Get special status to economically backward districts of Tamil Nadu: Anbumani urges govt

CHENNAI: Pointing out a report released by Madras School of Economics that highlighted a huge gap in personal income in Tamil Nadu, PMK president Anbumani Ramadoss urged the government to take measures to make amendments in the Constitution to provide special status to economically backward districts.

In a statement, Anbumani said that former governor of Reserve Bank and chairman of Madras School of Economics C Rangarajan along with its director KR Shanmugam has released a report saying that average personal income levels of 24 districts are lower than the average personal income of Tamil Nadu. The report is based on 2019-2020 statistics.

"Only 13 districts have higher average than the State. While Tiruvallur has the highest personal income, Perambalur has lowest personal income. Distance between Tiruvallur and Perambalur is only 250km but the difference in personal income is 338 per cent, " he said.

He added of the 24 districts having lower personal income than the State, 11 districts are in north Tamil Nadu and 5 are in Cauvery irrigated region. "The reason for Tiruvallur, Erode, Coimbatore, Namakkal and Chennai coming in the first five is due to the large number of industries and commercial activities. Since independence, north and Cauvery districts have been lagging behind. DMK and AIADMK that ruled the state for 57 years failed to set up industries in those districts, " he alleged.

He opined that the growth of Tamil Nadu is not possible without development of northern districts and Cauvery irrigated districts. Both Rangarajan and Shanmugam have highlighted this in their report.

"Presently Tamil Nadu is in the second position in terms of state GDP after Maharashtra. The state will be relegated to third in 2024-2025. To ensure Tamil Nadu's growth, personal income of those districts should be improved by setting up of industries, " Anbumani quoted the report.

He also urged the state government to start industries without affecting agriculture and take steps to add a new clause in the Constitution to provide special status to backward districts.