The All India Anna Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam (AIADMK) has questioned the delay by the National Democratic Alliance (NDA) government in Puducherry to convene a meeting of the Planning Board to fix the draft of the annual outlay for the financial year 2024-25.
Addressing a press conference on Monday, party secretary A. Anbalagan said the Union government has set aside the Centre’s share of the finances for the Union Territory in the recently presented Interim Budget.
A sum of ₹3,269 crore has been earmarked for Puducherry under the head of the Ministry of Home Affairs in the Interim Budget. With the allocation from the Centre known, the territorial administration could have started preparations to present a full Budget for 2024-25, he said.
“So far, even the Planning Board has not convened. The Lt. Governor should convene the board to fix the draft of the annual outlay and present a full Budget. Only in the last financial year, the government broke the practice and presented a full Budget .The government should not go back to its old practice of presenting Interim Budgets,” the AIADMK leader said.
