Financial burden of state increased after GST

Tamil Nadu Chief Minister MK Stalin has made an appeal to exempt the state from National Eligibility cum Entrance Test (NEET) while speaking at the Southern regional council meet that was presided by union minister Amit Shah at Kerala’s Thiruvananthapuram on Saturday. 

Southern regional states including Tamil Nadu, Andhra Pradesh, Lakshadweep Islands, Telangana Andaman and Nicobar Islands, Puducherry, Kerala and Karnataka would participate in the annual regional council meeting, conducted by the union government, to discuss the issues occurring between neighbouring states in detail. Issues like law and order issues, infrastructures, sanitation, women safety, water dispute and border issues. Last year, the council meeting took place in November.

In the meeting that was presided over by Amit Shah, Tamil Nadu CM MK Stalin, Kerala CM Pinarayi Vijayan, Lieutenant Governor of Puducherry Tamilisai Soundararajan and Karnataka CM Basavaraj Bommai participated along with the representatives from Andhra Pradesh and Telangana. 

Speaking at the meeting, Stalin said, “Financial burden of states has increased after the Goods and Service Tax (GST) was introduced in the country. So, the union government should increase the time period and compensate for the loss of revenue due to the implementation of GST.

The union government should also withdraw the electricity amendment act apart from immediately granting the relief fund for crop loss.” He also sought the union government to exempt Tamil Nadu from NEET.

Stalin said that Tamil Nadu is confident in its motto that federalism at central and autonomy at the state-level after inviting the  Chief  Ministers of the Southern states to work together  as a team. “All the South Indian  languages belong to the Dravidian family,” he said. He asked the union government to conduct the next council meeting in Tamil Nadu.