CHENNAI: The state budget is like a cotton candy. The allocations to various departments are big and attractive. But at the end of the financial year, nearly 50% or in some cases 100% allocation is returned unused, said deputy opposition leader S Durai Murugan in the assembly on Wednesday.
Reading from CAG reports and past budget speeches, the DMK leader said there were several departments which had returned their allocations in the past.
"Allocations for many projects are repeated every year, without the money being spent. An example is Cauvery-Gundar scheme. Funds were allocated for the scheme in 2011-12 and 2012-13 budgets. Now, there is allocation for the same project in the latest budget also. But the scheme is still pending," said Durai Murugan.
Reeling out details of repeated and unspent allocations for various projects, he asked what was happening to Vision 2023, rolled out by the erstwhile Jayalalithaa government.
Chief minister Edappadi K Palaniswami said projects were getting delayed owing to issues in land acquisition. Many owners were approaching courts against land acquisition.
It results in allocated funds remaining idle, said Palaniswami.
Citing the tough fight put up by the Karunanidhi government in securing sanction for the Salem Steel Plant from Indira Gandhi government, Duraimurugan said the state should fight with the Centre for securing its share of revenue.
On the debt, Durai Murugan said it is not good to have so much loan as the burden will be on the next government in which DMK president M K Stalin will be chief minister.
To this, the chief minister replied that he need not worry about it as it is only AIADMK which will return to power.
Deputy chief minister O Panneerselvam said the state has been repeatedly sending representations to the Centre to get pending funds released. The state was hopeful of getting the funds in time, he said.
Duraimurugan also called for increasing minimum support price for paddy as M S Swaminathan committee had recommended a price of Rs 3,000 per quintal. Andhra Pradesh and Chhattisgarh were paying a higher procurement price for paddy than Tamil Nadu, he said.
Food minister R Kamaraj, comparing the procurement price during the DMK regime and now said the AIADMK government was paying much more than what the DMK government paid to farmers.
Reading from CAG reports and past budget speeches, the DMK leader said there were several departments which had returned their allocations in the past.
"Allocations for many projects are repeated every year, without the money being spent. An example is Cauvery-Gundar scheme. Funds were allocated for the scheme in 2011-12 and 2012-13 budgets. Now, there is allocation for the same project in the latest budget also. But the scheme is still pending," said Durai Murugan.
Reeling out details of repeated and unspent allocations for various projects, he asked what was happening to Vision 2023, rolled out by the erstwhile Jayalalithaa government.
Chief minister Edappadi K Palaniswami said projects were getting delayed owing to issues in land acquisition. Many owners were approaching courts against land acquisition.
It results in allocated funds remaining idle, said Palaniswami.
Citing the tough fight put up by the Karunanidhi government in securing sanction for the Salem Steel Plant from Indira Gandhi government, Duraimurugan said the state should fight with the Centre for securing its share of revenue.
On the debt, Durai Murugan said it is not good to have so much loan as the burden will be on the next government in which DMK president M K Stalin will be chief minister.
To this, the chief minister replied that he need not worry about it as it is only AIADMK which will return to power.
Deputy chief minister O Panneerselvam said the state has been repeatedly sending representations to the Centre to get pending funds released. The state was hopeful of getting the funds in time, he said.
Duraimurugan also called for increasing minimum support price for paddy as M S Swaminathan committee had recommended a price of Rs 3,000 per quintal. Andhra Pradesh and Chhattisgarh were paying a higher procurement price for paddy than Tamil Nadu, he said.
Food minister R Kamaraj, comparing the procurement price during the DMK regime and now said the AIADMK government was paying much more than what the DMK government paid to farmers.
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