Centre must release funds under Samagra Shiksha Abhiyan to Tamil Nadu, says Dindigul MP

Dindigul MP R. Sachidanandam on Wednesday urged the Central government to disburse funds under Samagra Shiksha Abhiyan (SSA) to Tamil Nadu. He condemned the delay in the release of the funds.

Addressing mediapersons in Dindigul on completing 100 days in office as MP, Mr. Sachidanandam said that just because Tamil Nadu had not yet agreed to the Prime Minister’s Schools for Rising India (PM-SHRI) scheme, the Centre was not disbursing the funds under the SSA to the State. He said that he had raised the issue in the Parliament.

He said that the Gandhigram Rural Institute was established with the main objective to uplift rural people, particularly students. However, the students have to write the Common University Entrance Test (CUET) to secure admission. The CUET should be done away with in the interest of the students, he said.

Pointing to several issues regarding implementation of Goods and Services Tax (GST), he said that the people were affected by the GST being implemented on Life and Health Insurance. Also, it was not fair to impose GST on essential commodities, he said.

Criticising the Bharatiya Vayuyan Vidheyak Bill or the Civil Aviation Bill, he said that there was no point in just establishing airports. Operation of airlines should be looked into, he said, adding that airports should not be privatised.

Even after the establishment of Dindigul Government Medical College Hospital, many medical cases were being referred to Government Rajaji Hospital in Madurai. Steps are being taken to establish a speciality block and a proposal has been sent, he said.

Though the financial assistance from the Prime Minister’s National Relief Fund for treating serious health conditions was sought, a maximum of only ₹3 lakh was given. This was not sufficient and more funds should be sanctioned for treatment, he said.

He said that the proposals for additional rail routes to the district, road infrastructure, bridges and subways had been sent to the departments concerned. Education mela for the benefit of deserving students and issues relating to BSNL network have also been taken up, he said.

Published - October 09, 2024 08:18 pm IST