Puducherry CM vows to provide 'corruption-free government'

Puducherry, Aug 9: Chief Minister V Narayanasamy today said his government would ensure that the Union Territory had a 'corruption-free and development-oriented' administration, in keeping with the directives of the Congress leadership.

Addressing the celebration of the 74th anniversary of Quit India Movement at the PCC office here, he said Congress Vice President Rahul Gandhi had issued directives to ensure that people in Puducherry got a corruption-free administration.

"We will translate this directive of high command into action," he said. Narayanasamy also said he had held talks with Prime Minister Narendra Modi and several Union Ministers in Delhi recently, bringing to their notice the various infrastructural development programmes the Puducherry government had evolved.

He had urged Finance Minister Arun Jaitley to approve of the draft plan for Puducherry involving a requirement of Rs 7,440 crore for the current fiscal (2016-2017).

"I am going to Delhi again tomorrow to persuade the Finance Minister to sanction the fiscal requirement projected in draft plan so that we would go ahead to hold the budget session of the Puducherry Assembly," he said.

Paying rich tributes to the freedom fighters who had sacrificed their lives for the independence of the nation, Narayanasamy said the Puducherry government would honour freedom fighters of Union Territory at a function on August 16, while celebrating the 55th De Transfer Day of Puducherry that day.

Meanwhile, US Consul General of South India Phillip A Min called on Narayanasamy at his chamber here. Speaking to reporters after the meeting, Narayanasamy said he told the envoy that industrialists from the US could promote tourism development projects, and infrastructures. He said he had informed the US envoy that land for promoting IT Technology Park was also available in the Union Territory, which had surplus power availability.

PTI