Tamil Nadu Budget 2018-19: The AIADMK government led by E Palaniswami presented the first budget of the state after the death of former Chief Minister J Jayalalitha yesterday. State Deputy Chief Minister, who also holds the Finance portfolio, O Pannerselvam entered the House carrying a suitcase with Jayalalitha’s image on it. Going by the announcements in the budget, the Palaniswami government seems to make a conscious effort to revive the state’s debt-ridden public transport system, and better the disaster management system in the state.

As has been the case earlier too in Tamil Nadu, populist schemes (named after Amma) were given generous funds. Although the Tamil Nadu Budget didn’t include any major announcements, it was surely huge in terms of the figure allocated.

While presenting the Budget, Pannerselvam compared Tamil Nadu’s growth with BJP-ruled states like Gujarat and Rajasthan. He added that he is sure that the state will benefit from the GST. Notably, led by Leader of the Opposition MK Stalin, DMK members walked out after alleging that their voice was subdued; they boycotted the Budget speech. The DMK leaders also wore black shirts to register their protest.

Here are the key announcements from Tamil Nadu Budget 2018-19:

State Revenue: Pannerselvam informed the House that the total revenue for the state, including Central government transfers, is estimated at Rs. 1,76,251 crore for 2018-19 while the expenditure for the next-to-next fiscal is estimated at Rs 1,93,742 crore.

State Expenditure: The state finance minister estimated the revenue expenditure during 2018-19 to be Rs 1,93,742 crore.

Transport: The state government announced an infusion of Rs 6 billion into the State Transport Undertakings in order to purchase and induct 3,000 new buses. At the same time, as many as 4,593 decade-old buses will be replaced. A massive allocation of Rs 16, 258 crore was made for the Metro rail network.

Amma Schemes: The allocations to three Amma schemes were announced. Amma Green Park was given Rs 20 crore, Amma scooter scheme received 250 crore, and lastly, Rs 20 crore allocated has been allocated to convert Jaya’s poes garden residence Veda Nilayam into a memorial.

Education: State government granted Rs 4,620 crore for higher education, Rs 250 crore for Annamalai University as grant, Rs 27,205 crore for school education, and Rs 200 crore for school infrastructure upgrade.

Social Schemes: An allocation of Rs 581.81 crore was granted for poverty alleviation, an amount of Rs 333 crore was sanctioned for tribal welfare, Rs 490 crore was allocated for free dhoti and saree scheme, marriage assistance received Rs 724 crore fund allocation and Rs 60.58 crore was allocated for Napkin distribution. An allocation of Rs 11,634 crore for healthcare.

Others: Dairy development got Rs 130 crore, Animal Husbandry received Rs 1,227.89 crore, Housing department was allocated Rs 2,696.14 crore, and sugarcane cultivation got Rs 200 crore.

Concluding his speech, the Finance minister quoted a NITI Aayog report which placed Tamil Nadu at the third spot in health indicators in the country. He added that the state is the second largest economy in the country at present.