Fri Mar 14 19:11:28 UTC 2025: ## Tamil Nadu Budget 2025-26: Focus on Women, Employees, and Infrastructure

**Chennai, March 15, 2025** – The Tamil Nadu government unveiled its final full budget before the 2026 Assembly elections, prioritizing its core voter base while addressing key economic sectors. Finance Minister Thangam Thennarasu presented a budget focused on women’s empowerment, support for government employees, and significant investments in education and infrastructure.

The budget, which projects a state debt of ₹9,29,959.3 crore (keeping the Debt to GSDP ratio within prescribed limits at 26.07%), includes several key initiatives:

* **Women’s Empowerment:** A 1% reduction in registration fees for immovable assets up to ₹10 lakh registered in women’s names, effective April 1, 2025. A ₹225 crore scheme offering skill development, entrepreneurial guidance, and subsidized loans (up to ₹10 lakh with a 20% subsidy) will further boost women’s economic participation.

* **Government Employees:** The reinstatement of the Earned Leave (EL) surrender system, allowing employees to encash up to 15 days of earned leave starting April 1, 2026, addresses concerns raised during the COVID-19 pandemic.

* **Education:** A ₹2,000 crore allocation will provide 20 lakh college students with tablets or laptops over the next two years.

* **Housing:** The ‘Kalaignar Kanavu Illam’ scheme will see the construction of an additional one lakh houses in 2025-26, with a ₹3,500 crore allocation.

The budget also emphasizes significant investments in infrastructure development across rural and urban areas and in the field of archaeology. The overall focus appears to be on balancing fiscal responsibility with social welfare programs aimed at key demographic groups.

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