Lok Sabha election 2024: What Chennai wants from the new government at Centre

CHENNAI: Even as the results of the 2024 Lok Sabha elections are eagerly awaited, various associations have aired their demands to the newly formed government. If some of the leaders of the business sector want financial support for the MSME sector or a hike in milk procurement prices, common folk want their basic needs such as proper sanitation to be addressed.

According to KE Raghunathan, National Chairman, the Association of Indian Entrepreneurs, lamented that even though 99% of enterprises come under the micro category, they are clubbed with companies having a turnover of Rs 250 crore under the Ministry of MSME.

A separate Ministry for Micro Enterprises and Start-Up Entrepreneurs (MSE) should be set up to cater to the needs of the sector, says Raghunathan. “A dedicated bank must be formed to support up to Rs 2 crore loan requirements of MSEs without any collateral security. SIDBI doesn’t lend directly. A fair price shop must be established at every district level to supply essential raw materials to MSEs at a fixed price. It will help to protect them from price fluctuations. Fixing the manpower shortage issue is another priority for MSEs. My remedy would be to make it mandatory that all fresh graduates and ITI-trained candidates undergo training for 6 months with a stipend of Rs 6,000 paid by the Ministry of MSE,” he said.

MSEs need to be insulated from the competition of online e-commerce behemoths, the entrepreneur said. Making MSEs cost-competitive, reducing documentation issues, and hiking GST exemption threshold from Rs 20 or 40 lakhs to Rs 2 crores are some of the remedies he expects from any party that forms government at the Centre to make MSEs profitable and sustainable

On the other hand, milk producers raise their demands to increase the procurement price of milk. The rise in prices of cattle feed is eating into their margins, they rue. “The procurement price must be increased for the milk as the expenses for the cattle feed have increased, which is currently Rs 1350 for 50 kg, which used to be Rs 950 earlier. There is no subsidy provided to the dairy farmers as of now. Till 2020, there were subsidies, which we expect to be resumed. There are also issues in getting the medicines for the cattle, which must be addressed,” said DM Rajendran, a member of the Tamil Nadu Milk Producers Association.

The residents of Anna Nagar want the elected representatives to solve the issue of the overflow from the Otteri nullah, filled with sewage and garbage. “The main concern is mitigating the flooding by restoring the 10.5 km Otteri nullah and building effective stormwater drains. The situation gets worse every year,” said Sandhya Vedullapalli, a member of the Federation of Anna Nagar Residents Associations.

Commuters from Tiruvallur have been requesting a stoppage of express train services in Tiruvallur for a very long time. “One of the major needs raised by us is the stoppage of express trains at Tiruvallur, which is the district headquarters. There must be train services from Tiruvallur to Kilambakkam, and there must be more train services between Tiruvallur and Chennai Central during peak hours,” said B Sundararajan, President of the Tiruvallur District Railway Passengers Association.

Persons with disabilities demand basic facilities. “The pension for PWDs must be given on a particular date every month. Currently, the pension is provided once every three or four months. Another demand is that whenever assistive devices are provided, they must be checked whether they are in good condition. There must also be rehabilitation homes for the disabled,” said Gnana Bharathi, founder of the Spinal Injured Persons Association.