Policy

Permanent Settlement extended to Madras Presidency

The zamindari Permanent Settlement, first applied in Bengal, was introduced in parts of the Madras Presidency.

Village Settlement revenue experiment

A Village Settlement system of land revenue was tried in several Tamil districts before ryotwari became the norm.

Ryotwari system adopted in Madras Presidency

Under Thomas Munro the ryotwari land revenue system, dealing directly with cultivators, became the main settlement in Madras.

Board of Public Instruction set up in Madras

The Madras government founded a Board of Public Instruction in 1826 to oversee education in the Presidency.

Wood's Despatch on education

Charles Wood's education despatch called for universities in the presidency towns and a graded school system across India.

First Communal Government Order on reservation

The Justice Party government issued the first Communal Government Order, reserving government posts for different communities.

Prohibition introduced in Salem district

The Rajaji ministry introduced prohibition of liquor in Salem district, the first such experiment in the Presidency.

C. Rajagopalachari forms first Congress ministry

C. Rajagopalachari became Premier of Madras at the head of the first Congress government in the Presidency.

Madras Agriculturists Relief Act eases peasant debt

A law to reduce the debts of indebted farmers in the Madras Presidency was brought in by the Rajagopalachari ministry.

Compulsory Hindi order withdrawn

The Governor of Madras, Lord Erskine, withdrew the order making Hindi compulsory in schools, ending the first anti-Hindi agitation.

A. Ramaswami Mudaliar becomes first ECOSOC president

Arcot Ramaswami Mudaliar, a Justice Party leader from Madras, was the first President of the UN Economic and Social Council.

Subramania Bharati's works nationalised

The Madras government nationalised the writings of poet Subramania Bharati, the first such step for any poet in India.

Congress adopts 'socialistic pattern of society' at Avadi

Meeting at Avadi near Madras, the Indian National Congress adopted a socialistic pattern of society as its stated aim.

Madras State starts an old-age pension scheme

A monthly pension for destitute old people was introduced by the state, decades ahead of the national old-age pension of 1995.

Kamaraj Plan; M. Bhaktavatsalam becomes Chief Minister

Kamaraj resigned as Chief Minister under his plan for senior leaders to work for the party, and M. Bhaktavatsalam succeeded him.

C. Subramaniam becomes Union Food and Agriculture Minister

Under the leadership of C. Subramaniam of Madras, high-yielding seeds were introduced, starting the Green Revolution.

Tamil Nadu Industrial Development Corporation established

The state government set up the Industrial Development Corporation (TIDCO) to promote large industrial projects.

Assembly adopts the two-language policy

The Madras Legislative Assembly scrapped the three-language formula and removed Hindi from the school curriculum, adopting Tamil and English.

Kannoli Thittam free eye surgeries

The Karunanidhi government provided free eye surgeries for the blind under the Kannoli Thittam during its 1969-76 tenure.

SC and ST students exempted from tuition fees

A 1970 Government Order exempted Scheduled Caste and Scheduled Tribe students up to the Pre-University Course from paying tuition fees.

Invocation to Tamil Mother adopted for state functions

Chief Minister Karunanidhi announced that verses of Manonmaniam Sundaram Pillai's invocation to Tamil Mother would open state government functions.

Reservation raised to 49 percent

The DMK government raised the backward classes quota from 25 to 31 percent and the SC/ST quota from 16 to 18 percent.

SIPCOT founded to develop industrial estates

The State Industries Promotion Corporation of Tamil Nadu was set up to develop industrial parks across the state.

Madras Institute of Development Studies founded

Economist Malcolm Adiseshiah and Elizabeth Adiseshiah founded the Madras Institute of Development Studies.

Prohibition suspended in Tamil Nadu

The Karunanidhi government suspended prohibition and permitted the sale of arrack and toddy, before stopping it again in 1974.

Women first recruited into the Tamil Nadu Police

The first batch of women police, a sub-inspector, a head constable and 20 constables, was recruited in Tamil Nadu in 1973.

Income ceiling introduced for backward class reservation

The MGR government introduced an annual income ceiling to exclude better-off families from backward class reservation.

Income ceiling withdrawn, backward class quota raised to 50%

After electoral setbacks, the MGR government withdrew the income ceiling and raised the backward class quota from 31% to 50%.

TASMAC established to handle liquor trade

Formed by the M. G. Ramachandran government, the Tamil Nadu State Marketing Corporation (TASMAC) handled wholesale liquor trade whenever prohibition was lifted.

Separate 20% quota for Most Backward Classes

The DMK government split the 50% backward class quota into 30% for Backward Classes and 20% for Most Backward Classes and Denotified Communities.

Gulf of Mannar Biosphere Reserve created

The Gulf of Mannar Marine National Park and a 10 km buffer zone along the Ramanathapuram and Thoothukudi coast were declared a biosphere reserve.

Separate 1 percent reservation for Scheduled Tribes

The Karunanidhi government split the combined SC/ST quota and gave Scheduled Tribes a separate 1 percent reservation.

Mukurthi National Park created to protect the Nilgiri tahr

The montane grasslands and sholas of Mukurthi in the Nilgiris, a wildlife sanctuary since 1982, were upgraded to a national park.

All-women police stations set up

The Jayalalithaa government opened police stations run entirely by women to handle complaints from women, starting in Chennai.

Madras officially renamed Chennai

The Tamil Nadu government officially changed the capital's name from Madras to Chennai.

