Three Chief Ministers in the first nine months of the Government even as governance has come to a grinding halt. This is the balance sheet of the Edappadi K Palaniswamy Government on its first anniversary which was on May 23. 2017. The Chief Minister was in New Delhi on Wednesday to submit a memorandum to Prime Minister Narendra Modi seeking more financial assistance and aid from the Central Government.
Though the AIADMK Government claims on a daily basis that Tamil Nadu is the numero uno State in the country, Wednesday’s memorandum to the Prime Minister seeking immediate Central aid was the second plea in three months to be submitted by the Chief Minister. This shows that the economy of the State is in a precarious condition. The demand to do away the National Eligibility and Entrance Test (NEET) specifically for Tamil Nadu is not going to materialise as the examination is applicable to the whole country and there is no justification for the plea to exempt the State.
The much talked about Global Investors Meet held in September 2015 remains a non-starter even after nearly three years. A status report prepared by the Department of Industries, Government of Tamil Nadu says the event saw the signing of 98 memorandums of undertaking (MoU) worth a total investment of `2,42,160 crore. The MoUs promised of providing employment to 4.7 lakh people. Till April 2017, only ten projects have been realised while the remaining are in various States of implementation and realization. The report says that out of the 4.7 lakh employment opportunities envisaged in the MoUs, 76,000 people have got jobs.
Representatives of various industry bodies like CII, FICCI, HCC who used to wax eloquence on the investment potential and opportunities in Tamil Nadu when Jayalalithaa was alive have turned silent and are evasive when asked about the state of affairs in Tamil Nadu.
“There is fear and apprehension about the longevity of the Pazhaniswamy government. It is quite natural for investors and industrialists to be wary about their plans when there is political instability,” said a senior commentator who did not want his name to be quoted.