Muthuvel Karunanidhi Stalin has served as the 8th Chief Minister of Tamil Nadu since May 7,2021. As the leader of the Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam (DMK),he has implemented various initiatives focusing on social welfare,education,environmental sustainability,and administrative efficiency. His tenure is marked by programs such as the Naan Mudhalvan Scheme for skill development,the Green Tamil Nadu Mission to enhance the state's green cover,and the Chief Minister's Breakfast Scheme to address child nutrition. Additionally,his government has emphasized social justice through reforms like the appointment of individuals from all castes as temple priests.
During Stalin's tenure,Tamil Nadu achieved an 11.19% economic growth rate for the financial year ending 2025,it's highest in 14 years,surpassing a previous estimate of 9.69%.[1][2]
During the financial year 2021 to 2023,the Tamil Nadu government reported attracting an investment of ₹9.74 lakh crore,alongside the creation of an estimated 31 lakh jobs across various industrial projects. According to the Union Ministry of Statistics and Programme Implementation,the data for the annual survey of industries (2022-23) indicated that employment in the manufacturing sector increased by 7.5% during the period,with Tamil Nadu recorded as having the highest number of factories and industrial workers in the country.[3][4]As of 2024,the Government of Tamil Nadu states that it has secured total investment commitments of approximately ₹10.27 lakh crore,with an estimated 32.33 lakh employment opportunities associated with these projects.[5]
Tidal Neo Park
The Tidal Neo Park is a small-scale information technology park,scheme announced in the Tamil Nadu 2021–22 state budget,aims to promote IT sector growth in the state’s Tier-II and Tier-III cities. Each Tidal Neo Park ranges from 50,000 to 100,000 sq ft in built-up area. The first park was inaugurated in Villupuram in 2024,followed by facilities in Thanjavur,Salem,Thoothukudi,Tiruppur,Karaikudi,Ooty and the most recent park in Vellore,inaugurated on 5 November 2025 at a cost of ₹32 crore. Each park is designed to accommodate 450–600 professionals.[6][7][8][9]
The parks provide modern office infrastructure for IT and ITeS companies and startups,with the objective of supporting local employment and reducing migration to larger urban centres.[10]
Vision 2030
Tamil Nadu is India's second largest economy,contributing 9.21% to the national Gross Domestic Product (GDP). For the year 2023–24,the state’s Gross State Domestic Product (GSDP) was reported at approximately 327 billion US dollars equal to ₹27.22 lakh crore. The government has announced a long-term economic plan to transform the size of the state’s economy to 1 trillion US dollars by 2030.[11][12] The vision,presented by Chief Minister M. K. Stalin,outlines objectives such as accelerating industrial development,strengthening the state’s role in global manufacturing unit,improving per capita income of the state. The currently per capita income is estimated at about US$3,780. The targeted economic expansion is projected to require sustained real economic growth in the range of 9% to 13% annually.[13][14]
Infrastructure
Stalin's administration has prioritized infrastructure projects across the states in order to achieve a $1 trillion economy by 2030.[12] The Chennai Metro Rail Phase II project,consisting of a 118.9km route with 128 stations,was proposed by the State Government and expected to complete by 2027. However,in August 2024,the Central Government withdrew its funding for the project.[15][16] After follow-up from the State government,the central government has approved the project in October 2024.[17][18]
Parandur Greenfield Airport, located near Chennai,was proposed by the Government of Tamil Nadu in August 2022,considering the existing Chennai International Airport at Meenambakkam is operating near its capacity limits and lacks modern infrastructure,making it difficult to accommodate the increasing passenger and cargo traffic.[19][20] Land acquisition already commenced,and the construction expected to start late 2026.[21][22][23]