First Uzhavar Sandhai farmers' market opens in Madurai

Madurai hosted the first market of the DMK government's Uzhavar Sandhai scheme, where farmers could sell their produce straight to buyers.

Tamil Nadu bans the sale of lotteries

The Jayalalithaa government banned the sale of all lotteries in Tamil Nadu, including those run by agencies from other states.

Free colour television scheme

The DMK government began distributing free colour television sets to families holding ration cards, a key 2006 election promise.

Anaithu Grama Anna Marumalarchi Thittam

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

Mudumalai declared a tiger reserve

Mudumalai National Park in the Nilgiris was declared a tiger reserve under Project Tiger, with a buffer zone of about 368 square km.

Transgender Welfare Board, first in India

Tamil Nadu set up India's first welfare board for transgender persons under the Social Welfare department.

Rice at one rupee a kilogram in ration shops

The Karunanidhi government cut the price of rice in public distribution shops to one rupee a kilogram.

Kalaignar health insurance scheme launched

The state launched the Kalaignar Kapitu Thittam to give economically disadvantaged families free treatment in hospitals.

Samacheer Kalvi: uniform school education

Tamil Nadu introduced a common syllabus across state, matriculation and other school boards; the Supreme Court upheld it in 2011.

Kalaignar Veettu Vasathi Thittam to replace huts

The DMK government launched a scheme to convert thatched rural huts into permanent concrete houses over six years.

Chief Minister's Comprehensive Health Insurance Scheme

Jayalalithaa launched a state health insurance scheme for 1.34 crore families, replacing the earlier Kalaignar insurance scheme.

Sathyamangalam declared a tiger reserve

The Government of India declared the Sathyamangalam wildlife sanctuary in Erode district the fourth tiger reserve in Tamil Nadu.

Amma Kudineer bottled water

The state began selling one-litre bottles of drinking water for Rs. 10 at bus termini and on long-distance government buses.

Gangaikondan Spotted Deer Sanctuary notified

Tamil Nadu notified a sanctuary at Gangaikondan in Tirunelveli district dedicated to the protection of spotted deer.

Amma Pharmacy medical shops

Jayalalithaa opened the first ten 'Amma' pharmacies to sell quality medicines at fair prices.

Amma Salt launched

The Tamil Nadu Salt Corporation began selling low-priced iodised and fortified salt under the 'Amma' brand.

Amma Master Health Check-Up

Jayalalithaa announced low-cost comprehensive health check-ups in government hospitals and twice-weekly tests at primary health centres.

Amma Cement sold at half the market price

The state began selling low-priced 'Amma' cement at Rs. 190 a bag through Civil Supplies Corporation godowns, starting in Tiruchi.

Tamil Nadu bans single-use plastics

The Tamil Nadu government's ban on plastic carry bags and other single-use plastic items came into force on 1 January 2019.

Tamil Nadu Day first observed on 1 November

The Palaniswami government began observing 1 November as Tamil Nadu Day; in 2022 the DMK government moved it to 18 July.

Kazhuveli Bird Sanctuary notified

The brackish Kazhuveli lake in Villupuram district, linked to the sea by the Uppukalli creek, was notified as a bird sanctuary.

Srivilliputhur-Megamalai Tiger Reserve created

The Srivilliputhur and Megamalai forests were notified as India's 51st tiger reserve and Tamil Nadu's fifth.

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.

Makkalai Thedi Maruthuvam doorstep healthcare launched

The state launched a doorstep healthcare scheme for screening and treating non-communicable diseases such as diabetes and hypertension.

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.

Innuyir Kaappom: free emergency care for accident victims

The state began paying for the first 48 hours of emergency treatment of all road accident victims in Tamil Nadu, including in private hospitals.

Tamil Nadu launches Project Nilgiri Tahr

The state launched a conservation programme for its state animal, the Nilgiri tahr, covering grassland restoration, radio-collaring and monitoring.

Several Tamil Nadu wetlands designated Ramsar sites

Pallikaranai marsh, Karikili and Vedanthangal bird sanctuaries and other Tamil Nadu wetlands were added to the list of Ramsar sites.

India's first slender loris sanctuary notified at Kadavur

Tamil Nadu notified about 118 square km of forest at Kadavur as India's first sanctuary for the slender loris.

Cauvery South Wildlife Sanctuary notified

About 686 square km of forest along the Kaveri was notified as Tamil Nadu's 17th wildlife sanctuary.

Mudhalvar Marundhagam low-cost pharmacies

Stalin inaugurated 1,000 'Chief Minister's pharmacies' selling generic and other medicines at discounts of up to 75 percent.

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.

Nalam Kaakkum Stalin health camps

Health screening camps covering many medical specialties were rolled out across Tamil Nadu by Chief Minister Stalin.

Tamil Nadu Assured Pension Scheme announced

State employees were promised an assured pension of half their last-drawn pay by the Stalin government, a scheme close to the old pension.

TVK government's cooperative crop loan waiver

Cooperative crop loans taken from May 2025 to February 2026 were waived by the Vijay government, a relief that eventually reached 14.43 lakh farmers.

Vijay government's first orders

On taking office, Chief Minister Vijay signed orders on free household electricity, a women's safety task force and anti-narcotics police stations.

Parandur airport project dropped

Chief Minister Vijay announced in the Assembly that the proposed second Chennai airport at Parandur would be scrapped and a new site sought.