Eligible brides will receive an eight-gram gold coin and a silk saree under the new Annan Seer Thittam, backed by an allocation of Rs 812 crore. Every child born in a government hospital will receive a one-gram gold ring under the Thai Maaman Thanga Mothiram Thittam, with Rs 560 crore set aside for the programme. The budget referred to the White Paper’s finding that Tamil Nadu’s debt had doubled over five years to about Rs 10 lakh crore. Separately, the revised budget estimates place outstanding debt at nearly Rs 10.99 lakh crore. Whether the government’s fiscal strategy succeeds will depend less on Wednesday’s announcements than on whether the promised revenue reforms materialise.