This is the first ever budget for O. Panneerselvam as the Chief Minister. Tamil Nadu Chief Minister O. Panneerselvam will deliver the budget address in the Assembly today.

 12:25 pm: No new announcements for health. School education department over 46237 students brought back to school.

12:15 pm: Chief Minister O Panneerselvam reduces VAT on cellphones and LED lights from 14.5 per cent to 5 per cent.

12: 00 pm: Chief Minister appeals for fund allocation under the new NITI Aayog. Appeals that no new taxes are imposed.

11: 48 am: Tamil Nadu stands number 2 when it comes to tourism, says O. Panneerselvam.

11: 32 am: "Chennai Metro will become functional in 2015-16 in phases," O. Panneerselvam says.

11: 27 am: Appreciate Centre for including Kanchi and Velankanni in Heritage cities list. State allots 46 crore for this scheme: CM

11: 20 am: Skill development for 2 lakh people: CM

11: 11 am: "Rs. 1421.6 crore used to buy over 7000 buses. Average age of buses has come down to 5.3 years."

 10: 46 am: "4992 MW power added by AIADMK govt," Mr. Panneerselvam says.

10: 42 am: Efforts on to link the rivers in the state: CM

10: 42 am: Will do all to stop Karnataka from building dams across Cauvery in Megadatu.

10: 43 am: 4955 crore of farm loans distributed in 2014-2015: CM

10: 39 am: 3.06 lakh acres in TN under drip irrigation already: CM

10: 35 am: Rs. 134 crores sanctioned for 169 new courts to reduce case pendency.

10: 30 am: DMK MLAs had staged a walk out earlier.

10: 28 am: TN police protecting law and order well: CM.

10: 27 am: "43 lakh applications processed under AMMA revenue department scheme."

10: 26 am: Opposition benches see many vacant chairs. DMK MLAs absent.

10: 25 am: Funds from National Urban Livelihood mission to be integrated with State Urban Livelihood Mission.

10: 19 am: 55,100 crore the budgetory allocation for 2015-2016.

10: 16 am: No change in tax revenue apportionment to State in the 14th finance commission recommendations. 14th finance commission may not help TN much. 1137 cr loss to TN due to new recommendation: Mr. Paneerselvam

Growth percentage made a turn around in 2013-2014. State GDP will be higher than 9 percent for 2015-2016

10: 10 am: "Tax income has not gone up in last two years as expected. This along with the subsidies for welfare schemes have increased our burdened," he says.

10: 08 am: "When Jayalalithaa took over, Tamil Nadu was in a bad state 4 years ago. Now it is back on growth path. A record number of welfare schemes introduced in last 4 years," Mr. Panneerselvam says.

10: 06 am: "Under Jayalalithaa, Tamil Nadu has created multiple records."

10: 05 am: "Jayalalithaa is guiding Tamil Nadu," says the Tamil Nadu Chief Minister.

10: 00 am: O. Panneerselvam begins to read the budget.

09: 50 am: O. Panneerselvam will be the first Chief Minister to submit a full-fledged budget after a gap of 15 years. Read more

09: 35 am: In last few years, most announcements came via Rule 110 statements from Jayalalithaa. Tamil Nadu Budget had little. May change this year.

09:30 am: Tamil Nadu Buget to begin in half hour. First-ever budget for O. Panneerselvam as Chief Minister.