Stalin urges PM: Release Rs 2,100 crore SSA funds, clear metro plans

CHENNAI: The state government on Saturday submitted a detailed memorandum of demands to Prime Minister Narendra Modi, highlighting concerns regarding the delay in the release of central funds under the Samagra Shiksha Scheme (SSA), long-pending railway projects, metro rail plans in Coimbatore and Madurai, and the persistent issue of Indian fishermen being detained by the Sri Lankan Navy.

An official release said that the memorandum, approved by Chief Minister MK Stalin, was formally handed over by State 0Finance Minister Thangam Thennarasu during the Prime Minister’s visit to Thoothukudi on Saturday. 

One of the primary requests was for the immediate release of ₹2,151.59 crore in pending funds under the Samagra Shiksha scheme for the financial year 2024–25. The state also sought early release of the first instalment for 2025–26. It urged the Centre not to link the disbursal of funds to the signing of the PM SHRI MoU or to the full implementation of the National Education Policy (NEP) 2020, to which Tamil Nadu has already expressed its objections on legal and policy grounds. The state has made it clear it will stick to its decades-long 2-language formula of Tamil and English.

According to the release, the Chief Minister pointed out in the memorandum that the Centre not sanctioning the required funds "affects the future of lakhs of students."

The memorandum also underscored the delay in executing several railway line projects that were sanctioned more than a decade ago. These included the Tindivanam–Gingee–Tiruvannamalai, Erode–Palani, Madurai–Thoothukudi via Aruppukottai, Athipattu–Puthur, and Chennai–Cuddalore via Mahabalipuram routes. The state asked for renewed action to implement these projects.

Additional railway proposals included accelerating the Thiruvananthapuram–Kanyakumari double-tracking work, approving the new Tirupattur–Krishnagiri–Hosur line, and allowing feasibility studies or detailed project reports for several new lines in Coimbatore, Madurai, and Salem regions.

The state also sought improvements in suburban railway services in the Chennai region, such as reducing peak-hour intervals, allocating more EMU coaches, implementing the fourth line between Tambaram and Chengalpattu, and expediting work on the Avadi–Sriperumbudur corridor.

The Chief Minister requested approval and financial support for metro rail projects in Coimbatore and Madurai. The proposed Coimbatore Metro covers 34.8 km with an estimated cost of ₹10,740.49 crore, while the Madurai Metro spans 32 km with a projected cost of ₹11,368.35 crore. Tamil Nadu urged the Centre to approve both projects and provide financial assistance under the Metro Rail Policy 2017, with the costs shared equally between the state and central governments.

The memorandum also drew attention to the continued arrest of Indian fishermen by the Sri Lankan Navy. The Chief Minister appealed to the Prime Minister to intervene directly and help secure a permanent diplomatic solution. The state requested immediate steps to ensure the release of detained fishermen along with their boats and fishing equipment.

In addition, the Chief Minister called for the reallocation of 1,503.44 acres of unused land at the Salem Steel Plant for establishing a defence industrial park under the Defence Industrial Corridor scheme announced in the 2018–19 Union Budget. The state expressed its readiness to facilitate the project and asked for central support to implement it at the earliest.

Chief Minister Stalin urged Prime Minister Modi to give due consideration to the requests outlined in the memorandum, stating that these proposals are essential to furthering Tamil Nadu’s development and public welfare.