Puducherry Chief Minister N Rangasamy held separate meetings with Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Union Finance Minister Nirmala Seetharaman in New Delhi on Tuesday and sought additional central assistance of Rs 2,000 crore for the Union Territory.
Official sources here said Rangasamy discussed with Modi and Sitharaman regarding the fiscal requirements of Puducherry and issues to develop infrastructure in the UT.
”Additional central assistance of Rs 2,000 crore is absolutely necessary this year for Puducherry so as to at least maintain the revised estimate of 2021-2022 if GST compensation is not extended during the current year,” the Chief Minister told the Prime Minister and Finance Minister.
He stated in his memorandum that Rs 1,724 crore has been allocated for the current year (2022-2023) which is approximately Rs 150 crore less than the previous year.
Rangasamy flew to Delhi on Monday night and this was his first visit to the capital to meet Prime Minister after the AINRC-BJP coalition government under his leadership was formed in May last year.
The budget session of the territorial assembly will commence on Wednesday with a customary address by Lieutenant Governor Tamilisai Soundararajan.
The budget for the financial year 2022-2023 will be presented by the Chief Minister in the next few days.
A government release said the Chief Minister stated during his meetings with both the Prime Minister and Finance Minister that ”the budget cannot be presented in the assembly unless additional central assistance of Rs 2,000 crore is granted to Puducherry”.
He also urged the Prime Minister to ensure the Puducherry is treated on par with other UTs with 100 percent funding of centrally-sponsored schemes as the territorial government was unable to meet its share in implementing the schemes.
Rangasamy also sought sanction of Rs 425 crore to Puducherry for acquiring 395 acres of land falling within Tamil Nadu’s limits for expansion of the UT’s airport and also 30 acres of land within Puducherry limits. ”Expansion of Puducherry airport is one of the most important activities needed for the promotion of tourism and economic development in the union territory,” he said.
Other pleas of the Chief Minister were regarding sanction of Rs 300 crore for construction of a new legislative assembly and its secretariat, special assistance for health infrastructure, assistance for the development of different cooperative organizations, financial assistance for disbursement of arrears of pay to the government staff after implementation of the Seventh Pay Commission recommendations and special central assistance of Rs 150 crore to relay urban and rural roads.
Rangasamy reiterated a long-standing plea that Puducherry be granted full statehood.
”This is a long pending demand of Puducherry as we are unable to exercise any powers to create employment opportunities and to invite more industries and also to create infrastructure facilities to promote tourism,” he said.
