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• Holding that "severe power shortage," in the state was affecting industrial and economic growth, Tamil Nadu Government today appealed to the Centre to set up a gas grid connecting major cities of the state by developing Colachel Port in Kanyakumari District as an energy port. In his address at the pre-budget meeting chaired by Union Finance Minister Pranab Mukherjee in New Delhi, state Finance Minister O Panneerselvam said while the ultra megapower projects "promised under Central sector," were not forthcoming, severe shortage of coal in thermal power units was affecting power generation. "As a solution to this problem, I appeal to Government of India to establish a gas grid connecting major cities of the State by developing Colachel Port as an energy Port with facility for LNG import," he said in his speech, text of which was released to media here. He also said the Colachel should be linked with various cities of Tamil Nadu besides creating a grid with the proposed gas pipeline from Kochi to Bangalore via Salem and Chennai.

•  The power shortage had hampered the industrial and economic growth, he said adding it was therefore necessary to look for alternatives. On the Central health insurance scheme, Rashtriya Swasthya Bhima Yojana (RSBY), Panneerselvam said the recently launched Comprehensive Public Health Insurance Scheme of the state government had a better coverage. "Running two different schemes by the State and Centre for the same purpose does not augur well, as it will only duplicate the efforts and drain the resources. "Therefore, I urge the Government of India to allow the State Government to dovetail the funding of RSBY with the State Public Health Insurance Programme, provided the State schemes coverage is better than the RSBY," he said. He charged the Congress-led UPA with showing no willingness to finance the state government's proposal to interlink rivers in Tamil nadu and demanded that the government extend assistance to the same.

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