CHENNAI: The TVK government’s maiden budget will be presented in the Assembly on Wednesday, followed by the Assembly session to discuss departmental grants. The budget is expected to feature several major announcements including an increase in the monthly honorarium for women from Rs 1,000 to either Rs 2,000 or Rs 2,500 and free travel for women in all non-premium buses and increasing loan ceiling for SHGs.
To augment the state’s own revenue, announcements on reforms and privatisation initiatives in Tasmac, reforms in the mining sector, registration and commercial taxes, transport and other departments are also expected. The government is also planning to release its vision document, ‘Vettri Thamizhagam’, which outlines more than 436 proposals.
The budget assumes significance as the TVK government seeks to generate additional revenue to fulfil its key electoral promises while simultaneously reducing expenditure across departments. The interim budget for 2026-27, presented by the previous DMK government, had projected total revenue receipts of Rs 3.44 lakh crore and expenditure of Rs 3.93 lakh crore, resulting in an estimated revenue deficit of Rs 48,686 crore. However, the White Paper released in June substantially revised the projected revenue deficit to Rs 90,500 crore, highlighting the fiscal challenges facing the new government as it prepares its first budget.
The government has already announced several welfare initiatives, including 200 units of free electricity for consumers using up to 500 units, waiver of crop loans up to Rs 75,000 irrespective of landholding size, and the provision of a one-gram gold ring for every child born in government hospitals from September 15 under the Thaai Maaman Thanga Mothiram Thittam.
Weavers seek separate budget, Rs 5K monthly aid
Chennai: A federation of weavers has urged the state government to introduce a separate budget for the handloom and textile sector and provide a monthly assistance of Rs 5,000 to registered weavers to protect their livelihood. C Shanmugam, founder of Thari and president of a weavers’ association federation, said the federation has placed 10 demands before the state government, chief of which is a separate budget for the weaving sector.