Tamil Nadu government on Monday presented the state budget 2023-24 in the assembly, with finance minister Palanivel Thiaga Rajan announcing a reduction in the annual revenue deficit from around ₹62,000 crore at the time of the new government’s formation (May 2021) to around ₹30,000 crore in the revised estimates for the current year.
Tamil Nadu budget 2023 announcements| 10 points
1) Tamil Nadu finance minister announced during his Budget speech that ‘eligible’ women family heads would receive a monthly honorarium of Rs. 1,000. The scheme has been allocated Rs. 7000 crore.
2) The finance minister, also known as PTR, said that the state budget for 2023–24 has provisions to upgrade 54 government polytechnics as “Centres of Excellence” at a total cost of ₹2,783 crore.
3) PTR said that in order to promote the economic development of SC/ST entrepreneurs, a new scheme called the “Annal Ambedkar Business Champions Scheme” will be launched. Under the scheme, the Tamil Nadu government will offer a 35 percent capital subsidy and a 6 percent interest subsidy for loans to procure machines and equipment. Rs. 100 crore is allocated for this scheme in the budget estimates for 2023–24.
4) 1000 short-listed civil service aspirants will be provided Rs. 7,500 per month for 10 months to prepare for the preliminary examination and a lump sum of Rs. 25,000 if they clear the prelims. “It is seen that the number of students from Tamil Nadu clearing the Civil Services Examinations has been on the decline in the last few years,” FM said in his budget speech.
5) The Tamil Nadu government’s budget said that, with the collaboration of the Chennai Metropolitan Development Agency, a state-of-the-art Global Sports City in Chennai will be set up.
6) TN budget announced an “International Conference on Tamil Computing” to be held with the participation of renowned experts from across the world to encourage the development of software in Tamil.
7) In the upcoming financial year, the TN government will construct classrooms, laboratories, and toilets at a cost of Rs. 1,500 crore.
8) The state FM said in his budget speech that the 1,000-bed Kalaignar Memorial Multi-Super Speciality Hospital in the premises of the King Institute of Preventive Medicine and Research Centre, Guindy, will be inaugurated this year.
9) To address the issue of non-communicable diseases among workers in factories and in unorganized sectors like construction, the Makkalai Thedi Maruthuvam scheme will be expanded to 711 factories, covering 8.35 lakh workers in the first phase, TN budget 2023 announced.
10) To offer accommodation to Sri Lankan Tamils residing in the state, the TN government has sanctioned Rs. 223 crore towards the construction of 3,959 houses in the rehabilitation camps.