Sans central funds, TN bears extra financial burden: Min Periyasamy

CHENNAI: Minister for Rural Development and Panchayat Raj I Periyasamy on Wednesday told the State Assembly that the Union Government is not releasing funds under various schemes, placing an ‘additional financial burden’ on the Tamil Nadu government to implement housing and other Central-sponsored schemes.

The State government's contribution to the Prime Minister's Housing Scheme (PMAY) is 61%, compared to the Centre and State government's 60:40 ratio. Despite repeated requests for the Union Government to increase its share in response to the steep rise in construction material costs, the Centre has remained ‘silent’, the minister said while responding to the debate on the department's demand for grants on Wednesday.

Regarding the implementation of the PMAY scheme in hilly regions, the state's contribution stands at 75%. The TN government sanctions Rs 3 lakh, in addition to Rs 2 lakh (Rs 1.20 lakh from the Centre and Rs 80,000 from the state) for each unit under the scheme. In total, the state government is spending Rs 3.80 lakh, accounting for 75% of the cost.

‘Only 8 villages sans road connectivity’

Stating that TN is the only state in the country to have witnessed significant development, the minister noted that the department has laid 10,545 km of connecting roads to villages with populations of 500.

"As of date, only eight villages remain unconnected, with delays caused by difficulties in obtaining permissions from the forest department, " he added.

Under the Union Government's sponsored scheme for road connectivity, the department plans to lay 20,000 km of roads connecting villages, each less than 1 km in length, this year. In addition, the government will undertake roadworks worth Rs 4,000 crore under the Mudalvarin Grama Salaigal Membattu Thittam to upgrade, strengthen, and maintain village roads over a stretch of 10,000 km in 2025–2026.

Meanwhile, the DMK regime's flagship programme, Kalaignar Kanavu Illam (KKV), has received an overwhelming response from rural communities. The minister expressed confidence that the government will meet its target of constructing 8 lakh houses by 2030, fulfilling its objective of a 'hut-free Tamil Nadu.'

"The government has sanctioned Rs 3,500 crore for the project. So far, Rs 2,418 crore has been released, and the project is progressing rapidly. By March next year, 2.25 lakh houses will be completed," he said, further stating that rural dwellers prefer the Kalaignar Kanavu Illam scheme over the PMAY.

The government has also surveyed decades-old houses constructed under various housing schemes and identified one lakh homes for minor and major repairs for Rs 1,000 crore. Of these, 90,000 homes have been repaired and transformed into ‘new homes’, he said. He also criticised the AIADMK regime for allocating no more than Rs 50,000 for repairs, contrasting this with the current Chief Minister M K Stalin-led government, which allocates Rs 75,000 to Rs 1.50 lakh for each unit's repair.

The DMK regime has improved village infrastructure under the Annaithu Grama Anna Marumlarchi Thittam, investing Rs 4,200 crore over the past four years, with an additional Rs 1,000 crore allocated this year. The government has also allocated Rs 450 crore under the Namakku Naame Thittam (rural) and is constructing eight more Samathuvapuram centres, he said and brought his reply to an end with closing remark by asserting that these revolutionary schemes cannot be overshadowed, even after five decades.

Upcoming projects

· High-level bridges will be constructed at Rs 800 cr in rural Tamil Nadu to connect educational institutions, hospitals and government offices

· Rs 500 cr worth of works will be taken up to improve water sources, plantation of saplings, and digging new ponds

· 1,200 overhead tanks will be constructed at Rs 300 cr

· Compound walls will be built for 500 schools in rural areas at Rs 50 cr

· 500 Anganwadi centres will come up at Rs 87 cr

· Road works at Rs 150 cr will be taken up to turn mud roads into single-layer bitumen road

· Child-friendly classrooms will be constructed at Rs 182 cr

· 1,500 community halls will be constructed at Rs 31.5 cr