Owen79097529716 at 06:35, 14 March 2026

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{{Short description|Indian state government}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=May 2021}}
{{Use Indian English|date=May 2021}}
{{infobox government
| government_name = Government of Tamil Nadu
| image = [[File:TamilNadu_Logo.svg|200px]]
| division_type = [[States and union territories of India|State]]
| division = [[Tamil Nadu]]
| website = {{URL|https://www.tn.gov.in/}}
| legislature_label = [[State legislative assemblies of India|Assembly]]
| legislature = {{ubl|[[Tamil Nadu Legislative Assembly]]|}}
| speaker_label = [[List of speakers of the Tamil Nadu Legislative Assembly|Speaker]]
| speaker = [[M. Appavu]]
| deputy_speaker_label = Deputy Speaker
| deputy_speaker = [[K. Pitchandi]]
| members_in_assembly_label = [[Member of the Legislative Assembly (India)|Members in Assembly]]
| members_in_assembly = [[List of constituencies of the Tamil Nadu Legislative Assembly|234]]
| meeting_place = [[Fort St. George, India|Fort St. George]]
| leader_type = [[Governor of Tamil Nadu|Governor]]
| leader_title = [[Rajendra Arlekar]]
| leader_type2 = [[Chief minister of Tamil Nadu|Chief Minister]]
| leader_title2 = [[M. K. Stalin]] ([[Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam|DMK]])
| leader_type3 = [[Deputy chief minister of Tamil Nadu|Deputy Chief Minister]]
| leader_title3 = [[Udhayanidhi Stalin]] ([[Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam|DMK]])
| leader_type4 = [[List of Chief Secretaries of Tamil Nadu|Chief Secretary]]
| leader_title4 = N. Muruganandam [[Indian Administrative Service|IAS]]
| headquarters = [[Chennai]]
| departments = [[Tamil Nadu Government's Departments|43]]
| branch4 = [[Judiciary of India|Judiciary branch]]
| court_name = [[High courts of India|High Court]]
| court = [[Madras High Court]]
| chief_justice_label = [[List of current Indian chief justices|Chief Justice]]
| chief_justice = [[S. A. Dharmadhikari]]
| country = India
}}

The '''Government of Tamil Nadu''' ({{IPA|ta|t̪əmɪɻnɑːɖʉ əɾəsʉ|IPA}}) is the administrative body responsible for the [[governance]] of the [[States of India|Indian state]] of [[Tamil Nadu]]. [[Chennai]] is the capital of the state and houses the state executive, legislature and head of judiciary.

Under the [[Constitution of India]], ''[[de jure]]'' [[executive (government)|executive authority]] lies with the [[Governor (India)|governor]], although this authority is exercised only by, or on the advice of, the [[Chief Minister (India)|chief minister]], the ''[[de facto]]'' authority and the [[Cabinet (government)|cabinet]]. Following elections to the [[Tamil Nadu Legislative Assembly]], the [[Governor of Tamil Nadu|state's governor]] usually invites the party (or coalition) with a majority of seats to form the government. The governor appoints the chief minister, whose [[Cabinet (government)|council of ministers]] are [[Cabinet collective responsibility|collectively responsible]] to the assembly.

Legislative assembly elections are held every five years to elect a new assembly, unless there is a successful [[vote of no confidence]] in the government or a two-thirds vote for a [[snap election]] in the assembly, in which case an election may be held sooner. The [[legislature of Tamil Nadu]] was [[Bicameralism|bicameral]] until 1986, when it was replaced by a [[Unicameralism|unicameral legislature]]. The [[Judiciary of India|judiciary branch]] is led by a [[High courts of India|High Court]] ([[Madras High Court]]) led by a [[List of current Indian chief justices|Chief Justice]].

