Chennai: State finance minister Thangam Thennarasu on Friday presented a supplementary budget of nearly ₹11,000 crore for 2025-26, mainly to disburse ₹5,000 to 1.31 crore beneficiaries of Kalaignar Magalir Urimai Thittam (KMUT) and ₹3,000 as a Pongal gift to over 2.22 crore ration cardholders.According to the supplementary estimates, the FM sought ₹3,913 crore for KMUT under the Special Programme Implementation Department and ₹6,975 crore for distribution of the Pongal gift. He also sought an additional ₹3,285 crore to settle terminal benefits of retired, voluntarily retired, and deceased employees of transport dept.He sought another ₹3,086 crore for the Finance Department towards the transfer of the guarantee redemption fund pertaining to the previous financial year.Referring to the Chief Minister’s distribution of ₹5,000 each to 1.31 crore women last week under KMUT, Thennarasu told the assembly that the move was not a “surgical strike” but a strategy rooted in compassion and executed with clinical precision.Thennarasu said the DMK govt placed Tamil Nadu on a clear development track and built capacity to compete with South Asian economies and developed European nations through welfare and growth-focused schemes,” he said. He added that several states began replicating the flagship schemes of the `Dravidian Model’ govt, which also focused on building a sustainable future.“I thank the chief minister on behalf of the Leader of Opposition (Edappadi K Palaniswami) for distributing school bags printed with the former CM’s picture,” he said, recalling the distribution of 65 lakh bags featuring EPS.