Tamil Nadu has about 1.38 lakh km of rural and panchayat roads. As of mid-2024,government has completed 8,120 km of these roads had been improved,and a proposal for improving 10,000 km has been allocated a budget of ₹4,000 crore,with the work expected to be completed in two years.[24][25][26][27] In addition,the government has completed the construction of high-level bridges,conversion of causeways into bridges,upgradation of major state highways and expressways,development of ring roads and bypasses,and modernization of major bus stands.[28][29][30][31]
Law and order
On 24 Jun 2021,Stalin announced the withdrawn of 5,570 cases that had been filed during the previous AIADMK led government between 2011 and 2021 against journalists,media personnel,and protesters. According to the data these cases were relate to Farm Bill protest 2831 cases,CAA protestors 2282 cases,Methane,neutrino,and Salem expressway projects protestors 405 cases,Koodankulam nuclear protest 26 cases and Media personnel 26 cases.[32][33][34]
On 20 March 2025,during the Tamil Nadu assembly session,Stalin responded to the leader of Leader of Opposition Edappadi K. Palaniswami,and stated that the state recorded 1,540 murders in 2024 making the lowest in the past 12 years. He compared the statics with the previous AIADMK period noting that 1,943 murders in 2012,1927 murders in 2020,and 1661 murders were reported in 2020 during the Covid-19 pandemic and lockdown.[35][36][37]
Zero-Ticket Bus Travel scheme for women
The free bus travel scheme for women in Tamil Nadu,titled Magalir Vidiyal Payanamin Tamil (also referred to as the Zero-Ticket Bus Travel scheme),was launched on 7 May 2021 by the Government of Tamil Nadu.[38] The scheme provides free travel for women on ordinary government operated city and town buses across the state of Tamil nadu.[38] Reports by the Tamil Nadu State Planning Commission in 2022 noted that beneficiaries recorded monthly savings in the range of ₹400–₹800.[39] A government update released in May 2025 estimated the average monthly savings at around ₹888.[39]
As of October 2024,the average rides 57 lacks women travelling and benefited by this scheme daily.[40] By May 2025,the total number of zero-ticket rides recorded under the scheme reached approximately 682.02 crore,reflecting a significant increase since its introduction.[39] Similar free bus travel initiatives for women have also been introduced in other Indian states,including Karnataka,Telangana,Andhra Pradesh,and Jammu &Kashmir.[41]
Kalaignar Women's Rights Grant Scheme
The Kalaignar Women's Rights Grant Scheme,titled Kalaignar Magalir Urimai Thittamin Tamil, is a welfare programme of the Government of Tamil Nadu,launched on 15 September 2023.[42] The scheme provides ₹1,000 per month to eligible women with the stated objective of recognising unpaid household labour and supporting economic independence. Women aged 21 years and above are eligible if their annual household income is below ₹2.5 lakh and if they satisfy prescribed limits relating to land ownership and electricity consumption. The financial assistance is transferred directly to beneficiaries’bank accounts. Exclusions under the scheme include regular government employees,income-tax payers,and pensioners.[42][43]
During the initial application phase,the government received 1.63 crore applications,of which 1.06 crore were approved following eligibility verification. In November 2023,a further 7.35 lakh women were added after an appeals process. As of 2025,the number of beneficiaries stands at 1.15 crore,including 14,246 women from Sri Lankan Tamil refugee families.[44][42]
A survey conducted by the Tamil Nadu State Planning Commission in June–July 2025 examined the scheme’s impact across districts. According to the assessment,many beneficiaries reported spending the financial assistance primarily on food,with others allocating funds toward medicines,children's education,and savings.[45][46][47]
Ungal Thoguthiyil Mudhalamaichar
One of the key achievements of Stalin as the Chief Minister is the 'Ungal Thoguthiyil Mudhalamaichar'[48] (Chief Minister in your Constituency),which is a robust grievance redressal service set up to resolve petitions and problems raised by the constituents. The timely redressal system took the state by storm as over 2.30 lakh out of 4.57 lakh grievances had been addressed by Stalin in his first 100 days of taking office.
