Tamil Nadu Budget to Be Presented on Aug. 5

The maiden annual Budget of the TVK government would be presented in the State Assembly on Wednesday, August 5, by the Finance Minister N Marie Wilson, and the entire proceedings would be broadcast live, the Speaker J C D Prabhakar announced on Tuesday.

Addressing media persons at the Secretariat, the Speaker said that the House would meet on August 5 and the Budget proposals would be presented in the Assembly the same day.

The next day, on August 6, State Minister for Agriculture and Farmers Welfare R Vinoth would present an exclusive agriculture budget, which Tamil Nadu has been doing in the past five years.

Details on the demands for grants to various departments and other agenda would be finalized by the Business Advisory Committee (BAC) after the budget presentation, he said.

To a reporter's question on the rendering of the national song, ‘Vande Mataram,’ the National Anthem and the Tamil anthem, ‘Tamil Thai Vazhthu’ before the start of the session, he said that tradition followed in the Legislative Assembly for years would be followed.

He said that he hoped that the Budget proposals would earn the encomiums of not only the people who voted for the TVK in the elections but also that of those who did not vote for the ruling party.

Urging the members of both the ruling and opposition parties to listen to the members expressing alternative views and indulge in healthy discussions, the Speaker said that he would like the Assembly proceedings to be smooth and peaceful.

The Budget has raised the hopes of many as the new government is expected to announce the implementation of the many promises that were given to the people during the elections by the TVK and might set the tone for a plethora of welfare schemes.

Yet there are fears among some sections over the new government scrapping some of the welfare measures initiated by the previous DMK regime.