CHENNAI: The induction of Udhayanidhi Stalin as a minister on Wednesday brought about a major portfolio reshuffle. While Udhayanidhi got significant portfolios linked to multiple departments that will help him emerge a key politician in the coming years, changes made to the subjects looked after by other ministers are also important.
Apart from youth welfare and sports development, Udhayanidhi got special programme implementation, poverty alleviation, and rural indebtedness. This entails coordinating with various departments and women’s self help groups across TN. The first two portfolios will bring Udhayanidhi closer to the youth in TN.
His portfolios were drawn from three ministers—special programme implementation was taken from MK Stalin; youth welfare and sports development from Siva V Meyyanathan; and poverty alleviation and rural indebtedness from KR Periyakaruppan.
Meanwhile, as per the inter-se-seniority of Tamil Nadu ministers and their subjects notified in the government gazette after Wednesday’s reshuffle, Udhayanidhi ranks 10th after Thangam Thennarasu.
Siva V Meyyanathan keeps the environment and climate change portfolio and has been given ex-servicemen welfare as an additional charge.
Palanivel Thiaga Rajan got the statistics portfolio. For a minister keen on data-driven governance, this additional portfolio will help achieve goals more efficiently. He thanked the chief minister for allocating the vital portfolio with around 1,700 staff, which forms the core of the government’s field data collection, situation assessment/certification, etc. Since assuming office last year, the minister has been underscoring the importance of data-driven governance.
Another significant change of portfolio is of HR&CE Minister PK Sekar Babu, who got the plum portfolio of Chennai Metropolitan Development Authority (CMDA), which is associated with Chennai’s development in various contexts. This portfolio was taken from Housing Minister S Muthusamy.
The portfolios of Cooperation Minister I Periyasamy and Rural Development Minister KR Periyakaruppan as well as the portfolios of Tourism Minister K Mathiventhan and Forests Minister K Ramachandran have been swapped.
Backward Classes Welfare Minister RS Raja Kannappan, who lost his transport portfolio nine months ago, got khadi and village industries board as additional charge. This portfolio was taken from Minister for Handlooms and Textiles R Gandhi.
WHAT THEY GOT
Three ministers were given additional portfolios
Palanivel Thiaga rajan
Finance minister
Got the vital statistics dept with around 1,700 staff. It is the key data collection arm of TN govt
PK Sekar Babu
HR&CE minister
Got the CMDA portfolio, which is associated with Chennai’s development in various contexts
RS Raja Kannappan
BC Welfare minister
Got khadi and village industries board. It was taken from Minister for Handlooms and Textiles R Gandhi