Free laptops scheme to get more funds

Chennai: Finance minister Thangam Thennarasu on Friday presented the final supplementary estimates of 19,287.44 crore for the fiscal 2024-2025 in the state assembly.
Out of the estimates, a sum of 12,639.36 crore was in the revenue account, 6,429.36 crore in the capital account, and 218.88 crore in the loan account. The supplementary estimates are presented to obtain the approval of the legislature for expenditure on items mainly constituting ‘new service' and ‘new instrument of service' which were sanctioned after the first supplementary estimates 2024-2025 were presented on Dec 9 last year.
In the supplementary estimates, there were a few major items for which additional appropriation was required.
They included 2,000 crore for the food and consumer protection (cooperation, food and consumer protection department) and provided as share capital assistance to the Tamil Nadu civil supplies corporation (TNCSC) to enhance its financial stability and infrastructure.
A sum of 1,400 crore was provided to the rural development and panchayat raj department as an additional allocation for the construction of houses under ‘Kalaignarin Kanavu Illam' scheme.
He said 1,036 crore was for the energy department for electricity dues of power utilities.
An additional allocation of 1,000 crore would go towards the purchase of new buses.
Mitigation activities during Cyclone Fengal and heavy rainfall during last year's north east and south west monsoons required 901.84 crore, the minister said. Earlier, Thennarasu said that Tamil Nadu has never bowed down to any form of domination from the north at any point in its history.
Several historical rulers and empires did not extend their influence to Tamil Nadu, including Alexander, Chandragupta Maurya, Ashoka, Samudragupta, Kanishka, Akbar, Aurangzeb, and Chhatrapati Shivaji, he said.
During the proceedings, the assembly also passed the Tamil Nadu Appropriation Bill to provide for the withdrawal of certain sums from and out of the consolidated fund of the state for the services and purposes of the financial year commencing on April 1, 2025.
According to the bill, the state govt may withdraw from and out of the consolidated fund of the state sums not exceeding a little over 3.29 lakh crore.
Chennai: Asserting that Tamil Nadu govt is committed to providing quality laptops to students, finance minister Thangam Thennarasu on Friday announced that allocation of 2,000 crore towards laptop scheme this fiscal will be matched with an equal amount next year, anticipating a laptop cost of 20,000. The allocation for the head is likely to change after the tenders are floated and finalized,
Taking to X, CM M K Stalin commended the finance minister for giving a "fitting explanation" to former AIADMK minister and Kumarapalayam MLA, P Thangamani who had earlier asked if it was possible to provide quality laptops to all students with 2,000 crore.
He said the longevity of television sets distributed by the Karunanidhi-led DMK regime, reflected the quality of DMK governance.
"Congratulations to the finance minister, who has presented an all-round #TNBudget2025 that has not shown bias to anyone and left out any sector, and received a centum in his reply," Stalin posted. TNN