The department originated from a programme 'Ungal Thoguthiyil Stalin',which was initiated by DMK President Stalin during his election campaign. Stalin had collected grievances from the citizens and assured them that their issues would be addressed in 100 days once he took office. Experts and journalist Govi Lenin called the scheme a direct reflection of the DMK's core principle,'Makkalidam Sel' (Go to the People) coined by the party's founding member,C. N. Annadurai.[49]
Tamil Nadu's first agriculture budget
Stalin released Tamil Nadu's first ever agricultural budget on 14 August 2021,which was dedicated to farmers protesting against the farm laws passed by the Union Government. The one of a kind budget was prepared after consulting farmers from 18 districts of the state and it predominantly aimed at increasing the cultivable land from the existing 60 per cent to 75 per cent. At present,about 10 lakh hectares of land is under cultivation and the agriculture budget promises to increase it to 11.75 lakh hectares.[50]
Under the budget,the newly launched ‘Kalaignarin Anaithu Grama Orunginaindha Velan Valarchi Thittam’,has been introduced to convert wasteland into cultivable land.[51]
Illam Thedi Kalvi
Stalin launched the ‘Illam Thedi Kalvi’scheme on 19 October 2021,notably India's largest volunteer-based education program”,where over 3.3 million students across 92,000 habitations are being taught by 200,000 women volunteers for 90 minutes every day.[52][53]
Domain experts and Data scientists have praised the ingenuity of the scheme stating that over 24% of the total recovery from learning loss can be attributed to the ‘Illam Thedi Kalvi’sessions and that the recovery has been a lot more progressive among the disadvantaged group.[54]
Innuyir Kappom - Nammai Kakkum 48
Stalin launched ‘Innuyir Kappom-Nammai Kakkum 48’on 18 November 2021 through which the State government will bear the expenses of emergency care for accident victims for the first 48 hours.[55] Rolling out the scheme at Stalin said that the government was paying special attention to reducing road accidents,preventing fatalities and improving road safety. The scheme is aimed at reducing deaths due to road accidents.[56] A total of 609 hospitals including 201 government hospitals and 408 private hospitals are linked to the scheme. All persons injured in road accidents whether they are covered or not under the Chief Minister's Comprehensive Health Insurance Scheme (CMCHIS),or even those who belong to other States or countries that occur in Tamil Nadu limits would receive treatment for the first 48 hours free of charge. As many as 81 treatment packages have been identified for accident victims in the hospitals where they shall be admitted for the first 48 hours with a ceiling of ₹1 lakh per individual. One of the key highlights of the scheme is that the government would bear the emergency treatment expenses for the first 48 hours in private hospitals,as majority of the lives could be saved if treated appropriately within 48 hours.[57]
Chief Minister's Dashboard
Stalin launched the ‘CM Dashboard Monitoring System’at his office.[58] On 23 December 2021 which will enable him to track all Welfare schemes,including the status of their implementation,fund allocation and the number of beneficiaries. The dashboard is set to help in proper monitoring,more efficiency,elimination of delays and prompt decision making. It will also update the Chief Minister on the water storage level in key dams,rainfall patterns,daily report on crimes,progress of housing schemes,employment trends,civil supplies in the State.[59] The dashboard will display the status of pleas and representations made on the Chief Minister Helpline and under the ‘CM In Your Constituency’scheme.
Naan Mudhalvan
Stalin launched the ‘Naan Mudhalvan’scheme on 1 March 2022;this aims to equip about 10 lakh youth across the State annually with skills that will help them realise their talents for the benefit of the country. He also launched a new portal for this scheme.[60] The scheme aims to identify,train and offer career and academic guidance to talented students in government-run and State-aided educational institutions. It also aims to offer spoken English lessons to enable students to face interview panels successfully. The scheme will offer training capsules in coding and robotics to keep pace with technological advancements. Psychological counsellors and medical doctors will offer guidance on nutrition,physical fitness and overall development of the student's personality.[61]
Green Tamil Nadu Mission
Stalin launched the Green Tamil Nadu Mission [62] on 24 September 2022,that aims at increasing the green cover in the state from 23.7% to 33% in the next ten years. The mission will facilitate tree planting initiatives,online seedlings purchase via the Green Tamil Nadu Mission portal.[63]
Pudhumai Penn
Stalin launched the Moovalur Ramamirtham Ammaiyar Higher Education Assurance scheme titled 'Pudhumai Penn' at a function in Chennai on 5 September 2022,in the presence of Delhi chief ministerArvind Kejriwal. The scheme was transformed from Moovalur Ramamirtham Ammaiyar Memorial Marriage Assistance Scheme to the Moovalur Ramamirtham Ammaiyar Higher Education Assurance Scheme after recognising that in higher education,the enrolment ratio of girls from government schools was quite low. During the event Kejriwal unveiled 26 schools of excellence and 15 model schools set up by the Tamil Nadu government. Under Pudhumai Penn scheme,girl students,who studied from Class VI to Class XII in state government schools would be paid a monthly assistance of ₹1,000 till they complete their graduation or diploma. Through the scheme,about six lakh girls would be benefited every year. The state government allocated ₹698 crore in the 2022–23 budget for the scheme.[64]