== Executive ==
{|class="wikitable" style="float:right; margin-left:1em"
|+ Administrative officials
|-
!Title
!Name
|-
|[[Governor of Tamil Nadu|Governor]]
|[[Rajendra Arlekar]]<ref>{{cite news|url=https://indianexpress.com/article/political-pulse/new-governors-in-states-ut-tns-ravi-replaces-bose-in-bengal-ahead-of-polls-hasnain-for-bihar-sandhu-gets-delhi-10566960/|title=New Governors in states, UT: TN’s Ravi replaces Bose in Bengal ahead of polls, Hasnain for Bihar, Sandhu gets Delhi|work=[[The Indian Express]]|date=6 March 2026|access-date=6 March 2026}}</ref>
|-
|[[Chief Minister of Tamil Nadu|Chief minister]]
|[[M. K. Stalin]]<ref>{{cite news|url=https://www.thehindubusinessline.com/news/national/mk-stalin-sworn-in-as-chief-minister-of-tamil-nadu/article34504106.ece|title=MK Stalin sworn in as Chief Minister of Tamil Nadu|access-date=23 June 2021|newspaper=[[The Hindu]]|date=7 May 2021|archive-date=23 June 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210623181732/https://www.thehindubusinessline.com/news/national/mk-stalin-sworn-in-as-chief-minister-of-tamil-nadu/article34504106.ece|url-status=live}}</ref>
|-
|[[Madras High Court#List of chief justices|Chief Justice]]
|[[S. A. Dharmadhikari]]<ref>{{cite news|url=https://www.livelaw.in/top-stories/centre-notifies-appointment-of-justice-sa-dharmadhikari-as-madras-high-court-chief-justice-525367|title=Centre Notifies Appointment Of Justice SA Dharmadhikari As Madras High Court Chief Justice|work=Live Law|date=5 March 2026|access-date=6 March 2026}}</ref>
|}
The [[Governor (India)|Governor]] is the ''[[de jure]]'' [[Constitution of India|constitutional]] head of state while the [[Chief Minister (India)|Chief Minister]] is the ''[[de facto]]'' [[head of government|chief executive]]. The governor is appointed by the [[President of India]]. Following elections to the [[Tamil Nadu Legislative Assembly]], the [[Governor of Tamil Nadu|state's governor]] usually invites the party (or coalition) with a majority of seats to form the government. The governor appoints the [[Chief Minister of Tamil Nadu|chief minister]], whose [[Cabinet (government)|council of ministers]] are [[Cabinet collective responsibility|collectively responsible]] to the assembly. Given that he has the confidence of the assembly, the chief minister's term is for five years and is subject to no [[term limit]]s.<ref>{{cite book|author=[[Durga Das Basu]]|title=Introduction to the Constitution of India|year=1960|pages=241–245|publisher=LexisNexis Butterworths Wadhwa|isbn=978-81-8038-559-9}}</ref> [[Chennai]] is the capital of the state and houses the state executive, [[legislature|legislative]] and head of judiciary.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.britannica.com/place/Tamil-Nadu|title=Tamil Nadu|publisher=[[Britannica]]|access-date=1 December 2023|archive-date=20 November 2023|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20231120141242/https://www.britannica.com/place/Tamil-Nadu|url-status=live}}</ref>

== Council of Ministers ==
{{transcluded section|M. K. Stalin ministry}}
{{#section-h:M. K. Stalin ministry|Council of Ministers}}

== Legislature ==
{{multiple image
| total_width=400
| align=right
| image1=Fort St. George, Chennai 2.jpg
| image2=A building in Chennai.JPG
| caption1=[[Fort St. George, India|Fort St. George]], the seat of the [[Tamil Nadu Legislative Assembly]]
| caption2=[[Madras High Court]], the highest judicial authority in Tamil Nadu
}}

The [[Tamil Nadu Legislative Assembly]] consists of [[List of constituencies of the Tamil Nadu Legislative Assembly|234]] [[Member of Legislative Assembly|members]] elected through [[Democracy|democratic]] [[Elections in India|elections]]. The current seat of the assembly is at [[Fort St. George, India|Fort St. George]] in [[Chennai]]. The [[1952 Madras State legislative assembly election|first election]] to the assembly on the basis of [[Universal suffrage|universal adult suffrage]] was held in January 1952.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.assembly.tn.gov.in/archive/Resumes/review_01assly/ch01.pdf |title=1952 Election |access-date=12 February 2013 |archive-date=4 September 2011 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110904134752/http://www.assembly.tn.gov.in/archive/Resumes/review_01assly/ch01.pdf |url-status=live }}</ref> The [[legislature of Tamil Nadu]] was [[Bicameralism|bicameral]] until 1986, when it was replaced by a [[Unicameralism|unicameral legislature]] after the abolishment of [[Tamil Nadu Legislative Council]].<ref>{{cite web|url=https://assembly.tn.gov.in/history/statelegislature.php|title=The State Legislature–Origin and Evolution|publisher=Government of Tamil Nadu|access-date=1 February 2023|archive-date=10 January 2023|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230110150502/https://assembly.tn.gov.in/history/statelegislature.php|url-status=live}}</ref> Any [[Bill (proposed law)|bill]] passed by the legislature needs the assent of the governor before becoming an act.

