TN Budget 2025 promises Anbucholai homes for elderly, enhanced security for women

Anbucholai old age homes

With the state’s maiden Economic Survey highlighting the need to address the challenges posed by an aging population through healthcare and social security measures, the budget has announced the construction of Anbucholai old age homes across prominent municipal corporations to offer social security to elders living alone.

During his budget speech on Friday (March 14), state Finance Minister Thangam Thenarasu said 25 Anbucholai centres will be established in municipal corporations including Madurai, Coimbatore, Trichy, Salem, Tiruppur, Erode, Thoothukudi, Vellore, Thanjavur, and Dindigul, at an allocation of Rs 10 crore to ensure the overall well-being of senior citizens.

Also read: TN Budget 2025 tries to negotiate choppy fiscal waters amid dwindling Central funds

He said that each centre will provide various services, including day-care assistance, arrangements for essential medical care, and recreational activities, with the support of voluntary organisations.

Stipend for orphans

The government has also allocated Rs 8,597 crore to the Social Welfare and Women Empowerment Department while setting aside Rs 83 crores for the construction of new buildings for the Children's Welfare Centers.

Among other initiatives, the finance minister announced that Rs 2,000 stipend will be provided to children who lost both parents to continue their education without interruption until they turn 18 years of age, under the Thayumanavar Thittam scheme. In the first phase, approximately 50,000 poorest of the poor families have been identified where children have lost both parents and are being raised by their relatives.

He said that appropriate measures will also be taken to provide them college education and relevant skill development training after the students complete their schooling. "The initiative reflects the government's commitment to protecting and uplifting orphaned children through sustained financial and educational support," Thenarasu added.

Sops for poorest of poor

The government has also decided to identify families living in extreme poverty and work towards improving their standard of living under the scheme.

“Under the initiative, most vulnerable sections of the society, including the destitute, elderly individuals living alone, single-parent families, orphaned children, mentally challenged, differently abled, and families with children with special needs, will be identified and given priority in government welfare schemes, ensuring access not only to basic necessities but to avail comprehensive support," the finance minister announced.

Also read: TN budget: Fiscal deficit estimated to reduce to 3.04% of GSDP in 2025-26

Commending the government’s Vidiyal Payana Thittam, a flagship scheme that aims at women empowerment, Thenarasu said that women save an average of Rs 888 per month through the free bus travel under the scheme, as per the Planning Commission report. The finance minister said free bus travel for women was among the first plans announced by the Tamil Nadu chief minister soon after he took charge. The percentage of women traveling by bus has increased to 60, he claimed.

Women’s safety

In order to enhance women’s safety in the state, the government plans to implement a new initiative across major cities including Chennai, Coimbatore, Trichy, Madurai, Tambaram, and Avadi.

An allocation of Rs 75 crore has been made for the project that will include installation of surveillance cameras across the cities, a face recognition system, automatic number plate recognition (ANPR), unmanned aerial vehicles (drones) for monitoring purposes, and artificial intelligence-based video analysis to prevent crimes.

Thenarasu also also announced that Thozhi Working Women’s Hostels for women professionals will be constructed in 10 locations at a cost of Rs 77 crore. This, he said will benefit around 800 working women.

Free bus travel, financial aid for women

The budget also allocated Rs 3,600 crore for the Magalir Vidiyal Payanam scheme, which makes travel in state-owned buses free for women, and Rs 13,027 crore for the Magalir Urimai Thogai scheme, under which the government provides financial assistance to female heads of households.

Also read: EPS slams ‘empty budget’ as AIADMK, BJP walk out of TN Assembly

“New applicants will soon be given the opportunity to apply for the Magalir Urimai Thogai," the finance minister announced.

Additionally, a fund of Rs 37,000 crore has been allocated for providing loans to self-help groups.

For girls’ education

The Stalin government’s Pudhumai Penn scheme, which has been credited with facilitating an impressive increase in school enrolments among female students, has got an allocation of Rs 420 crore. The scheme launched in 2021, aims to promote higher education among girls from economically weaker families by providing those studying from classes 6 to 12 in government schools with a stipend of Rs 1,000 per month till the uninterrupted completion of their undergraduate, diploma and ITI curses.

Transgenders get their due

The state finance minister said that Pudhumai Penn and the Tamil Puthalvan scheme will be extended to transgender individuals as well.

Among other announcements for the transgender community, the government announced that transgender persons will be recruited into the Oorkaavalpadai Police Force. The finance minister said as many as 50 transgender persons will be inducted in Chennai, Tambaram and Avadi for traffic management and crowd control and will be treated on par with home guards.

For the differently abled

The state government has allocated Rs 1,433 crore for the Department for the Welfare of Differently Abled Persons. Finance Minister Thenarasu announced that 1,493 differently abled persons have obtained government jobs in the last four years through the four per cent reservation for the community in government service examinations.

Also read: Tamil Nadu Budget 2025-26 Live: 'No compromise on two-language policy; TN will bear the cost'

Further, in order to encourage the employment of differently abled persons in the private sector, the government will offer a wage subsidy of Rs 2,000 per person per month for one year to every private firm that employs at least 10 differently-abled persons, the minister said.

As part of the TN-RIGHTS project, implemented with World Bank’s assistance, 82 subdivision-level Integrated Service Centres and 400 block-level Integrated Service Centres will be set up across all districts at an estimated cost of Rs 60 crore, he said.

Bill to empower persons with disabilities

Announcing an initiative for enabling persons with disabilities to perform daily activities independently, the finance minister said that a project will be implemented at an estimated cost of Rs 125 crore to provide various modern assistive devices tailored to the needs of individuals with different disabilities. The devices include high-tech Smart Vision Glasses, Teaching Learning Materials (TLM-Kits) for children with intellectual disabilities, and advanced equipment to support individuals with mobility impairments. This initiative will further improve the quality of life of persons with disabilities.

Thenarasu said that a bill be passed in the current assembly session to ensure appropriate representation for persons with disabilities in all types of local government bodies in the state through nomination. He said the proposed law will not only ensure that their voices are heard in local governance but also empower them to take on leadership roles in local administration.