TN Budget 2022-2023: Monthly allowance of Rs 1,000 to girl students who pursue higher education

Tamil Nadu Finance Minister Palanivel Thiaga Rajan is presenting the state Budget for the financial year 2022-23 in the House on Friday (March 18). He said that the fiscal year of 2022-2023 could be “difficult” owing to Russia’s invasion in Ukraine. “Ongoing crisis between Russia-Ukraine will cause demand shock and global supply disruptions to the state’s economy,” he said.

Finance Minister Palanivel Thiaga Rajan, presenting the Budget, said the revenue deficit has been brought down by Rs 7,000 crore. The revised budget estimate had pegged the revenue deficit at Rs 58,692.68 crore for 2021-22. He said State economy may be impacted due to inflationary pressures, which experts have warned about.

He further said Chief Minister MK Stalin has requested the Centre for extension of the GST compensation period, which ends in June 2022, by two years. He hoped the Centre would consider the same.

The state government announced the distribution of free textbooks to students from classes 1 to 10.

The Tamil Nadu government will provide a monthly allowance of Rs 1,000 for girl students from government schools who pursue higher education. Finance minister PTR Palanivel Thiagarajan said that this scheme will be applicable for students who have studied in government schools from class VI to XII.

“This is expected to increase the enrolment of girls in higher education. Will benefit 5 lakh girl students,” he said.

The Tamil Nadu government will set up a new social media monitoring cell within the state Police Department to tackle the menace of hatred on social media.

Meanwhile, the government has planned to allocate Rs 7,338 crore to the state’s water resource department. Thiagarajan said that Rs 500 crore has been allocated for flood mitigation projects in Chennai.

Government hospitals will be upgraded as district government hospitals for which Rs 1,000 crore has been allocated.

The Tamil Nadu government has announced that literature work and teachings of Periyar will be published in 21 languages and has allocated Rs 5 crore for the same. Also, Rs 1,064 crore has been allocated for the reconstruction of 64 dams in Tamil Nadu.

Thiagarajan said that failure to get GST compensation from the centre will result in loss of Rs 20,000 crore.