Speaking at the NITI Aayog Governing Council meeting, chaired by Prime Minister Narendra Modi in New Delhi, Stalin called on the BJP-led Union Government to extend unbiased cooperation to all states, including Tamil Nadu, to help them achieve their developmental objectives.
Photo: SNS
Tamil Nadu Chief Minister MK Stalin on Saturday urged the Union Government to uphold the principles of cooperative federalism, accommodate India’s diversity, and ensure that states receive their fair share of resources. He emphasized that these are essential prerequisites for achieving the vision of a fully developed India by 2047.
Speaking at the NITI Aayog Governing Council meeting, chaired by Prime Minister Narendra Modi in New Delhi, Stalin called on the BJP-led Union Government to extend unbiased cooperation to all states, including Tamil Nadu, to help them achieve their developmental objectives.
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He highlighted Tamil Nadu’s ambition to become a one trillion-dollar economy by 2030 and contribute meaningfully to India’s goal of a USD 30 trillion economy.
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Raising concerns over ongoing issues in Centre–State financial relations, Stalin criticized the practice of states being compelled to seek legal recourse to obtain their rightful funds.
He reiterated his demand to increase the states’ share in the Central Tax Pool to 50 percent, as opposed to the 41 per cent recommended by the 15th Finance Commission. “Over the past four years, Tamil Nadu has received only 31.6 per cent,” he said.
Stalin also made a strong appeal for the immediate release of Rs 2,200 crore due to the state under the Samagra Shiksha Abhiyan (SSA), linked to the PM SHRI schools initiative under the New Education Policy (NEP).
“Nearly Rs 2,220 crore in Union Government funds have been withheld for the year 2024–25, affecting students in government schools and those covered under the Right to Education (RTE). It is unacceptable that funds are withheld, delayed, or reduced,” he asserted, criticizing the terms of the MoU linked to the PM SHRI programme.
Listing key demands, the Chief Minister called for a new urban regeneration programme beyond AMRUT 2.0, with a focus on mobility, infrastructure, and sanitation. He also proposed a Clean Rivers Mission, seeking Union Government support for cleaning the Cauvery, Vaigai, and Thamirabarani rivers in Tamil Nadu. On the issue of scheme names being in Hindi, Stalin requested that states be allowed to use English and regional languages like Tamil for nomenclature.
Later, addressing the media after meeting Prime Minister Modi, Stalin dismissed opposition claims that his participation in the NITI Aayog meeting was prompted by recent Enforcement Directorate raids on TASMAC in connection with the alleged Rs 1,000 crore liquor scam.
When asked about AIADMK General Secretary Edappadi K Palaniswami’s comment that Stalin had come to Delhi “with a white flag,” the Chief Minister responded, “I never carry a white flag — nor the saffron one that EPS has embraced.”
He also mentioned that the Prime Minister had assured support for projects such as Chennai Metro Rail Phase II.
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