Tamil Nadu Finance Minister Thangam Thennarasu and DMK Parliamentary Party Leader Kanimozhi met Union Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman in New Delhi and requested the immediate release of funds due to the state.In a statement, Thangam Thennarasu said that Chief Minister M.K. Stalin has written to the Union Finance Minister, seeking approval for the release of ₹4,500 crore under NABARD’s Rural Infrastructure Development Fund (RIDF) for the financial year 2025–26. The Chief Minister has also sought ₹350 crore under the Fisheries Infrastructure Development Fund for the expansion of the Colachel Fishing Harbour in Kanyakumari district.
“We handed over the Chief Minister’s letter to the Union Finance Minister today and urged her to expedite the sanction and release of the requested funds. On behalf of the Tamil Nadu government, along with our Parliamentary Party Leader Kanimozhi, we pressed for the immediate allocation,” Thennarasu stated.
Chief Minister Stalin also posted about the matter, saying: “Fishermen from Kanyakumari district had personally met me and placed their demand to begin expansion work at the Colachel Fishing Harbour. I sincerely hope that the Union Finance Minister will consider Tamil Nadu’s rightful request and release the required funds at the earliest.”