 Online edition of India's National Newspaper Thursday, Feb 26, 2009 ePaper | Mobile/PDA Version |
|
|
|
|
|
|
| Tamil Nadu |
|
News:
ePaper |
Front Page |
National |
Tamil Nadu |
Andhra Pradesh |
Karnataka |
Kerala |
New Delhi |
Other States |
International |
Opinion |
Business |
Sport |
Miscellaneous |
Engagements |
Advts: Retail Plus | Classifieds | Jobs | Obituary |
Tamil Nadu
Vehicle allowance for MLAs hiked to Rs. 20,000 Demand to waive non-farm sector loans rejected CHENNAI: The Modern State Library, being built at Kotturpuram, will be named after former Chief Minister C.N. Annadurai, Finance Minister K. Anbazhagan informed the Assembly on Wednesday. Pointing out that the former Chief Minister’s birth centenary celebration was under way, the Minister, replying to the debate on the Budget, said work on the library would be completed by May next. Describing his government as a “total welfare government,” Mr. Anbazhagan said that after the government’s launch of the scheme of providing 50 per cent of the insurance premium as subsidy to farmers from 2006-2007 to protect them from the crop loss suffered on account of natural calamities, the number of beneficiaries availing crop insurance was one lakh in the first year, three lakhs last year and 8.5 lakhs this year. Referring to the demand of some members for a waiver of non-farm sector loans taken from cooperative societies, the Minister said this could not be accepted as the total amount involved was Rs. 739 crore. A one-time settlement scheme had been framed under which interest and penal interest would be waived. Borrowers would have to repay only the principal. He responded in the affirmative to Congress legislator Videyal S. Sekar’s plea for revising the annual ceiling from Rs. 12,000 to Rs. 24,000 for receiving assistance under a scheme for patients. The Minister announced that the monthly vehicle allowance for legislators would be increased from Rs. 5,000 to Rs. 20,000. The total pay would be Rs. 45,000. This would entail an additional expenditure of Rs. 3.64 crore annually. The increase in the allowance was in the place of the government’s original scheme of providing jeeps to the members. After the present government took over, 2.78 lakh persons had been provided jobs in government departments, government-run undertakings and local bodies, Mr Anbazhagan said. WalkoutAs the Minister began to reply to the debate, members of the All India Anna Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam led by O. Paneerselvam staged a walkout. In his speech, Mr. Paneerselvam said that though the government claimed that it had provided jobs to about three lakh persons, 10 lakh persons lost jobs in the State because several textile mills and factories closed down in the wake of power shortage. He said the Budget had nothing to offer for the poor and it was bereft of a visionary approach in development. After the Finance Minister concluded his speech, Communist Party of India (Marxist) legislators led by K. Balabharathy walked out of the House as she said the Finance Minister’s reply did not touch upon the issues of fixing the sugar cane price of Rs. 2,000 per tonne and lifting the stipulation on below poverty line for providing the [old age] pension of Rs. 400.
Printer friendly
page
News:
ePaper |
Front Page |
National |
Tamil Nadu |
Andhra Pradesh |
Karnataka |
Kerala |
New Delhi |
Other States |
International |
Opinion |
Business |
Sport |
Miscellaneous |
Engagements |
|
|
|
The Hindu Group: Home | About Us | Copyright | Archives | Contacts | Subscription Group Sites: The Hindu | The Hindu ePaper | Business Line | Business Line ePaper | Sportstar | Frontline | Publications | eBooks | Images | Ergo | Home |
Copyright © 2009, The
Hindu. Republication or redissemination of the contents of
this screen are expressly prohibited without the written consent of
The Hindu
|