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No resource crunch, avers Rangasamy

PUDUCHERRY: Chief Minister N. Rangasamy on Thursday said in the Assembly that the government did not face any resource crunch to implement welfare schemes.

Winding up the discussion on the Puducherry Value Added Tax (Amendment) Bill, 2008, Mr. Rangasamy assured the House that the government had adequate funds to implement all the welfare schemes planned by the administration.

The free distribution of 10-kg rice was stopped for the last three months as the contractor was not able to procure it owing to price increase. The government had decided to distribute 30 kg of rice before ‘Pongal’ festival. Mr. Rangasamy told the Assembly that there was only a “minimal impact” owing to the implementation of VAT.

The loss had been compensated through the introduction of additional excise duty and the commercial tax collection was expected to exceed the target of Rs. 394 crore.

The Public Works Department had already completed nearly 75 per cent of the work and the remaining would be completed in the next two months, he said.

On the lack of adequate staff in the Commercial Taxes Department to supervise the implementation of VAT, Mr. Rangasamy said steps would be taken to fill the vacancies.

The committee to give clarifications on issues related to VAT as specified in the Act would be constituted in a month’s time.

The government was in the process of ascertaining the damage to crops during the recent rain.

The session commenced after Speaker R. Radhakrishnan read out condolence messages on the deaths of chairperson of Pakistan People’s Party Benazir Bhutto and member of Pondicherry People’s Representatives House (1961-64) M. Chidambaram.

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