Sun Feb 02 02:21:26 IST 2025: ## Tamil Nadu Receives Mixed Bag in Union Budget 2025-26

**Chennai, February 2, 2025** – The Union Budget 2025-26, presented on Saturday by Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman, has yielded a mixed outcome for Tamil Nadu. While several nationwide measures, such as income tax benefits under the New Tax Regime and initiatives for senior citizens and the footwear and leather sector, will likely benefit the state, key requests from the DMK government were omitted.

The state government’s appeals for disaster relief funding (₹6,675 crore for Cyclone Fengal recovery), Chennai Metro Rail Phase-2 Project allocation (₹10,000 crore), and the release of pending funds under the Samagra Shiksha Abhiyaan (₹2,152 crore) were not addressed in the budget speech. Further, requests for approval of Madurai and Coimbatore Metro Rail Projects, a fourth railway line between Tambaram and Chengalpattu, and highway projects including elevated roads between Tambaram-Chengalpattu and Chengalpattu-Tindivanam, also went unmentioned. The lack of specific allocation for these projects represents a significant setback for the state’s infrastructure development plans.

Read More