TN govt to release a 120-page white paper on state's financial position

Chennai, Aug 4 Tamil Nadu Finance Minister, P.T.R. Palanivel Thiagarajan will release a 120-page white paper on the state's finances on August 9. The white paper will include the state's liabilities and the reasons for loss of revenue in various sectors.

The white paper is primarily aimed at discussing the financial position of the state including its liabilities during the previous 10 years of the AIADMK government. The 120-page document will primarily feature the loss of revenue of the Tamil Nadu State Electricity Board(TNEB).

Palanivel Thiagarajan had, after the DMK government assumed office, had openly said that he would bring out a white paper on the state's financial position in the last ten years. He had also said that according to the Budget presented by the previous AIADMK government for 2021-22, the debt of the state has risen from 1 lakh crore in 2011 to 4.84 lakh crore in 2021.

The DMK government is trying to bring about the unnecessary expenditures incurred during the previous ten years of the AIADMK government and to expose the opposition. When the Jayalalithaa government assumed office in 2011, there were demands to bring out a white paper on the state's finances but the AIADMK government did not take forward the demands regarding this.

Political observer Balasubramanian Murugan. who heads the social organisation Sraddha based out of Arkonam, told , "Bringing out the white paper is good, at least the people of Tamil Nadu will understand the manner of spending by the governments. I underline the word governments (in plural) as the DMK government before 2011 was no better. However, a small beginning is good and this will give the successive governments the will and courage to bring out white papers on the state's finances."