From introducing new schemes and projects to enhancing the spending on infrastructure, education, and health, Tamil Nadu Finance Minister Palanivel Thiaga Rajan's budget for 2023-24 has a great deal of attention. In what has become his third budget, Thiaga Rajan has made a splash through his key announcements and allocations. 

Palanivel Thiaga Rajan has read the budget for over an hour and his address was intercepted by compliments from the legislators of DMK and the allied parties and chaos from the opposition ADMK with the MLAs of the latter walking out of the assembly. From announcing to implement DMK's 2021 poll promise of providing Rs 1000 per month for women heads of the households to introducing metro trains beyond Chennai, Thiaga Rajan's budget has a pile of takeaways. 

Let's take a look at its highlights and major announcements: 

• The finance minister announced that Ambedkar's work will be presented in Tamil at a cost of Rs 5 crore. 
• A memorial will be constructed for Thalamuthu Natarajan, the anti hindi protests martyrs, in Chennai. 
• A museum to exhibit the pride of Chola dynasty will be set up in Thanjavur. 
• M Karunanidhi memorial multi-super specialty hospital in Guindy will be unveiled by this year. 
• A library named 'Kalaignar Nootrandu Noolagam' will be established in June with state-of-the-art facilities to students, including differently-abled students. 
•  Rs 40,299 crore has been allotted for School Education Department. 
• All schools which are functioning under the Adi Dravidar welfare department, BC, MBC, Minority welfare department, HR & CE department will be brought under and merged with the school education department. 
• Rs 6,967 crore has been allotted for Higher Education Department. 
• Rs 25 crore to expand and renovate Nehru Stadium in Chennai and Rs 50 crore for Naan Mudhalvan Scheme. 
• Rs 100 crore has been allotted for Adi Dravidar housing facilities. 
• Chief Minister's Breakfast scheme will be extended to all government primary schools and Rs 500 crore has been allotted for the expansion. 
• The ex-gratia to the families of Tamil Nadu soldiers who sacrificed their lives defending the country's borders will be doubled from Rs 20 lakh to Rs 40 lakh. 
• Rs 30,000 crore has been allotted to lend money to women self-helf groups across the state. 
• Rs 434 crore for 12 projects connected to flood control works in Chennai, Tiruvallur, and Kancheepuram. 
• 10,000 kilometer roads in districts will be renovated. 
• Rs 1,000 crore for the development of northern parts of Chennai in the next three years. 
• The finance minister said that the government is working to ensure migrants' safety in the state.
• Rs 2 crore has been allotted for Nagore Dargah and Rs 10 crore for maintenance and renovation of churches across the state. 
• Rs 410 crore to establish new SIPCOT industry park in Vellore, Virudhunagar, Kallakurichi, and Coimbatore.
• Rs 100 crore has been allotted for International Investors' Summit. 
• A new electricity generation scheme will be implemented at a cost of Rs 77,000 crore to generate 14,500 MW by 2030. 
• Metro Rail project will be established in top two cities in Tamil Nadu - Coimbatore at a cost of Rs 9,000 crore and in Madurai, at a cost of Rs 8,500 crore. 
• Phase 2 construction of Chennai Metro Rail Limited (CMRL) at Rs 63,000 crore has been taking place in a paced manner and Rs 10,000 crore has been allotted additionally to the same. 
• Rs 500 crore allotted for 1,000 new buses and to renovate 500 buses. 
• 5,145 km of roads will be enhanced at Rs 2,000 crore under Chief Minister's Village Roads Development Scheme. 
• A new four lane flyover on Anna Salai, between Teynampet and Saidapet, will be constructed at a cost of Rs 621 crore. 
• Rs 7,500 per month for ten months will be provided to 1,000 civil servants with the view of encouraging the aspirants. Rs 10 crore has been allotted for the same and this fund will provide financial assistance for them while they prepare for their preliminary exams. 
• Thiaga Rajan has also announced measures to protect wildlife and address environmental concerns - Rs 1,248 crore has been allotted to the department of environment, climate change, and forests. 
• A new wildlife sanctuary will be constructed in Erode, which will be the 18th one in the state. The sanctuary will be spread over 80,567 hectares and will be named after EV Ramasamy, popularly known as Thanthai Periyar. 
• An international bird centre will be established in Marakkanam, Villupuram district at a cost of Rs 25 crore. 
• One of DMK's poll promises - Rs 1000 assistance per month for women heads will be implemented this year. It will be launched on September 15, on the occasion of DMK stalwart and former Chief Minister CN Annadurai's birth anniversary, by Chief Minister MK Stalin.