Animal Husbandry

40. Livestock development is critical for increasing supplementary income for rural households. Nearly 9,432 animal health camps have been organized in the last two years under the Special Livestock Protection Programme. Tamil Nadu has been ranked first in India during the last two years for carrying out a record 64.62 lakh artificial inseminations for improving the genetic potential of cattle and buffalo in the State.

41. The DANIDA-funded Livestock Development Project on training link worker couples is being extended to cover 6 more districts from the present 17 with an outlay of Rs.1.41 crores. Members of the House will welcome the scheme to upgrade 75 Veterinary Sub-Centres into Veterinary Dispensaries at a total cost of Rs.3.87 crores. The emphasis on homestead farming will be continued in the next financial year.

Fisheries Development and Welfare of the Fishing Community

42. This Government proposes to set up a fishing harbour at Thengaipattinam in Kanyakumari district at a cost of Rs. 40 crores. A diversified programme for encouraging marine-culture covering farming of oysters, lobsters and crabs will be taken up at the Pulicat Lake to improve the livelihood of fishermen living in that area. A provision of Rs. 29 crores has been made for the relief scheme to support marine fishermen during lean seasons. Construction of 4,000 houses for fishermen will be taken up in 2004-2005. A provision of Rs. 15.65 crores has been made in the Budget Estimates for this scheme.

Irrigation

43. Tamil Nadu has completely exhausted its entire surface water potential and even the limited ground water is depleting fast. Hon’ble Members are well aware of the obstinate stand adopted by Karnataka in not releasing Tamil Nadu’s legitimate share of water from the river Cauvery. We will not relent in our efforts to obtain our legitimate share of the Cauvery water. Nationalization of all water resources and implementation of the programme for interlinking rivers seem to be the only viable long-term solution. The Hon’ble Chief Minister has requested Mr. Suresh Prabhu, the Chairman of the Task Force on Interlinking of Rivers, to expedite preparation of the project for interlinking Mahanadhi, Godavari, Krishna, Cauvery, Vaigai and Gundar under the Peninsular Grid scheme. He has also been requested to finalise other smaller links which can provide some immediate solutions. This Government will insist that this project should be implemented in the Tenth Plan.

44. In order to encourage the participation of farmers in irrigation management and efficient water-use, elections to 1566 Water Users Associations have just been completed. It reflects our continued commitment to empower farmers and enable them to participate in the operation and maintenance of irrigation systems across the State. We hope to obtain the clearance of the World Bank for a new river basin-based comprehensive water resources management project in the coming year at a total cost of Rs.2900 crores.

45. This Government will undertake a massive scheme for desilting and upgrading of tanks with an ayacut of more than 100 acres in 2004-2005 with an outlay of Rs.100 crores as a part of the Food for Work Programme. The total outlay for Irrigation in 2004-2005 is Rs. 967.45 crores as against Rs. 912.45 crores in the Revised Estimates.

Environment and Forests

46. Hon'ble Members are aware that the externally aided Tamil Nadu Afforestation Project is coming to a close in the current financial year. This programme has been an enormous success in joint forest management. The Phase-II of this project titled 'Tamil Nadu Natural Resources Management Project' has been formulated with an outlay of Rs. 779.33 crores for implementation over five years and posed to Japan Bank for International Co-operation for funding. Pending its approval, a provision of Rs. 65.63 crores has been made in the Budget Estimates. This Government has sanctioned a massive scheme for planting teak in the river padugais (beds) over a period of five year with a total outlay of Rs. 21.40 crores.

Namadhu Gramam

47. I take the privilege of announcing the launch of a new programme, Namadhu Gramam, named and conceived by the Hon'ble Chief Minister, with the objective of ensuring all round development of our villages across Tamil Nadu. This bold initiative will be implemented with an outlay of Rs. 200 crores. An initial provision of Rs.52.21 crores has been made in the Budget Estimates for this purpose. We shall obtain the support of NABARD for funding this programme.

