Answering his critics, who had accused him of being silent on the issue of Statehood for Puducherry, Chief Minister N. Rangasamy on Sunday used a government function attended by Union Home Minister Amit Shah to press for altering the Union Territory’s status to that of a full-fledged State.
Sharing the dais with the Home Minister at Kamban Kalaiarangam, the Chief Minister said Statehood had been a long-pending demand of political parties in the Union Territory. “We have been demanding Statehood for a long time, and we are hopeful that the Centre will accord [Puducherry] the status,” the Chief Minister said in his address before Mr. Shah inaugurated a few development works and laid the foundation for projects under the Smart Cities Mission.
Mr. Rangasamy had been drawing criticism for maintaining silence on the issue of Statehood after aligning with the Bharatiya Janata Party to form the first National Democratic Alliance government in the Union Territory. The Congress had even accused him of surrendering on the Statehood issue as the BJP was not on the same page as the Chief Minister’s All India N.R. Congress on the subject.
Using the same stage, the Chief Minister also pitched for increased financial allocation, a subject on which the Chief Minister had been drawing flak after the Centre maintained status quo on budgetary support for the current financial year. “The Centre has been very supportive. But we have asked for additional funds during the current year. We are hopeful of getting more funds from the Centre, “ the Chief Minister said.
According to official sources, the Chief Minister also gave a written representation to the Home Minister, reiterating the demand for Statehood. In his representation, which he handed over to Mr. Shah while seeing him off at the airport on Sunday, the Chief Minister said, “The demand for Statehood is a long-pending issue. We are unable to exercise any powers for creating employment potential by inviting more industries to Puducherry and for creating infrastructure for tourism.”
The Chief Minister also asked the Home Minister to allocate ₹2,000 crore in additional funds before presenting the annual Budget for the current financial year. “This year, an additional assistance of ₹2,000 crore is absolutely essential to at least maintain the revised estimate for 2021-22, if GST compensation is not extended during the current year. As against ₹1,874 crore in central assistance allocated in 2021-22, only ₹1,724 crore has been allocated for the current year, which is approximately ₹150 crore less than last year,” he said in the letter.
The letter, according to a source, pointed to the necessity to increase funding to 100% for Centrally Sponsored Schemes. The Chief Minister also sought an additional ₹500 crore to improve infrastructure at the Government Medical College and Dental College and for the upgrading of other government healthcare centres.
The Centre’s assistance was also sought for the expansion of the Puducherry Airport and the construction of a new Assembly complex. The Chief Minister sought an assistance of ₹425 crore for land acquisition to expand the airport runway and ₹300 crore for the new Assembly complex, the source said.
The Chief Minister also sought a special assistance of ₹500 crore for the revival of the cooperative sector, and financial support to clear all arrears pertaining to the implementation of the 7th Pay Commission’s recommendations, the source said.
