CHENNAI: The Assembly on Friday witnessed a heated debate over rising prices of essential commodities and the delayed distribution of laptops to students during the discussion on the motion thanking the governor’s address.
Initiating the debate, AIADMK MLA RB Udhayakumar raised concerns over the escalation in prices of essential commodities, including rice and pulses, and said the poor and the general public are purportedly bearing the brunt of inflation. Responding to the charges, Hindu Religious and Charitable Endowments Minister P K Sekarbabu said the price of rice varied depending on its variety and quality, adding that consumers had the option to choose according to their preference.
Social Welfare Minister Geetha Jeevan attributed the rise in prices to increased fuel costs and the Goods and Services Tax (GST), and accused the AIADMK of aligning with the BJP, which, she alleged, was responsible for repeated hikes in petrol and diesel prices. Intervening in the debate, Minister for Highways E V Velu said inflation is a by-product of economic growth and pointed out that the state’s per capita income had increased, which, according to him, had also contributed to inflationary trends.
Raising another issue, Udhayakumar accused the DMK government of distributing laptops only in the final year of students’ courses with an eye on the forthcoming elections, questioning the usefulness of providing devices at the end of the academic programme.
Countering the allegation, Finance Minister Thangam Thennarasu said the scheme had been announced last year, and that laptops were therefore issued to final-year students. From the coming academic years, he said, laptops would be distributed to students in the first year itself.
Thennarasu added that learning was a lifelong process and the devices would be useful for students’ higher education and long-term goals.