<h1>Kerala Budget unveils expansive welfare and pension overhaul, promises pay revision, free undergraduate education and infrastructure spending</h1> Kerala Budget emphasizes expansive welfare and social security measures, replacing the contributory pension system with an Assured Pension Scheme guaranteeing up to 50% of last drawn basic pay and enabling NPS members to opt out, which secures pension rights for government employees and pensioners. It institutes the 12th Pay Revision Commission and phases clearance of pending DA/DR arrears, resulting in imminent salary and relief payments. The Budget extends free undergraduate education, raises targeted welfare pensions and grassroots worker wages, and allocates substantial funds for infrastructure and employment initiatives, while opposition criticism focuses on fiscal deficits and political timing.