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Union Budget 2021: What 4 poll-bound states are getting this year
The finance minister, Nirmala Sitharman, quoted Nobel laureate Rabindranath Tagore and couplets in Tamil from Thirukkural in her Budget speech before diving into a more detailed look into the allocations and grants for the four states.
Four poll-bound states — West Bengal, Assam, Kerala, and Tamil Nadu — received considerable allocations and attention in this year’s Union Budget. The BJP has been trying to make significant in-roads in West Bengal and Tamil Nadu, and it already is in power in Assam
The finance minister, Nirmala Sitharman, quoted Nobel laureate Rabindranath Tagore and couplets in Tamil from Thirukkural in her Budget speech before diving into a more detailed look into the allocations and grants for the four states.
Tamil Nadu
The finance minister announced substantial allocations to various infrastructure projects in Tamil Nadu. An investment of ₹1.03 lakh crores for constructing 3,500 km of National Highway works in the state has been announced. These include Madurai-Kollam corridor, Chittoor-Thatchur corridor.
“Substantial investments” in the development of modern fishing harbours and fish landing centres at the Chennai port, one of the 5 major ports included in this scheme.
Construction of Bengaluru – Chennai Expressway. Work is slated to begin later this year. A 277 km Chennai – Salem corridor is also set to be constructed, work for which would start in 2021-22.
Allocation of 63,246 crores for the 118.9 km long Chennai Metro Railway Phase-II
Seaweed farming has been designated as an emerging sector “with potential to transform the lives of coastal communities”. To promote large-scale employment in seaweed cultivation, a Multipurpose Seaweed Park has been proposed in Tamil Nadu.
West Bengal
Construction of 675 km of highway works in the state of West Bengal at a cost of 25,000 crores including upgradation of the existing road from Kolkata to Siliguri.
A dedicated freight corridor project namely East Coast corridor from Kharagpur to Vijayawada, East-West Corridor from Bhusaval to Kharagpur to Dankuni is slated to come up.
Eastern Dedicated Freight Corridor will be taken up under Public-Private-Partnership model in the Gomoh-Dankuni section.
₹1,000 crore has been allocated jointly to both Bengal and Assam for the welfare of tea estate workers, especially women and children. Amit Shah in his 2019 visit to Assam had said, “The BJP government in Assam has done a lot for the welfare of the Tea garden workers. I want to ask Mamata Didi what she has done for our hardworking Tea garden workers of West Bengal?”
Kerala
Around1,100 km of National Highway works in the state of Kerala at an investment of 65,000 crores, which will include a 600 km section of Mumbai- Kanyakumari corridor in Kerala.
An allocation of 1957.05 crores for the Kochi Metro Railway Phase-II project.
Assam
National Highway works of around Rs.19,000 crores are currently in progress in Assam. Further works of more than Rs.34,000 crores covering more than 1,300 km of National Highways will be undertaken in the state in the coming three years. ₹1,000 crore for welfare of tea workers, especially women and children has been allocated to both Assam and West Bengal.
