lakh, it is expected that the State too may have some surprise in store in its annual financial statement ahead of the Lok Sabha election.

The first session of the Assembly for the year began on January 2 with the customary address of Governor Banwarilal Purohit to the House.

The Opposition parties had boycotted his address. A gift hamper to every family (including Rs 1,000 cash component) with a ration card for the harvest festival of Pongal (in January) was among the announcements he had made.

On January 8, the House was adjourned sine die after the passage of several Bills including ones that extended the term of office of special officers of urban and rural civic bodies by another six months.

Meanwhile, the DMK, Congress and IUML are likely to boycott the Budget presentation by Panneerselvam.