Overview
- The Budget allocates ₹14,500 crore for social security pensions and makes undergraduate study free in government and aided arts and science colleges.
- An Assured Pension Scheme launches on April 1 promising up to 50% of last basic pay, with an option for employees under NPS to switch.
- A 12th Pay Revision Commission is constituted with a three‑month deadline, and pending DA/DR arrears will be cleared with February and March salaries.
- Honoraria rise by ₹1,000 for ASHA workers, Anganwadi workers, pre‑primary teachers and literacy motivators, by ₹500 for Anganwadi helpers, and school cooks get a ₹25 daily increase.
- Infrastructure plans include Cabinet nod for a 583‑km Thiruvananthapuram–Kasaragod RRTS with ₹100 crore set aside, while documents flag a projected ₹1,773 crore cumulative deficit and limited new resource mobilisation that drew opposition criticism as pre‑poll populism.