Tamil Nadu's first budget under CM Vijay-led govt to be presented in first week of August: Minister Maria Wilson
Thoothukudi, July 18
Tamil Nadu Minister Maria Wilson on Saturday said the state government's first budget under the new administration will be presented in the first week of August, asserting that the people have welcomed Chief Minister Joseph Vijay's anti-corruption measures and the government's functioning.
Speaking to reporters here, Wilson said Chief Minister Vijay had been holding extensive review meetings with ministers and senior officials over the past two weeks to finalise the budget and policy priorities.
"The Tamil Nadu government's budget will be presented in the first week of August. The Chief Minister has been conducting review meetings for the past 15 to 16 days with ministers and Chief Secretaries. These review meetings continued for around six to seven hours, and several important details were discussed. The Cabinet meeting has also concluded successfully. With the TVK government having completed 55 days in office, the first budget of the Tamil Nadu government under the new administration will be presented successfully. The people are 100 per cent welcoming the CM's action against corruption. As the people are welcoming the functioning of the Tamil Nadu government, everyone should also welcome it," Wilson said.
Meanwhile, Tamil Nadu Higher Education Minister K Viswanathan reiterated the government's commitment to ensuring that financial constraints do not prevent students from pursuing higher education.
Speaking on the sidelines of the birth anniversary celebrations of Ethiraj College founder M Ethiraj, Viswanathan said the government has set a target of facilitating education loans for 1,00,200 students during the 2026-27 academic year, with around Rs 3,000 crore expected to be disbursed.
He said Chief Minister Joseph Vijay had introduced a comprehensive framework to provide collateral-free education loans of up to Rs 7.5 lakh.
"The CM has taken a firm decision that no student should be prevented from pursuing higher education due to a lack of financial resources," Viswanathan said.
The Minister also rejected allegations of corruption in the appointment of university deans and Syndicate members, saying the Chief Minister was personally monitoring the process. He added that while the Naan Mudhalvan skill development scheme was launched by the previous DMK government, the present administration had adopted its own policy decisions after assuming office.
— ANI
Reader Comments
I'm cautiously optimistic. The collateral-free education loan up to 7.5 lakhs sounds great for middle-class families like mine. But I wish they'd also focus on improving the quality of government schools, not just college loans. Education starts from Class 1, not after 12th, na?
Good to see a new government actually working. The review meetings with Chief Secretaries show they're taking governance seriously. But I hope the budget also addresses the farmer issues and water scarcity in southern districts. Not just education and corruption - we need holistic development, yaar.
The claim of "100% people welcoming" is a bit too much - no government is that popular. But I appreciate the focus on education. As a recent graduate, I know how tough it is to fund higher education. Let's hope they actually disburse the 3,000 crore without delays. Action speaks louder than words! 💪
It's impressive that Vijay's government is taking a strong anti-corruption stance early on. The education loan scheme sounds progressive. However, as someone following Indian politics from abroad, I wonder if they can maintain this momentum beyond the first 100 days. Sustainability is key in governance.
The Naan Mudhalvan scheme was good for skill development - hope the new government doesn't scrap it completely just because it was DMK's initiative. Viswanathan's statement about adopting "own policy decisions" sounds like politics over pragmatism. Let's focus on what works, not on who started it, bro!
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