Tamil Nadu Budget 2023: Grand Chola Museum to be established & more; Check out key highlights

Tamil Nadu Finance Minister Palanivel Thiaga Rajan presented the Budget for the financial year 2023-24 in the State Legislative Assembly in Chennai on March 20, 2023, Monday — the first day of the second Assembly session for the year.

While presenting the Budget, he said, "We have reduced the annual revenue deficit of around Rs.62,000 crore to around Rs.30,000 crore.' Check out the key highlights of the Budget here: 

For Tamil development and culture

• To honour the legacy of Tamil martyrs Thiruvalargal Thalamuthu and Natarajan, who sacrificed their lives to protect Tamil in the struggle against Hindi imposition, a memorial will be established at Chennai.
• In order to propagate the ideals of Annal Ambedkar, the Government will provide a grant of Rs.5 crore to translate his works into Tamil language.

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• Efforts will be taken to promote and support sea cruises that will connect places of significance in Tamil culture. These cruises will spread the state's grandeur beyond the seven seas while showcasing the rich history, literature, art, culture, handicrafts, and gastronomy of the Tamil people.
• Elderly Tamil academics have been given free bus passes by the government as a token of appreciation for their tremendous contributions to our language. The government will give this advantage to 591 additional Tamil scholars in the upcoming year.
• 25 part-time folk art training centres will be established around the State to conserve folk arts and ensure that these traditions endure into the future.
• A "Great Chola Museum" will be built in Thanjavur to honour the contributions of the Cholas, who once controlled the globe, and to conserve artefacts and treasures from that time.

Rural development

• In the upcoming financial year, works for 5,145 km of roads will be undertaken at an estimated cost of Rs.2,000 crore.
• At a cost of Rs. 638 crore, 6,618 water bodies have been restored in rural regions during the previous two years. Also, 10,000 water bodies in rural regions, including ponds, ooranies, and small irrigation tanks, would be rehabilitated over the course of the next two years at an estimated cost of Rs. 800 crore.

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• To make it easier for residents to pay House Tax, Professional Tax, and Water Charges to Village Panchayats, an online gateway has been developed. Also, both the approval of the building plan and the layout will be done online.

Metro rail

• By December 2025, it is anticipated that the first portion of the elevated corridor from Poonamallee Depot to Kodambakkam Powerhouse would be ready for commissioning. In this budget, a sum of Rs. 10,000 crore has been designated for the Chennai Metro Rail Project.

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Transportation

• Bus depots would be built in the first phase in Vadapalani, Thiruvanmiyur, and Vyasarpadi for a total expenditure of Rs. 1,600 crore. With an expenditure of Rs. 1,347 crore, three more bus terminals at Tambaram, Tiruvottriyur, and Saidapet would be refurbished.
• At a cost of Rs. 500 crore, the government would buy 1,000 new buses and repair 500 used buses.
• Amounts of Rs. 2,800 crore, Rs. 1,500 crore, and Rs. 2,000 crore have been set aside in the Budget Estimates as subsidies for free bus travel for women, student bus fare discounts, and fuel subsidies, respectively.
• An allocation of Rs.8,056 crore has been made to the Transport Department in the Budget Estimates.

Health and welfare

• The Makkalai Thedi Maruthuvam scheme will be expanded to 711 factories covering 8.35 lakh workers in the first phase. These factories will host health screening events with a focus on non-communicable illnesses including diabetes and high blood pressure. This programme will also aid migrant workers.
• This year will see the opening of the 1,000 bed Kalaignar Memorial Multi Super Speciality Hospital on the grounds of the King Institute of Preventive Medicine and Research Centre, Guindy.
• New speciality hospital buildings are being constructed in three Government medical college hospitals at Madurai, Coimbatore and Kilpauk at a total cost of Rs.1,020 crore and they will be put to use shortly.
• New buildings will be constructed at a cost of Rs.110 crore in the Mahatma Gandhi Memorial Hospital, which caters to the medical needs of people in Tiruchirappalli and its surrounding districts.

School education

• The government would spend Rs. 1,500 crore building classrooms, labs, and restrooms in the following fiscal year.
• By 2025, children in grades 1 through 3 should possess universal foundational literacy and numeracy, according to the "Ennum Ezhuthum" programme. Due to the enthusiastic reception, this initiative will be extended to classes 4 and 5 in the future fiscal year with a budget of Rs. 110 crore.
• In addition to five successful literature festivals this year, book fairs were held in every district. At a cost of Rs. 10 crore, this fantastic effort will continue into the next year.
• An iconic eight-storeyed library in two lakh square feet, with all modern amenties is being constructed in Madurai, the seat of Tamil Sangam.  Children, students, researchers, young people preparing for competitive examinations, housewives, older residents, and those with disabilities will all be served by this library.
• 3.50 lakh volumes in Tamil and English on a range of topics, including literature, culture, science, engineering, law, and medicine, would be housed in this library's initial phase. Kalaignar Centenary Library will be the name of this contemporary temple of knowledge in Southern Tamil Nadu. In June of this year, this library will open its doors to its first visitors.

Youth Welfare and Sports

• The government will establish a cutting-edge Global Sports City in Chennai through the Chennai Metropolitan Development Agency, which will support the growth of sports and become a preferred location for major sporting events.
• At an anticipated cost of Rs. 25 crore, the government will renovate the renowned Jawaharlal Nehru Outdoor Stadium in Chennai completely and outfit it with cutting-edge sporting amenities.