48. Namadhu Gramam embodies the principles of democratic decentralization and participatory approach to foster comprehensive development of every village in Tamil Nadu. Under this programme, the Gram Sabha will meet to draw up an action plan to ensure specific improvements in areas such as drinking water, sanitation, drainage, health, women's empowerment, nutrition, cleanliness and hygiene, elementary education, environmental improvement, management of water resources, village roads and street lights. The Gram Sabha will be assisted by officials from every Department to render all necessary assistance. Specific monitorable indicators will be spelt out to enable the Gram Sabha to monitor the performance of its action plan. This includes attention to drop-out rates in local schools, village cleanliness and general health and hygiene. The purpose of this programme is to enable the Gram Sabha to focus on issues, which confer real benefits on the people and improve their quality of life and the living environment.

Empowerment and Poverty Reduction

49. The Hon'ble Chief Minister has decided to launch another bold initiative with a focus on accelerated poverty reduction in the rural areas of the State. Under this new programme, in the first phase, twenty-five of the poorest of the poor households in each village will be identified through the Gram Sabha based on specific criteria. We will seek to address the basic lifetime concerns of these beneficiaries, which includes, concern for livelihood security, nutrition security, shelter security and health security. These beneficiaries will be trained in new and supplementary avocations for improving their household incomes. Access of the beneficiaries to the public distribution system, rural housing programmes and quality health facilities will empower them to satisfactorily address their basic lifetime concerns. This revolutionary empowerment scheme will be implemented in 2004-2005 with an initial outlay of Rs.6.50 crores under Social Welfare and Rs.5 crores in Rural Development totalling Rs.11.50 crores. This programme will be further expanded into the Tamil Nadu Empowerment and Poverty Reduction Project (TNERP) to be taken up with assistance from the World Bank in 2004-2005. This project will be implemented over a period of 6 years with an outlay of Rs.650 crores.

Comprehensive Rural Infrastructure Development

50. The Government has launched a comprehensive rural infrastructure development plan to not only improve living standards in the rural areas but also to provide adequate rural employment. It lays an unprecedented emphasis on providing housing, total rural connectivity, drinking water security, total sanitation and uninterrupted electricity supply for people living in the rural areas. The total provision for rural development in 2004-2005 has been stepped up to Rs. 1952.61 crores as against Rs. 1898.76 crores in the Revised Estimates.

Housing for the Rural Poor

51. Housing for the poor will continue to receive high attention from the Government. Since May 2001, 1.04 lakh new houses have been constructed at a cost of Rs. 379.11 crores. Another 50,678 kutcha houses have been upgraded at a cost of Rs. 52.05 crores. A provision of Rs. 79.66 crores is being made under schemes for construction of new houses and upgradation of kutcha houses for rural families living below the poverty line in 2004-2005. A total of 36,426 new houses will be taken up for construction and 18,691 kutcha houses will be upgraded in 2004-2005. We shall also work out a new programme of rural housing with financing from commercial banks so that rapid progress can be made in this sector.

Development of Rural Roads

52. This Government has laid an unprecedented emphasis on upgrading rural roads. A massive programme to improve rural roads in the State has been launched. It consists of the following main components:

Drinking Water Supply and Sanitation in Rural Areas

53. This Government has provided protected water supply to 13,365 rural habitations during 2001-2004. A total of 14,449 hand pumps have been converted into mini-power pumps. Water supply facilities have also been provided to 14,550 Government schools and 1226 Primary Health Centres in rural areas. The Sector Reforms Project for provision of water supply is being successfully implemented in 6 districts. About 9900 water supply schemes have been taken up under this programme at a cost of Rs. 223.16 crores out of which 8877 schemes have already been completed.

54. This Government will take up schemes to ensure provision of drinking water supply to 6500 rural habitations in 2004-2005 at an estimated total outlay of Rs. 600 crores. The Government is also ensuring comprehensive coverage under the Total Sanitation Campaign in 28 districts at a project cost of Rs. 327.32 crores. We are in discussions with the World Bank to implement a comprehensive rural water supply and sanitation sector project over a period of six years at an estimated cost of Rs.3,500 crores. We propose to take up this project in 2004-2005 for implementation.

Rural Employment

55. The self-help group movement launched by the Hon'ble Chief Minister in 1992 has evolved into a major rural empowerment and self-employment programme. A total of 1.52 lakh self-help groups have been formed covering about 25 lakh beneficiaries with savings estimated at Rs. 393.64 crores. The credit linkages of the self help groups exceed Rs. 564 crores. In 2004-2005, we shall focus on credit linkages under various programmes such as SGSY, TAHDCO-based schemes, NABARD-supported schemes etc.

