Budget allocated funds indiscriminately to states ruled by parties in alliance with BJP: DMK MP

Tiruchi Siva said, "This is certainly not Union Budget and allocated funds indiscriminately to certain states which are in favour of them and those parties which are in alliance with them. The budget has assured that funds will be given to some states that are prone to floods in the future but Tamil Nadu has already suffered because of floods and cyclone. We have asked for relief funds, but nothing has been given. The budget is totally political."

He further stated that Tamil Nadu has been completely neglected in the Union Budget 2024.

He further said, "India has 20 crore population who are below the poverty line as per NITI Aayog. 80 crore people are dependent on ration shops. They assured 2 crore jobs per year but nothing materialised. Tamil Nadu has been totally neglected."

Tamil Nadu Chief Minister M K Stalin hit out at the BJP and said that he would be boycotting the NITI Aayog meeting.

M K Stalin said, "Despite winning for the third term, BJP has done nothing for the people. Despite Tamil Nadu facing historic devastation, no funds were allotted to the state. No schemes for Tamil Nadu. I am going to boycott the NITI Aayog meeting."

Union Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman on Tuesday announced financial assistance to states including Bihar, Himachal Pradesh, Assam, Uttarakhand and Sikkim which have suffered losses due to floods and other natural calamities.

She said that Bihar, which frequently suffers from floods, will get some relief as plans to build flood control structures in Nepal will soon progress.

"Bihar has frequently suffered from floods, many of them originating outside the country. Plans to build flood control structures in Nepal are yet to progress. Our government, through the accelerated irrigation benefit programme and other sources, will provide financial support for projects with an estimated cost of Rs 11,500 crores, such as the Kosi-Mechi intra-state link and 20 other ongoing and new schemes, including barrages, river pollution abatement, and irrigation projects," Sitharaman said in her Budget speech in Lok Sabha on Tuesday.

Sitharaman made major announcements for Bihar and Andhra Pradesh on Tuesday, including a boost in infrastructure and special financial support.

The announcement covers human resource development, infrastructure and the generation of economic opportunities to make the eastern region of the country covering Bihar, Jharkhand, West Bengal, Odisha and Andhra Pradesh, an engine to attain Viksit Bharat.

In her Budget speech in Parliament, Nirmala Sitharaman said, "On the Amritsar-Kolkata industrial corridor we will support the development of an industrial nod at Gaya in Bihar. We will also support the construction of road connectivity projects namely Patna-Purnia Expressway, Buxar-Bagalpur Expressway, Bodhgaya-Rajgir-Vaishali-Darbanga and an additional two-lane bridge over river Ganga at Buxar at a total cost of Rs 26,000 cr."

"Power projects, including setting up of a new 2400 megawatt power plant at Pirpainti, will be taken up at a cost of Rs 21400 crore," she added.

The Finance Minister said that new airports, medical colleges and sports infrastructure in Bihar will be constructed. An additional allocation to support capital investments will be provided, she said.

She emphasised that the requests of the Bihar government for external assistance from multi-lateral development banks will be expedited. The FM also announce an allocation of Rs 11500 crore or flood control measures in Bihar. Funds have also been provided for developing the Temple corridors in the iconic temples in NIhar. The Kashi Model will be implemented in Bodh Gaya. Special funds have also been provided for the Rajgir Jain Temple site.

Andhra Pradesh also benefited from the Union Budget 2024-25 as the Finance Minister announced special financial support to the state, recognising the state's need for capital.

"Andhra Pradesh Reorganisation Act- Our govt has made efforts to fulfil the commitments in the Andhra Pradesh Reorganisation Act. Recognising the state's need for capital, we will facilitate special financial support through multilateral agencies," Sitharaman said. (ANI)