Puducherry CM N Rangasamy presents Rs13,600 crore budget for fiscal 2025-26

Puducherry Chief Minister N. Rangasamy who also holds the Finance Portfolio presented a ₹13,600 crore budget for the fiscal 2025-26 in the territorial Assembly yesterday. The Union Territory’s own revenue receipts are estimated at ₹7,641.40 crore, while central assistance, including the State Disaster Relief Fund, is expected to amount to ₹3,432.18 crore. The budget also includes ₹25 crore for the Central Road Fund and ₹400 crore under Centrally Sponsored Schemes.

 

Out of the Budget estimate of ₹13,600 crore, ₹ 2,650 crore has been allocated for salaries, ₹ 1,566 crore for pensions, ₹ 1,867 crore for repayment of loans and payment of  interest and ₹ 2,546 crore for purchase of power. Presenting his fifth successive budget in the fifteenth legislative assembly, N. Rangasamy said that funds to the tune of ₹ 2,110 crore  have been earmarked for major welfare schemes like Free Rice Scheme, subsidies for farmers, old age pensions, financial assistance to women heads of households, and LPG cylinder subsidies.

 

Major announcements in the budget include skill development to 30,000 youth under Chief Minister’s Skill Development Programme, enhancement of



MLA-LAD fund to Rs. 3 crore, Multiproduct Tourism Zone at Manapet village and extension of provision of egg to school children on all school working days under Mid-day meal programme. The  budget proposed to enhance monthly financial assistance for Women Heads of BPL families from ₹1000 to ₹2,500.

 

₹ 20 crore has been allocated in the budget for first stage land acquisition to expand the runway at Puducherry Airport. The budget also includes several welfare measures for Scheduled Castes and Scheduled Tribes, such as ₹3,000 monthly assistance for unmarried or widowed SC/ST women and ₹5,000 crore for SC/ST orphaned children. The Chief Minister also announced that the new bus stand at ECR in Oulgaret Municipality will be named after former Prime Minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee marking the centenary year of his birth.

 

Opposition Leader R. Siva criticised the budget as a ‘paper flower budget’ with impractical promises, no new revenue sources, and no concrete plans for state development or employment. Karaikal MLA P.R.Siva walked out during the budget presentation, accusing that the region was neglected in the budget.