The Hindu : Tamil Nadu News : Rs. 1,604.10-crore supplementary estimates

Online edition of India's National Newspaper
Wednesday, Jul 28, 2004

Tamil Nadu

Tamil Nadu

Rs. 1,604.10-crore supplementary estimates

By Our Special Correspondent

CHENNAI, JULY 27. The Finance Minister, C. Ponnaiyan, today presented supplementary budget estimates for Rs. 1,604.10 crores which covered the recent rollbacks announced by the Government. Of this, Rs.1,008.21 crores was in the revenue account and Rs. 595.89 crores in the capital and loan accounts.

``The additional expenditure included in these estimates will be largely covered by the estimated higher receipts of Central taxes and the consequential higher share of the State, buoyancy and better collection of arrears of State taxes and economy in overall expenditure,'' he told the Assembly.

Areas of expenditure

The Government sanctioned Rs.712.5 crores to the Electricity Board, on behalf of domestic consumers, following its announcement of tariff reduction. It would directly pay the board Rs. 196 crores for free electricity for farm pumpsets and huts. Of this, Rs.173.88 crores would be met by re-appropriation of the earlier scheme and the balance Rs.22.12 crores included in the supplementary estimates. The Government sanctioned Rs. 16 crores to pay the board on behalf of hut-dwellers. A sum of Rs. 47.36 crores went for extension of the free cycle scheme to all girl students, belonging to backward classes, most backward classes and denotified communities, in classes XI and XII. Drought relief and waiver of interest on loans for farmers needed Rs. 62 crores. Another Rs. 1.8 crores was sought for waiving overdue interest from tea growers.

Cooperative and private sugar mills would be given Rs. 229.97 crores as loans to clear arrears to sugarcane farmers. Also, the Government decided to sanction Rs. 1.8 crores to support workers of cooperative sugar mills.

To keep the cooperative banks functional, the Government decided to sanction Rs. 68.95 crores as loan to district central cooperative banks in settlement of outstanding dues.

A further Rs. 14.48 crores was sought for implementing the free dhoti/saree scheme — over and above a provision of Rs. 173 crores made in the budget estimates for 2004-05.

Mr. Ponnaiyan said Rs. 76.57 crores needed to be sanctioned as loan to cooperative spinning mills to repay their existing loans to cooperative banks.

The Minister sought Rs. 39.59 crores following the announcement of addition of an egg a week to each child under the Puratchi Thalaivar MGR Nutritious Noon Meal Programme and the World Bank-Assisted Integrated Child Development Scheme.

Tax on liquor

A Bill was introduced seeking to reduce the tax on sale of liquor at the second point (payable by the Tamil Nadu State Marketing Corporation) from 55 to 35 per cent and to shift the difference of 20 per cent under the State excise head. The Bill seeks to replace a notification.

Clarification

Replying to a member's query, Mr.Ponnaiyan said if a member wanted to learn about what happened in the Assembly, he or she should come to the House or read the proceedings.

The DMK president, M.Karunanidhi, did not come and also did not read the proceedings. By relying on newspapers and talking about happenings in the Assembly wrongly, he committed a breach of privilege.

He could offer his explanation to the Privileges Committee, Mr.Ponnaiyan said.

Printer friendly page
Send this article to Friends by E-Mail

Tamil Nadu