Puducherry:
Puducherry Chief Minister N Rangasamy on Monday expressed confidence that the Union Territory would be granted full statehood soon.
Wrapping up a two-day debate of the Assembly that ended last night, he hoped the current intensified efforts initiated by his government with the cooperation of all political parties and others to get statehood for Puducherry "would fruition successfully".
Puducherry would be able to make greater progress and would become equivalent in constitutional status with other bigger States in the country, he said.
He allayed fears that central assistance and help would shrink once Puducherry became a state.
Stating that he wanted the prices of commodities to be cheaper than other states, Mr Rangasamy said taxes would be restructured "very soon".
He said the Union Home Ministry had been persuaded to approve a Special Economic zone for Puducherry and a port so that job opportunities would be available for the youth.
Tourism was a major sector where the government would focus.
He ruled out reinstatement of retrenched workers of government owned PASIC (Agro Services and Industries Corporation), saying the corporation was in "very severe financial crisis" due to "indiscriminate" appointments of "unbearable number of workers".
After the Chief Minister's reply, Speaker V Sabapathy adjourned the House.