CHENNAI: The TVK-led government’s first State Budget, which would be presented on Tuesday (August 4), would feature several major announcements across sectors, with a special focus on youth, Minister Aadhav Arjuna said here on Monday (August 3).
The budget would be transformative, carrying announcements aimed at long-term planning for the next 50 years, he said. "The budget will not be a repetition of the previous years. Every department will present announcements with a new purpose and direction, because we are planning for the next 50 years, not just the next election."
Addressing the Tamil Nadu Infrastructure Summit 2026 organised by the Confederation of Indian Industry (CII) attended by leading names in the industry, he invited them to invest in what he described as "India's first corruption-free State".
According to him, Chief Minister C Joseph Vijay had introduced an online governance system over the past 80 days, enabling people and investors to obtain government services digitally without having to visit government offices or ministers' chambers. " Invest in a corruption-free Tamil Nadu.
We will extend full cooperation to all investors. Your investments will create new jobs for Tamil Nadu's youth," he said.
The Chief Minister believes the future of Tamil Nadu lies with its youth, and the Budget would contain several initiatives for them, he said.
The State government was planning long-term infrastructure projects, including a road network that would eventually enable travel from Chennai to Kanniyakumari in just three hours, he said.
Citing IIT studies, he said several buildings constructed over the past 10 to 15 years were found to have structural deficiencies, and said the government would focus on durable infrastructure projects designed to last for decades.
Another aspect that the government was aiming was the transformation of Tamil Nadu into India's sports capital within the next five years, while increasing women's participation in higher education and development across northern and southern districts, said the sports minister.
Aadhav, who handles the PWD portfolio, also alleged that the previous government was indulging in large-scale corruption in road maintenance through patchwork and repair contracts. But now, the State has eliminated the practise of collecting bribe in the name of party funds, he claimed.
"Our Chief Minister, who earned the highest salary in India, gave it up to enter politics. This shows that money is not important to him. As ministers, we spent not a single rupee on elections for the first time in Tamil Nadu's electoral history, people voted without caste, religion, or money influencing them," Aadhav said.