DMK government to present budget on March 14
CHENNAI: The Tamil Nadu government will present its budget for the financial year 2025-26 on March 14, as announced by speaker M Appavu on Tuesday. The duration of the budget session will be decided by the Assembly Business Advisory Committee, which is set to meet on the same day.
The state government has begun preparations for the 2025-26 budget estimates. Finance Minister Thangam Thennarasu held discussions with officials from rural and urban local bodies, school education, higher education, and the health departments on Tuesday to shape the budget estimates.
Several key ministers, including Rural Development Minister I Periyasamy, Higher Education Minister Govi Cheziaan, School Education Minister Anbil Mahesh Poyyamozhi, Health Minister Ma Subramanian and Municipal Administration Minister KN Nehru, were present at the meeting.
With Assembly election scheduled for 2026, this budget session is expected to be politically charged and crucial for the ruling DMK. The first Assembly session of 2024, held in January, had already started on a stormy note, with Governor RN Ravi walking out after Appavu read the governor’s address in Tamil.
In the previous budget for 2024-25, Tamil Nadu’s total expenditure (excluding debt repayment) was set at `4.12 lakh crore, marking a 12% increase from the revised estimates of 2023-24. The capital outlay for 2024-25 was Rs 47,681 crore, also reflecting a 12% rise. For 2024-25, Tamil Nadu’s Gross State Domestic Product (GSDP) is projected at `31.55 lakh crore, reflecting a 16% growth compared to the previous year, as per PRS Legislative Research.