Stalin also announced that 25 schools run by municipal corporations would be elevated as Schools of Excellence in the first phase at a cost of ₹171 crore. The classrooms in these Schools of Excellence would be modernised and art,literature,music,dance,sports among others would be promoted among students.[65]
Tamil Pudhalvan
Following the launch of the Pudhumai Penn scheme,the Government of Tamil Nadu announced the Tamil Pudhalavan scheme on 14 June 2024.[66] The scheme,titled as a Higher Education Assurance initiative for boys,provides financial assistance of ₹1,000 per month to male students who studied in Classes VI to XII in State-run schools and subsequently enrol in higher education programmes. The government has estimated that approximately 3.28 lakh students will benefit from the scheme.[67][68]
Chief Minister's Breakfast Scheme
Stalin launched the ‘Chief Minister’s Breakfast Scheme’on 15 September 2022 to prevent hunger and nutritional deficiency in children. The scheme is set to improve the nutritional status of students,eliminate deficiencies such as malnutrition and anaemia,and encourage children in poor households to attend schools.[69]
The cause of concern for anemia among children as a major health problem in Tamil Nadu was highlighted in the National Family Health Survey-5 (NFHS) (2019–21) report.[70] Stalin's Breakfast Scheme is set to minimise,if not eliminate,this inadequacy. The breakfast scheme will be implemented at a cost of ₹33.56 crore in more than 1,500 government-run schools across the state where over 1.14 lakh primary government school children will benefit from it. It is Stalin's hope that the education-nutrition matrix will be an inspiring model for other states.[71]
On 15 July 2024,marking the birth anniversary of former Chief Minister K. Kamaraj,the Government of Tamil Nadu extended the scheme to 3,995 rural government-aided schools,benefiting approximately 223,000 additional students. By August 2025,the scheme was further expanded to include 2,430 urban aided schools,covering around 305,000 more students. With these extensions,the total number of beneficiaries reached more than 2.05 million students in Classes I to V across government and government-aided primary schools. Chief Minister M. K. Stalin stated that the initiative represented “not just a meal,but an investment in the future of Tamil Nadu's students.”[72][73]
Governing Council on Climate Change
Stalin set up a 22-member Tamil Nadu Governing Council on Climate Change (GCCC) on 23 October 2022. Montek Singh Ahluwalia,economist;Nandan M Nilekani,co-founder and chairman of Infosys Board;Erik Solheim,[74] Sixth Executive Director of United Nations Environment Programme;Dr Ramesh Ramachandran,founder-director of National Centre for Sustainable Coastal Management;G Sundarrajan,co-ordinator of Poovulagin Nanbargal) and Nirmala Raja,Chairperson,Ramco Community Services are among the members.[75]
The GCCC council has been formed to provide a policy directive to the Tamil Nadu Climate Change Mission,advise on climate adaptation and mitigation activities,provide guidance to the Tamil Nadu State Action Plan on climate change and guide the implementation strategy on climate action.[76]
The terms of reference of the GCCC includes providing guidance to the Climate Change Mission and long-term climate-resilient development pathways,strategies and action plan which will help improve livelihoods,social and economic well-being and responsible environmental management.
The council will periodically monitor outcomes and deliverables based on the strategies being followed. Besides,it will give a continued and sustained push for research,collaboration,and interdisciplinary work,in close coordination with researchers and policymakers.
The council will evaluate the efficacy of existing policies on climate change and learn from sustainable practices across the country and the world for suitable adaptation. The State Environment,Climate Change and Forest Department Secretary Supriya Sahu will be the convenor of the council.[77]
It is imperative to note that,Tamil Nadu has been spearheading several path-breaking initiatives in the field of climate change and has set up three key missions viz.,Tamil Nadu Green Mission,Tamil Nadu Climate Change Mission and the Tamil Nadu Wetlands Mission.
Egalitarianism and social justice in Tamil Nadu
Stalin initiated the process to appoint persons of all castes (in contrast to the hereditary system of Brahmin priests) as archakas (priests) for the temples in the State on 15 August 2021,and assured steps will be taken to appoint those trained by the government during the previous DMK government.[78]
Stalin maintained that the move will fulfill the dream of former Chief Minister M Karunanidhi,and Periyar who wanted people of all castes to become temple priests. As a move seen as controversial by many,this policy however garnered him acclaim for it being the right step at a social revolution and combating discrimination at all levels.[79]
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