DMK protest against ‘neglect’ of Puducherry in Budget
Members of DMK staging a protest in Puducherry on Monday.
| Photo Credit: S.S. KUMAR
The DMK staged a protest on Monday to highlight the “neglect” of Puducherry in the Union Budget for 2024-25.
Addressing the protestors gathered at Anna Statue, R. Siva, Leader of Opposition and DMK convenor, alleged that the Union Territory was sidelined as punishment for the voters who rejected the BJP candidate in the Lok Sabha elections in spite of claims of “double-engine development” made by several national leaders of the party, including the Prime Minister.
None of the aspirations of the Puducherry people, whether it was Statehood, airport expansion or ECR railway line, was addressed in the Budget. He also condemned the slashing of funds for JIPMER in relation to other centres of national importance. While in 2023-24, JIPMER was allocated ₹1490.43 crore, the Centre released only ₹1307 crore. In the present Budget, JIPMER was only allocated ₹1440 crore, which was a reduction of ₹50 crore, he said. This would affect the services provided to patients, he added.
At a time when the Puducherry government has not created opportunities to fill up the vacant posts in departments, there had been no Budgetary provision for restarting any of the textile mills that remain closed, the DMK leader said.
The Smart City project had turned into a failure as many schemes risked being abandoned due to non-utilisation of sanctioned funds, Mr. Siva said.
The Centre has also ignored development of tourism, which was the revenue mainstay for Puducherry, and the industries sector amid rising joblessness among youth, he said.
S.P. Sivakumar, former Minister, V. Annibal Kennedy, R. Senthil Kumar, L. Sambath, MLAs and others also spoke.
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