CHENNAI: As many as 12,480 village panchayats across Tamil Nadu conducted gram sabha meetings on Saturday with Chief Minister M K Stalin addressing the meetings virtually from his camp office.
Speaking on the occasion, Stalin said gram sabhas are the foundation of democracy and called for framing rural development schemes keeping people’s needs, social justice, and equality in mind.
During the interaction, representatives and residents from Kovalam panchayat (Chengalpattu district), Mullikulam (Tenkasi), Varapatti (Coimbatore), Kondangi (Villupuram), and Thirumalaisamudram (Thanjavur) shared their views on local development priorities with the CM.
Each gram sabha meeting identified and approved three essential development needs of their villages. Resolutions were also passed to rename streets, habitations, and public places bearing derogatory caste-related names with socially appropriate alternatives to promote harmony. Beneficiaries were also identified under the Thayumanavar Scheme.
The meetings reviewed progress under key programmes, including the “Namma Ooru, Namma Arasu” initiative, Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Scheme (MGNREGS), Anaithu Grama Anna Marumalarchi Thittam, and Swachh Bharat Mission (Grameen) 2.0.
The gram sabhas also discussed measures for rainwater harvesting, dengue prevention, preparedness for the northeast monsoon, and the eradication of child labour. Steps to implement Deen Dayal Upadhyaya Grameen Kaushalya Yojana (DDU-GKY) for rural youth skill training were also reviewed.
In total, 16 major resolutions were adopted including approval for preparing village development plans under the Pradhan Mantri Adarsh Gram Yojana (PMAGY) for 2025-26 and uploading video/audio recordings of proceedings from 7,515 selected panchayats on the state government’s portal.
Ministers, MPs, MLAs, local body representatives, district collectors, and senior officials participated in the statewide meetings. Chief Secretary N Muruganandam and other officials joined the CM during the video address.
