Center did little to ease Tamil Nadu’s financial burden: Thangam Thennarasu
CHENNAI: The central government has done little to ease Tamil Nadu’s financial burden, state finance minister Thangam Thennarasu claimed on Friday and accused the state of following different norms in allocating funds. He said that for every rupee given to the Centre, the state got back only 29 paise, but the ratio was different in BJP-ruled states.
”As I have already mentioned in the Assembly, we give back only 29 paise for every rupee to the Centre. But in BJP-ruled states, the ratio is completely different,” Thennarasu told reporters here on Thursday in response to Union Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman’s claim that the Center has released more funds to Tamil Nadu without any discrimination.
For example, from financial year 2014-15 to 2022-23, the Center gave Rs 4.75 lakh crore to Tamil Nadu, which includes central tax share of Rs 2.46 lakh crore and subsidy of Rs 2.28 lakh crore. At the same time, direct tax collection stood at Rs 6.23 lakh crore.
He said the Center has not yet shared the revenue collected through indirect taxes. He claimed that during the same period, Rs 15.35 lakh crore was given to BJP-ruled states while the Center was given Rs 2.23 lakh crore. Speaking at the ‘Vikit Bharat Sankalp’ event in the city, Sitharaman had said that from 2014 to 2023, the Center received Rs 6.23 lakh crore as direct taxes (income tax and corporate tax) from Tamil Nadu, but the state received Rs 6.96 lakh crore. Returned the money. During the same period.
Thannarasu said, “When we see whether the Central government has done anything to help the state government, it is regrettable that it has not done so.” He said that the DMK will contest in 2021 amid a severe financial crisis. came to power – a legacy of the ten years of AIADMK rule in the state, he said and listed various initiatives including Rs 4,000 given to family ration cardholders. Relief during the pandemic.
”Chief Minister MK Stalin has been generous in reaching out to the people during difficult times. Even during the natural disaster in December 2023, he provided flood relief assistance of Rs 2,027 crore to the people without waiting for central assistance,” Thennarasu said.
On the Union Finance Minister’s claim that assessment and surcharge money received from Tamil Nadu was given back to the state for development, Thennarasu alleged that Tamil Nadu’s “legitimate share has been reduced”.
On central funding for the projects, he said, though the foundation stone for the Rs 63,246 crore second phase of the Chennai Metro Rail project was laid, the state government is yet to receive the contribution from the Centre. He claimed that while Maharashtra, Karnataka, Delhi, Uttar Pradesh, Haryana, West Bengal and Gujarat have received funds amounting to more than Rs 10,000 crore.
