Tamil Nadu Deputy Chief Minister O Panneerselvam, who also holds the finance portfolio, will present the state budget for the financial year 2019-2020 to the Assembly on Friday. According to sources, the budget will not have new taxes and announcements on various welfare schemes will be made. It is to be noted that the budget is being presented just a couple of months ahead of the Lok Sabha elections.
"The session is likely to last for a week and the debate on demands for grants for various departments will be taken up after the polls. However, a decision in this regard (duration of the session) will be taken by the business advisory committee meeting to be chaired by Assembly Speaker P Dhanapal after Panneerselvam presented the budget tomorrow," sources said. Recently, reacting to the Union interim budget, Tamil Nadu Chief Minister Edappadi K Palaniswami said it is good and would help improve the livelihood of the poor and common
people.
"I congratulate Piysh Goyal. The budget has met the expectations of the farming sector, middle class and the housing and construction industry," he said. Welcoming the government's vision for the next decade, the CM also lauded the assured income support to the small and marginal farmers under the Pradhan Mantri Kisan Samman Nidhi. Meanwhile, DMK president M K Stalin said the interim Budget presented by the interim Finance Minister Piyush Goyal on Friday will end up as a bad dream for Prime Minister Narendra Modi, as it was only an attempt to lure
voters, and was rather an election manifesto.