== Judiciary ==
The [[Madras High Court]] was established on 26 June 1862 and is the highest judicial authority of the state with control over all the civil and criminal courts in the state.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.hcmadras.tn.nic.in/mashist.html|title=History of Madras High Court|work=[[Madras High Court]]|access-date=1 January 2023|archive-date=2 December 2022|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20221202232125/https://www.hcmadras.tn.nic.in/mashist.html|url-status=live}}</ref> It is headed by a [[List of current Indian chief justices|Chief Justice]], a position currently held by [[Manindra Mohan Shrivastava|M. M. Shrivastava]].<ref>{{cite web|title=Madras High Court - Profile of Chief Justice|url=http://www.hcmadras.tn.nic.in/cjhc.html|access-date=26 November 2021|work=[[Madras High Court]]|archive-date=17 January 2019|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190117123331/http://hcmadras.tn.nic.in/cjhc.html|url-status=live}}</ref> The court is based out of Chennai and has a bench at [[Madurai]] since 2004.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.hcmadras.tn.nic.in/mduhist.html|title=History of Madras High Court, Madurai bench|work=[[Madras High Court]]|access-date=1 January 2023|archive-date=20 February 2023|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230220160533/https://www.hcmadras.tn.nic.in/mduhist.html|url-status=live}}</ref>

== Administrative divisions ==
[[File:Tamil_Nadu_districts_map.svg|thumb|upright=0.9|[[Districts of Tamil Nadu]].]]
{{Further|Local government bodies in Tamil Nadu}}

As per the [[2011 Census of India|2011 census]], Tamil Nadu is the [[List of states and union territories of India by population|seventh most populous state]] in India with a population of 72.1 million.<ref>{{cite report|title=Population and decadal change by residence|url=http://www.censusindia.gov.in/2011census/PCA/PCA_Highlights/pca_highlights_file/India/Chapter-1.pdf|work=[[Government of India]]|page=2|access-date=1 December 2023|archive-date=24 June 2016|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160624015117/http://www.censusindia.gov.in/2011census/PCA/PCA_Highlights/pca_highlights_file/India/Chapter-1.pdf|url-status=live}}</ref> It covers an area of {{cvt|130,058|km2}} and is the [[List of states and union territories of India by area|tenth largest Indian state by area]]. The state is divided into 38 [[Districts of Tamil Nadu|districts]], each of which is administered by a [[District Collector]], who is an officer of the [[Indian Administrative Service]] (IAS) appointed to the district by the Government of Tamil Nadu. For revenue administration, the districts are further subdivided into 87 revenue divisions administered by Revenue Divisional Officers (RDO) which comprise 310 [[Tehsil|taluks]] administered by [[Tehsildar|Tahsildars]].<ref name="AS"/> The taluks are divided into 1,349 [[revenue block]]s called ''firkas'' which encompass 17,680 revenue villages.<ref name="AS">{{cite web|url=https://www.tn.gov.in/government|title=Government units, Tamil Nadu|publisher=Government of Tamil Nadu|access-date=1 January 2023|archive-date=7 December 2022|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20221207162622/https://www.tn.gov.in/government|url-status=live}}</ref>

{{As of|2024}}, the [[Administrative divisions of India|local administration]] consists of 15 [[City Municipal Corporations of Tamil Nadu|municipal corporations]], 121 [[Template:Municipalities of Tamil Nadu|municipalities]] and 528 [[town panchayat]]s in the urban and 385 [[panchayat union]]s and 12,618 [[Village Panchayat|village panchayats]], administered by Village Administrative Officers (VAO).<ref name="LG"/><ref name="AS"/><ref>{{cite report|url=https://mospi.gov.in/sites/default/files/Statistical_year_book_india_chapters/ch42.pdf|title=Statistical year book of India|publisher=[[Government of India]]|access-date=1 January 2023|page=1|archive-date=16 March 2024|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240316170002/https://mospi.gov.in/sites/default/files/Statistical_year_book_india_chapters/ch42.pdf|url-status=live}}</ref> [[Greater Chennai Corporation]], established in 1688, is the second oldest in the world and Tamil Nadu was the first state to establish town panchayats as a new administrative unit.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.tn.gov.in/dtp/introduction.htm|title=Town panchayats|publisher=Government of Tamil Nadu|access-date=1 January 2023|archive-date=19 February 2023|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230219001439/https://www.tn.gov.in/dtp/introduction.htm|url-status=live}}</ref><ref name="LG">{{cite web|url=https://knowindia.india.gov.in/profile/local-government.php|title=Local Government|publisher=[[Government of India]]|access-date=1 January 2023|page=1|archive-date=4 October 2022|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20221004071216/https://knowindia.india.gov.in/profile/local-government.php|url-status=live}}</ref>

