Tamil Nadu Government Prioritizes Education in 2026-27 Budget
Focus on Education in Tamil Nadu's Budget
Photo: IANS
Chennai, Aug 5: The Tamil Nadu government, led by Chief Minister C. Joseph Vijay, has placed significant emphasis on education in its inaugural Budget for the fiscal year 2026-27. Finance Minister N. Marie Wilson announced an allocation of ₹44,527 crore specifically for the school education sector, introducing various initiatives aimed at enhancing educational facilities and promoting drug abuse awareness.
As part of the Perunthalaivar Kamarajar Model Schools initiative, the government plans to set up modern residential schools catering to students in Classes IX to XII. This initiative will provide free education, meals, uniforms, accommodation, and textbooks, with ₹125 crore allocated for infrastructure development.
Additionally, the Budget includes ₹129 crore for the 'Super Clean, Super Campus' initiative, which will initially benefit 10,000 government schools by improving cleanliness, drinking water access, sanitation, and other essential amenities.
For higher education, ₹2,000 crore has been designated for the Vetri Laptop Scheme, aimed at supplying laptops to college students. Furthermore, the government is addressing drug abuse among students by allocating ₹7 crore for awareness programs in schools.
Wilson highlighted the enhancement of the Drugs Free Tamil Nadu mobile application, which will allow the public to report incidents related to narcotics.
In addition to educational initiatives, the TVK government has introduced several welfare schemes, including the Thaimaman Thanga Modhiram Scheme, which allocates ₹560 crore for providing a one-gram gold ring to newborns in government hospitals.
Moreover, a marriage assistance program has been proposed, offering an eight-gram gold coin and a silk saree to the brother of a bride on her wedding day, with a total allocation of ₹812 crore for this scheme. Presenting the fiscal strategy, Wilson noted that Tamil Nadu's debt has doubled in the last five years, leading to high interest payments on borrowings.
The government anticipates generating an additional ₹16,000 crore in revenue, including ₹1,000 crore from a liquor production cess. A Revenue Enhancement Committee will be established to explore ways to bolster the State's finances.
This Budget marks the first comprehensive fiscal policy statement from the TVK government, following an interim Budget presented by the previous DMK government in February ahead of the Assembly elections.