Kerala Budget 2026-27: ₹14,500 cr boost for pensioners and welfare ahead of polls
Kerala Budget 2026-27: ₹14,500 cr boost for pensioners and welfare ahead of polls
Kerala unveils a people-centric Budget 2026-27, promising ₹14,500 crore for social security pensioners, wage hikes for frontline workers, and new schemes as Assembly polls loom.
Kerala Finance Minister K.N. Balagopal unveiled a people-focused Budget for 2026-27, aiming to woo voters ahead of Assembly polls with a ₹14,500-crore boost to social security pensioners and a slate of new community programmes.
Key allocations include wage hikes for frontline workers: the pay of Accredited Social Health Activists (ASHA) and Anganwadi workers will rise by ₹1,000 per month, while Anganwadi helpers gain ₹500. Pre-primary teachers and literacy mission motivators will see a ₹1,000-per-month increase, and daily wages for school cooking staff go up by ₹25.
Other highlights include ₹3,700 crore for the Chief Minister's Stree Suraksha Scheme; an extra ₹1,000 crore for the rural employment scheme; life and health insurance schemes for all categories, including school children; and free degree education for students in arts and science colleges.
Additionally, the Budget sets aside roughly ₹100 crore for initial works on the Regional Rapid Transit System from Thiruvananthapuram to Kasaragod, about ₹150 crore for coastal region development, and over ₹250 crore for forest and wildlife protection.
In a broader line, Balagopal criticised the Central government, alleging that the Centre is strangling Kerala and cutting its tax revenues, even as the state pushes ahead with social welfare and development priorities.
