Tamil Nadu Chief Minister M K Stalin has raised demands for several development funds for the state in the Union Budget 2024-25.
In a post on the social media platform X, CM Stalin said, “In the upcoming Budget 2024, the people of Tamil Nadu are expecting the release of three years of pending funds for the Chennai Metro Rail, approval for the express flyover between Tambaram and Chengalpattu, a reduction in income tax, which has been a long-standing expectation of the middle class for the past 10 years, approval for the Coimbatore and Madurai metro rail projects, allocation of funds for pending projects under old and new railway schemes in Tamil Nadu, and an increase in the slab rate for houses being constructed under rural and urban housing development schemes.”
Earlier in February this year, he penned a letter to Prime Minister Narendra Modi urging the expedited approval of Phase II of the Chennai Metro Rail Limited (CMRL) Project.
In his letter to the Prime Minister, M K Stalin wrote, “I would like to draw your kind attention to the inordinate delay in the approval for Phase II of the Chennai Metro Rail (CMRL) project and request that you expedite the process. Phase I of the CMRL Project has been successfully implemented as a 50:50 joint venture between the Union Government and the Government of Tamil Nadu. Based on its success, we have approved Phase II under the same model, comprising three more corridors covering 119 km, at a cost of Rs 63,246 crore. The same was recommended to the Union Ministry of Housing and Urban Affairs (MOHUA) for approval in January 2019.”
The Ministry of Housing and Urban Affairs (MOHUA) and NITI Aayog have endorsed the eagerly anticipated Phase II of the Chennai Metro Rail Limited (CMRL) project.
The Tamil Nadu Chief Minister has expressed concerns over the delay in Central Government approval, impacting the timely execution of Phase II.
Along with the Chennai metro rail project, he also demanded approval for the Coimbatore and Madurai metro rail projects and fund allocation for pending railway schemes in the state.
Union Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman is set to present her seventh Union Budget. The Monsoon Session of Parliament will commence on July 22.
Last month, the Finance Minister met with the Finance Ministers of states and UTs in New Delhi to discuss their expectations from the Union Budget.
Additionally, the minister met with different stakeholders of the economy, including representatives from trade unions, the education and health sectors, employment and skilling, MSMEs, trade and services, industry, economists, the financial sector and capital markets, as well as representatives from the infrastructure, energy, and urban sectors.