56. This Government is providing wage employment, food security and creation of durable assets in the rural areas under the Sampoorna Grameen Rozgar Yojana (SGRY) with the assistance of the Union Government. An estimated 10.75 crore mandays of work has been generated under this programme during 2003-2004. A total of 7.08 lakh MT of rice is being utilized under this scheme. The total outlay on this programme in 2003-2004 is Rs. 392.13 crores towards wage and material components. This programme will be further stepped up in 2004-2005 with a focus on maintenance of water bodies.

57. Another revolutionary initiative of this Government is the New Anna Marumalarchi Thittam. This scheme aims at giving a fresh impetus to the rural non-farm sector. A total of 695 projects covering 369 blocks have been cleared for implementation. As many as 73 units have already commenced production. The outlay under the Scheme is being enhanced to Rs. 20 crores in 2004-2005.

Rural Electrification

58. The Tamil Nadu Electricity Board (TNEB) is implementing schemes for upgrading the quality of rural electricity supply with an outlay of Rs. 150 crores in the current year. This will be stepped up to Rs. 192.58 crores in 2004-2005. The TNEB will install 12 new sub-stations, enhance transformer capacity in 22 stations and erect 2172 new distribution transformers to improve the quality of energy supply in rural areas.

MLA's Constituency Development Scheme

59. A sum of Rs. 82 lakhs is allocated to every Member of the Legislative Assembly under the MLAs' Constituency Development Scheme. This programme is being implemented with an annual outlay of Rs. 192.70 crores. In view of the completion of certain on-going programmes, a revised pattern, given below, will be adopted from 2004-2005 for distribution and utilization of the funds under this programme.

Detailed guidelines on the revised pattern will be issued separately.

60. The Hon'ble Chief Minister has outlined a New Industrial Policy, 2003, for Tamil Nadu. This policy sets out the roadmap for improving the investment climate of the State with particular reference to the manufacturing sector. The key reforms being undertaken are:

61. Infrastructure development requires restructuring of public finances so that the capital outlay can be enhanced. We have also to encourage public-private partnerships. Presence of a large deficit in the revenue account of the State Budget does not allow adequate capital expenditure on roads, urban infrastructure, water supply, sewerage, drainage etc. A determined effort has been made to correct this situation through fiscal reforms and this will ensure greater public investment flows for creation of world-class infrastructure. Detailed consultation, including cross-country expertise, is being taken up to evolve a suitable public-private partnership policy on infrastructure development.

62. Development of highways is now being taken up in a planned manner. The Union Government is upgrading the National Highways in Tamil Nadu. Under a special programme launched by the Hon'ble Prime Minister, the Golden Quadrilateral project connecting the four metropolitan cities including Chennai is making rapid progress. In Tamil Nadu, 341-Kms of National Highways are being covered under this programme. Recently, the Hon'ble Prime Minister and the Hon'ble Chief Minister inaugurated the work on the North-South corridor connecting Kanyakumari with Kashmir. Under this project, 851-Kms of National Highways are being developed in Tamil Nadu. In addition, 507-Kms of National Highways covering other areas in the State are also being upgraded.

63. The Tamil Nadu Road Sector Project has been launched with an outlay of Rs. 2160 crores. This will enable the construction of 393-Kms of State Highways between Arcot and Tiruvarur and 330-Kms linking Nagapattinam to Tuticorin. Nearly 2000-Kms of State Highways and Major District Roads will also be upgraded. An amount of Rs.500 crores is being provided in 2004-2005 for the Tamil Nadu Road Sector Project.

64. Proper maintenance of existing assets is equally important. This has been neglected in the late 1990s. In the Revised Estimates, provision for maintenance of roads has been increased to Rs. 314 crores from Rs. 248.56 crores in the Budget Estimates of 2003-2004. The provision for maintenance of roads in the State has been further enhanced to Rs. 413 crores in the Budget Estimates 2004-2005. Hon'ble Members of the House will welcome this specific intervention being made by the Government to ensure proper maintenance of roads.

