Local Government

Coimbatore district formed with Coimbatore as its capital

Coimbatore district was formed by the Company, with Coimbatore town as its headquarters.

Nilgiris separated from Coimbatore district

In August 1868 the Nilgiri hills were detached from Coimbatore district and given a commissioner of their own.

Ripon Building becomes home of the Madras Corporation

The Madras Municipal Corporation moved into the newly completed Ripon Building in 1913; Lord Minto had laid its foundation stone in 1909.

Madras Corporation starts a school meal scheme

At a corporation school in Thousand Lights, the Madras Corporation started a breakfast scheme that foreshadowed Tamil Nadu's noon meal programmes.

Office of Mayor of Madras created

The post of Mayor of Madras was revived and M. A. Muthiah Chettiar became the first holder of the modern office.

S. Satyamurti becomes Mayor of Madras

Congress leader S. Satyamurti served as Mayor of Madras and pressed for the Poondi reservoir to improve the city's water supply.

Kamaraj elected Virudhunagar municipal chairman while in jail

While imprisoned for opposing war contributions, K. Kamaraj was elected chairman of the Virudhunagar municipality.

Dharmapuri district carved out of Salem

Dharmapuri became the first district created in the state after independence, split from Salem district.

Madurai becomes a municipal corporation

Madurai became a municipal corporation, the first one set up in Tamil Nadu since independence.

Madras Metropolitan Development Authority constituted

A metropolitan development authority was set up to plan Madras city and its suburbs, becoming a statutory body in 1974.

Pudukkottai district formed

Pudukkottai was made a separate district, combining the former princely state with Aranthangi taluk of Thanjavur district.

Periyar (Erode) district formed

Erode district, first named Periyar district, was carved out of Coimbatore district.

Coimbatore becomes a municipal corporation

Coimbatore, a municipality since 1866, was raised to municipal corporation status, becoming the third such body in Tamil Nadu.

Ramanathapuram district split into three

Ramanathapuram district was trifurcated into Ramanathapuram, Sivaganga and Virudhunagar districts.

Dindigul district re-established from Madurai

Dindigul district was carved out of Madurai district in September 1985.

Thoothukudi district formed

Thoothukudi (Tuticorin) district was carved out of Tirunelveli district on 20 October 1986.

North Arcot district split into Vellore and Tiruvannamalai

North Arcot was divided into the Tiruvannamalai Sambuvarayar and North Arcot Ambedkar districts.

Nagapattinam district carved out of Thanjavur

On 19 October 1991, Nagapattinam district was created by splitting the composite Thanjavur district in two.

South Arcot divided into Cuddalore and Viluppuram districts

The South Arcot district was bifurcated, creating Viluppuram district on 30 September 1993.

Tiruchirappalli becomes a municipal corporation

Tiruchirappalli was made a municipal corporation by merging the Srirangam and Golden Rock municipalities.

Salem becomes a municipal corporation

Salem municipality was declared the Salem City Municipal Corporation on 1 June 1994.

Tirunelveli becomes a municipal corporation

Merged with the municipalities of Palayamkottai and Melapalayam, Tirunelveli became a corporation.

Perambalur district carved out of Tiruchirappalli

The composite Tiruchirappalli district was split, forming Perambalur district on 1 January 1995.

Theni district carved out of Madurai

A government order of 7 July 1996 split Madurai district to form Theni district.

Chengalpattu district split into Kanchipuram and Tiruvallur

The old Chingleput district was divided into Kanchipuram and Tiruvallur districts in 1997.

Tiruvarur district formed

Tiruvarur district was formed out of Nagapattinam district, with Valangaiman taluk added from Thanjavur.

Namakkal district begins functioning

Split from Salem district in July 1996, Namakkal district began operating on its own from 1 January 1997.

Melavalavu massacre

Dalit panchayat president K. Murugesan and six other Dalit men were murdered at Melavalavu near Madurai by members of a dominant caste.

Ariyalur district carved out of Perambalur

Carved from Perambalur district in 2001, Ariyalur district was formed again on 23 November 2007.

Krishnagiri district carved out of Dharmapuri

Krishnagiri became the 30th district of Tamil Nadu, taking in the industrial town of Hosur.

Anaithu Grama Anna Marumalarchi Thittam

A village development programme of the Karunanidhi government aimed to give every village panchayat basic infrastructure, including a library.

Vellore becomes a municipal corporation

Vellore was upgraded from a municipality to a municipal corporation on 1 August 2008.

Tiruppur becomes a municipal corporation

The knitwear town of Tiruppur was upgraded to a municipal corporation on 26 October 2008.

Tiruppur district formed

Tiruppur district was carved out of Coimbatore and Erode districts as the 32nd district of Tamil Nadu.

Amma Unavagam subsidised canteens open

The Chennai Corporation opened low-cost canteens selling idli for one rupee, later expanded across the state.

Tenkasi district carved out of Tirunelveli

On 22 November 2019, Tenkasi district was carved out of Tirunelveli district.

Kallakurichi district formed

Kallakurichi, announced on 8 January 2019 as the 33rd district, came into existence on 26 November 2019.

Vellore district trifurcated into Vellore, Ranipet and Tirupattur

Ranipet and Tirupattur districts, carved out of Vellore district, were officially declared on 28 November 2019.

Chengalpattu district carved out of Kanchipuram

Chengalpattu district, taking in Chennai's southern suburbs, came into existence on 29 November 2019.

Mayiladuthurai district carved out of Nagapattinam

Mayiladuthurai became the 38th district of Tamil Nadu, ending the discontiguous shape of Nagapattinam district.

Ungal Thoguthiyil Muthalamaichar grievance department

The new DMK government set up a department to resolve within 100 days the petitions Stalin had collected during his election campaign.

Kumbakonam upgraded to a municipal corporation

On 24 August 2021, Kumbakonam, which had been a municipality since 1866, became a municipal corporation.

Kalaignarin Varumun Kappom health camps relaunched

Stalin revived the Varumun Kappom preventive health camps of Karunanidhi's time, with 1,250 camps a year across the state.

Ungaludan Stalin service camps

Stalin launched 10,000 camps to deliver over 40 government services and take petitions at people's doorsteps, starting in Chidambaram.