CHENNAI: With the Lok Sabha elections scheduled this year, the State budget is likely to spell out sops for farmers and it is expected that it may have some surprise element in store for the middle class and rural masses.
Deputy Chief Minister O. Panneerselvam, who holds the Finance portfolio, will be presenting the budget for 2019-20 on Friday at 10 am, the first for this year and it would be the 8th time he will be presenting a Budget in the Assembly. Following the presentation of the budget, the Business Advisory Committee would meet to decide the duration of this session.
Contending that he can only give a hint on how the budget has taken shape, Fisheries Minister D. Jayakumar said the budget will look after all segments including farmers, fishermen, traders and even the underprivileged. ‘’I can give only an outline of the budget and can’t go into the details. It will reflect the pulse of the people,’’ he told reporters here on Thursday.
According to sources, the government is likely to announce annual income support of Rs 6,000 to all farmer families besides employment opportunities for youth. The budget is also likely to offer tax sops for the middle class and also unveil measures to alleviate rural stress, on par with the interim budget presented on February 1 in the Parliament.
There is likely to have something for every section of the society in the form of freebies, exemptions, subsidies and other sops.
The Opposition parties may attempt to pin down the government on the JACTTO-GEO strike, the Kodanad killings and burglary and IT raids.
The DMK is already accusing the government of doing precious little on obtaining investment into the State.
The first session of the Assembly for the year, which commenced on January 2 with the customary address of Governor Banwarilal Purohit to the House, lasted for about a week. The DMK and other opposition parties had boycotted the Governor’s address.
