Chennai, Mar 14 (PTI) Tamil Nadu Chief Minister M K Stalin-led DMK regime on Friday presented its Budget 2025-26 in the Assembly, a full-fledged exercise ahead of the state election next year, and made big allocations for its flagship welfare schemes which include the fare-free bus travel scheme for women.

Noisy scenes were witnessed in the Assembly as the main opposition AIADMK walked out after attempting to raise alleged graft in state-run liquor corporation TASMAC as the Enforcement Directorate has held searches related to the state-owned company.

Presenting the Budget, Finance Minister Thangam Thenarasu said women using fare-free bus services has risen to 65 per cent from 40 per cent. "On an average, 50 lakh women travel daily in the buses run by State Transport Undertakings, leading to a total of 642 crore trips so far. Notably, a study by the State Planning Commission revealed that women save an average of Rs 888 per month due to this initiative. For the year 2025-26, the government has allocated a subsidy of Rs.3,600 crore for the scheme in the Budget Estimates," he said.

On the "Kalaignar Magalir Urimai Thittam" of Rs 1,000 monthly assistance for 1.15 crore women, he said Rs 13,807 crore has been allocated and announced that women, who are eligible but have not yet received Rs 1,000 assistance, will soon get opportunity to apply. He announced 10 more 'Thozhi' working women’s hostels at a cost of Rs 77 crore; already 13 hostels are functioning.

Thenarasu announced that work has been expedited to set up a new airport at Parandur near Chennai.

Further, the minister said that under the 'Samagra Shiksha' scheme, the state government has been successfully implementing various student welfare schemes for the past seven years.

"Notably, initiatives such as the 'Ennum Ezhuthum Thittam' to ensure foundational literacy, special education for differently-abled children, transport allowances for students from remote areas, salary for teachers, guidance for higher education to shape students' future, art festivals to nurture unique talents, educational tours and infrastructure development, including internet facilities in schools, are in progress.

However, the union government has withheld the approved amount of Rs 2,152 crore to Tamil Nadu, citing the State's non-acceptance of the Union government’s New Education Policy, which includes the three-language policy. Despite this, keeping in mind the welfare of students, the state government has allocated funds, including salaries of teachers, from its own resources to ensure that the education of government school students remains unaffected, even in the slightest way," he said.

"Even at this critical juncture, the people of Tamil Nadu have wholeheartedly rallied behind the chief minister for upholding the dignity of the State by standing firm on the bilingual policy, even at the cost of foregoing two thousand crore rupees," the minister said.

A sum of Rs 3,500 crore for 1 lakh new houses under the Kalaignar Kanavu Illam housing scheme, Rs 2,200 crore for the CM's Rural Roads Development Scheme, Rs 88 crore for 'sponge parks' in Chennai, which will help groundwater-recharge and fight against flooding were among the allocations. PTI JSP VGN KH

Welfare funding prioritised: state budget boosts subsidies and direct assistance to support women's transport, cash grants, and education. The state budget for 2025-26 focuses on major welfare allocations: subsidy funding for the fare-free bus travel scheme for women, monthly cash assistance under the Kalaignar Magalir Urimai Thittam with application opportunities for eligible but unenrolled women, and expansion of working women's hostels. It maintains state-funded education and student welfare programmes under Samagra Shiksha after the Centre withheld approved funds due to non-acceptance of the New Education Policy. Other key allocations include housing, rural road development, a new airport project, and urban water-management infrastructure.