Source The Hindu
CHENNAI — State Finance Minister N. Marie Wilson presented the maiden Budget of the Tamilaga Vettri Kazhagam (TVK)-led coalition government under Chief Minister C. Joseph Vijay in the Legislative Assembly. Marking the new administration’s first full-year financial roadmap for FY 2026–27, the two-and-a-half-hour Budget speech highlighted targeted welfare commitments for women, students, and marginalized communities alongside long-term economic benchmarks.
However, opposition parties, including the Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam (DMK) and the All India Anna Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam (AIADMK), dismissed the presentation, claiming the flagship welfare measures merely recycled earlier political programs.
Major Budget Highlights & Flagship Schemes
The TVK government’s primary focus centered on direct benefit transfers and family welfare initiatives:
Annan Seer Thittam (Gold for Brides): The government allocated ₹812 crore to provide an 8-gram (one-sovereign) gold coin and a silk saree to eligible brides on their wedding day.
Thai Maaman Thanga Mothiram Thittam: An outlay of ₹560 crore was earmarked to gift a 1-gram gold ring to every newborn delivered in state government hospitals to promote institutional healthcare.
Vetri Madikanini Thittam: A ₹2,000 crore allocation was set aside to distribute free laptops to college students across the state.
Youth & School Education: The School Education Department received an aggregate allocation of ₹44,527 crore. This includes ₹277 crore for free bicycles, safety helmets, and water bottles for Class 11 students, alongside ₹125 crore for modern residential schools.
Healthcare & Social Infrastructure: Key projects include the establishment of ‘Thai Care’ prenatal shelter homes (₹23 crore), ‘Aran’ shelter homes for transgender individuals, integrated care facilities for senior citizens, and ‘Arivagam’—billed as India’s first AI and Innovation City.
Economic Target: The Finance Minister reiterated the state’s ambition to scale Tamil Nadu into a $1.5 trillion economy by 2036.
Opposition Reaction: “Zero Marks” and Rehashed Ideas
The assembly session witnessed a sharp political duel between Chief Minister Vijay and Leader of the Opposition Udhayanidhi Stalin (DMK).
AIADMK General Secretary Edappadi K. Palaniswami gave the Budget “zero marks,” asserting that the revived gold-coin marriage scheme merely re-branded former Chief Minister J. Jayalalithaa’s historic Thaalikku Thangam Thittam. Representatives from DMK and other opposition blocs argued that the TVK government failed to introduce groundbreaking revenue-generation measures, leaving the state’s existing financial debt largely unaddressed.
In response, Finance Minister Marie Wilson stated that the current administration inherited a strained fiscal situation with systemic deficits, noting that restoring complete fiscal prudence will require at least two years of disciplined governance.
