Union Budget neglected TN, will boycott NITI Aayog meeting, says Stalin

Chennai, July 23 (IANS) Tamil Nadu Chief Minister M.K. Stalin charged the Union Budget 2024-25, presented by Union Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman in the Parliament on Tuesday, with totally neglecting Tamil Nadu and announced that he would boycott the NITI Aayog meeting convened by Prime Minister Narendra Modi on July 27 as a mark of protest.In a statement, here, Stalin said that the Union Budget 2024-25 was the biggest betrayal of Tamil Nadu.He said the Budget did not appear to be one for the entire country and appeared to be like a coalition pact with the rulers of Bihar and Andhra Pradesh for political reasons.Stalin said that the Tamil Nadu government has consistently urged the Centre to provide calamity relief to recoup from the two recent disasters. However, the Union Budget did not provide adequate funds.The Chief Minister said that the state government had submitted a detailed report, seeking Rs 37,000 crore as disaster relief and alleged that the Centre has released only Rs 276 crore so far. He said that in the Union Budget, Bihar alone will get Rs 11,500 crore for disaster mitigation and added that this was a great injustice to the people of Tamil Nadu.–IANSaal/vd