== Departments ==
{{Main|List of departments of the government of Tamil Nadu}}
The administration of the state government functions through various secretariat departments. Each department consists of a secretary to the government, who is the official head of the department with the [[Chief Secretary (India)|Chief secretary]] superintending control over the secretariat and staff. The departments have further sub-divisions which may govern various undertakings and boards. There are 43 departments of the state.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.tn.gov.in/department|title=List of Departments|publisher=Government of Tamil Nadu|access-date=1 December 2023|archive-date=31 March 2024|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240331152823/https://www.tn.gov.in/department|url-status=live}}</ref>

== Insignia ==
{{Further|Emblem of Tamil Nadu}}
The state emblem was designed in 1949 and consists of the [[Lion Capital of Ashoka]] without the bell lotus foundation and flanked on either side by an [[Flag of India|Indian flag]] with an image of a ''[[Gopuram]]'' or [[Hindu temple]] tower on the background. There are two inscriptions in [[Tamil language]] displayed around the rim of the seal runs. தமிழ் நாடு அரசு ('Tamil Nadu arasu') translating to "Government of Tamil Nadu" is inscribed on the top. Inscribed at the bottom is வாய்மையே வெல்லும் ('Vaymaiye Vellum') which translates to "Truth Alone Triumphs" and derived from the words "[[Satyameva Jayate]]" in the [[Emblem of India|Indian emblem]].<ref>{{cite web|url=http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/city/madurai/Which-Tamil-Nadu-temple-is-the-state-emblem/articleshow/55285143.cms|title=Which Tamil Nadu temple is the state emblem?|date=7 November 2016|work=[[The Times of India]]|access-date=20 January 2018|archive-date=12 November 2018|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20181112160826/https://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/city/madurai/Which-Tamil-Nadu-temple-is-the-state-emblem/articleshow/55285143.cms|url-status=live}}</ref>

{|class="wikitable" style="text-align:left;" style="font-size: 95%"
|+Symbols of Tamil Nadu<ref>{{cite web|url=https://wiienvis.nic.in/KidsCentre/state_symbols_india_8411.aspx|title=State Symbols of India|publisher=Ministry of Environment, Forests & Climate Change, Government of India|access-date=30 August 2023|archive-date=22 September 2023|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230922102907/https://wiienvis.nic.in/KidsCentre/state_symbols_india_8411.aspx|url-status=live}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=https://tnbb.tn.gov.in/state-symbol.php|title=Symbols of Tamil Nadu|publisher=Government of Tamil Nadu|access-date=12 August 2023|archive-date=31 March 2024|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240331152841/https://tnbb.tn.gov.in/state-symbol.php|url-status=dead}}</ref>
|-
!Type
!Symbol
!Image
|-
!Animal
|[[Nilgiri tahr]] (''Nilgiritragus hylocrius'')
|[[File:Nilgiri_tahr_(Nilgiritragus_hylocrius)_female_head.jpg|center|80px]]
|-
!Bird
|[[Common emerald dove|Emerald dove]] (''Chalcophaps indica'')
|[[File:Emerald_Dove_(Chalcophaps_indica_indica).jpg|center|80px]]
|-
!Butterfly
|[[Cirrochroa thais|Tamil Yeoman]] (''Cirrochroa thais'')
|[[File:Tamil_Yeoman.jpg|center|80px]]
|-
!Flower
|[[Gloriosa superba|Glory lily]] (''Gloriosa superba'')
|[[File:Gloriosa_superba_1.jpg|center|80px]]
|-
!Fruit
|[[Jackfruit]] (''Artocarpus heterophyllus'')
|[[File:Farmfirst.jpg|center|80px]]
|-
!Tree
|[[Borassus flabellifer|Palmyra palm]] (''Borassus flabellifer'')
|[[File:Borassus flabellifer 264034194.jpg|center|80px]]
|}

== See also ==
*[[List of agencies of the government of Tamil Nadu]]
*[[List of government of Tamil Nadu laws and rules]]

== References ==
{{Reflist}}

== External links ==
*{{Official website|http://www.tn.gov.in/}}

{{Government of Tamil Nadu}}
{{Government of India by state or territory}}
{{Tamil Nadu}}
{{Topics related to Tamil Nadu}}
{{Authority control}}

[[Category:Government of Tamil Nadu| ]]

Government of Tamil Nadu - Revision history

Owen79097529716 at 06:35, 14 March 2026