Lt. Governor K. Kailashnathan addressing the Budget session of the Puducherry Assembly on Monday
| Photo Credit: S.S. Kumar
Lieutenant Governor K. Kailashnathan on Monday (March 10, 2025) informed the Puducherry Assembly that the per capita income of the Union Territory (UT) had grown by a significant 5.33% in 2024-25 to reach ₹3,02,680 from ₹2,87,354 in 2023-24.
Delivering his customary address on the opening day of the Budget session of the Assembly, the Lt. Governor said the rise in per capita income had put an additional income of ₹15,000 per person. The territory’s economy has achieved an annual average growth rate of 9.56 % in the last five years, he said.
“Puducherry has made impressive achievements in terms of economic growth and poverty alleviation. The size of economy, in terms of Gross State Domestic Product, has increased by 44.06% during the last five years, achieving an annual average growth rate of 9.56 %. The growth rate of the economy, which was -2.21% in 2020-21, has reached 8.81% in 2024-25,” he said.
Unemployment rate dips
In the last four years, the Lt. Governor said, the government was able to fill around 2,444 vacant posts in various departments through direct and open recruitment. Further, around 236 micro, small, and medium industries have been established, creating new employment opportunities to 10,888 youth.
Apart from this, various skill development programmes and 35 mega job fairs were conducted, through which 8,460 youth have got employment in private sectors. As many as 21,792 youth were provided job opportunities in government and private sectors during the period, the Lt. Governor said.
“As a result, the unemployment growth rate of the UT has declined from 6.7 % in 2020-21 to 4.3% in 2024-25, a significant drop of 2.4%,” Mr. Kailashnathan said.
On the revenue side of the government, the Lt. Governor said despite the availability of limited resources, the UT’s own revenue receipts have increased from ₹8,418 crore in 2020-21 to ₹11,311.92 crore in 2023-24, showing a growth rate of 34.36% due to the “innovative measures” adopted by the government.
SDG Index ranking
The Lt. Governor said Puducherry had been ranked second among all the UTs with a composite score of 74 in the Sustainable Development Goals (SDG) India Index 2023-24, surpassing the previous score of 68 released in 2020-21. Puducherry has been classified as “achiever” in Affordable and Clean Energy goals, tops “first” in the goal of ‘Zero Hunger,’ ‘Industry, Innovation and Infrastructure’, and ‘Reduced Inequalities’ when compared with the other UTs.
“We realise that the growth of the territory will be primarily driven by the services sector, followed by industries and primary sectors, and we are working assiduously towards this objective. The agriculture and allied sectors are reorienting their approach towards digital agriculture, diversification of crops, value added products, and increased productivity of animals. The fisheries sector is similarly focusing on strengthening the blue economy through advanced mariculture, smart infrastructure, and advanced logistics. The industries sector is in the advanced stages of developing industrial hubs with comprehensive ecosystem for sectors such as IT, pharma, automotives, etc,” the Lt. Governor said.
Published – March 10, 2025 03:07 pm IST