AINRC founder and Puducherry chief minister N Rangasamy
Puducherry : Chief minister N Rangasamy presented a tax-free ₹14,300 crore budget for 2026-27 for the Union territory of Puducherry on Monday. Rangasamy, who holds the finance portfolio, said the Union territory’s own revenue receipts have been estimated at ₹7,890 crore, while the central assistance, including the State Disaster Relief Fund accounted for ₹3,517 crore. The central road fund would be ₹25 crore and and allocation under centrally sponsored schemes was ₹531 crore, according to the budget. Out of the budget estimate of ₹14,300 crore, an amount of ₹2,693 crore has been allocated for salaries (18.83%), ₹1,619 crore for pension (11.33%), ₹1,981 crore for repayment of loan and payment of interest (13.86%) and ₹2,327 crore for buy of power (16.28%),” he said. Rangasamy said the govt will provide free tablets to Class 9 and 10 students in govt and govt-aided schools to enhance their higher education opportunities and to enable them to improve their learning skills for competitive exams like Neet and JEE. This would involve an additional expenditure of ₹16.25 crore benefiting 16,250 students. He said the govt has enhanced the monthly pension of freedom fighters from ₹15,000 to ₹25,000. This enhancement would involve an additional expenditure of ₹6.46 crore per annum. He said the govt has enhanced the financial assistance for the marriage of poor brides living below the poverty line from ₹35,000 to ₹75,000; daughters of destitute/ widow from ₹40,000 to ₹1 lakh, widows’ remarriage from ₹75,000 to ₹1 lakh, poor Adi Dravidar and scheduled tribe tribes from ₹1 lakh to ₹1.25 lakh. The govt will incur an additional expenditure of ₹4.9 crore. He said the Union govt has conveyed its approval for the net borrowing ceiling, including negotiated loans to the extent of ₹2,148 crore.
“A major portion of our financial resources goes towards committed expenditure such as salaries, pension, repayment of loan and interest payments.