65. Tamil Nadu has a total of 14,576-Kms of State Highways and Major District Roads. Nearly 723-Kms from this total is being covered under the Tamil Nadu Road Sector Project. A new project to upgrade a part of the balance length of State Highways and Major District Roads will be drawn up and posed to the Asian Development Bank/ World Bank for assistance. We will also take up a new programme to improve the high traffic density corridors of State Highways and Major District Roads on a public-private partnership model. Pending formulation of these new projects, this Government has launched a special programme to relay and upgrade 2149-Kms of State Highways, Major District Roads and Sugarcane roads at a total cost of Rs. 221.32 crores.

66. This Government has launched the following major Combined Water Supply Schemes since it assumed office.

67. We will take up 50 water supply improvement schemes covering 8 Municipalities and 42 Town Panchayats in 2004-2005 at an outlay of Rs.200 crores. These measures will go a long way in providing safe and potable drinking water to an estimated 14-lakh people. This Government is taking appropriate action to take up the Avinashi-Athikadavu Drinking Water Project. Comprehensive sewerage schemes for 3 municipal corporations and 4 municipalities are under implementation at a cost of
Rs. 575.30 crores. The Government proposes to take up a massive project for providing sewerage facilities to all remaining district headquarters at a total cost of Rs. 844 crores.

68. The focused attention by the Hon'ble Chief Minister towards adding new generating capacity and improving distribution efficiency in the power sector has ensured supply of quality electrical energy without any load shedding. The Tamil Nadu Electricity Board (TNEB) has ensured an improvement in the quality of energy supply by changing over to the availability-based tariff system and as a result, the frequency of the supply has been stepped-up from 48 hertz to the stipulated 50 hertz.

69. The Hon'ble Chief Minister has taken several initiatives to ensure that Tamil Nadu consolidates its electricity generating capacity. A Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) has been signed between the National Thermal Power Corporation (NTPC) and the Tamil Nadu Electricity Board (TNEB) to set up a 1000-MW plant at North Chennai. Likewise, progress is being made in establishing a 1000-MW Thermal Power Plant in Tuticorin based on an MoU between the Tamil Nadu Electricity Board and the Neyveli Lignite Corporation. Work on setting up the 2000-MW Atomic Energy Power Plant at Koodangulam is progressing well. A prototype fast breeder reactor with a capacity of 500-MW is being established at Kalpakkam. The Tamil Nadu Electricity Board will be investing Rs. 1305.46 crores on transmission and distribution in 2004-2005 to ensure improved quality and reliability in energy supply.

70. The Union Government has enacted the Electricity Act, 2003. A roadmap for the future has to be drawn up. We will undertake due consultation and discussions on how to proceed further in the matter. A policy framework for encouraging private investment in the power sector will also be drawn up.

71. This Government plans to take up the development of Cuddalore Port on a Build-own-operate-share-transfer (BOOST) basis at a project cost of Rs.250 crores. A new jetty has been constructed at the Nagapattinam Port at a cost of Rs. 56 crores. This is now enabling the movement of 5 lakh MT of oil. We are examining in detail the project concept of the Colachel Port so that its development can also be taken up. The Hon'ble Chief Minister had requested the Hon'ble Prime Minister on 2nd February, 2004, to implement the Sethu Samudram Project at the earliest. I am happy to inform you that the Hon'ble Prime Minister has agreed to take it up for implementation as part of the Sagar Mala Project.

72. This Government has outlined a simplified system for obtaining clearance for industries with an investment above Rs. 25 crores. Under this system, a common application form integrating 10 different forms has been introduced. The processing of the applications for new investments is being done at a single point, namely, the Guidance Bureau. The investor is not required to go to multiple agencies for obtaining clearances. The processing of the application is being done in parallel by different agencies so that the total time taken is reduced. We propose to introduce a similar system on a pilot basis to cover investments in small-scale units in two districts. This will be subsequently scaled up to cover all districts in Tamil Nadu.

73. At present, industries in Tamil Nadu are saddled with registers and forms totaling 53. This is an irksome burden involving loss of considerable managerial time and energy. The process of rationalizing these registers and forms has been taken up. The total number of forms and registers will be brought down to the minimum absolutely required. They will also be simplified so that they become user-friendly.