Tamil Nadu Governor R.N. Ravi’s customary address, which was deemed to have been read in the Assembly, on Tuesday, commended the State government, under the leadership of Chief Minister M.K. Stalin, for its unwavering commitment in showcasing the greatness of the Tamil language across the globe, in protecting the rights of Tamil Nadu, and in fulfilling the great aspirations of the Tamil people. (Though the Governor declined to read out the prepared speech and walked out, a resolution was adopted in the House that the speech prepared by the State government and sent to him would be considered as having been read out by him in the House.)
“I wholeheartedly commend this government, under the leadership of the Chief Minister, for its unwavering commitment in showcasing the greatness of our classical language across the globe, in protecting the rights of Tamil Nadu, and in fulfilling the great aspirations of the Tamil people,” the Governor’s address said. Due to the tireless efforts of the Chief Minister, Tamil Nadu’s economy has achieved a robust growth of 11.19% during the last financial year, the address said. “As a result, Tamil Nadu today stands as the leading State in the country in terms of economic growth.”
When the government assumed office, the people of Tamil Nadu were suffering from several hardships caused by the COVID-19 pandemic, the address said and observed: “History will forever remember with gratitude the remarkable achievement of the Chief Minister, who through his relentless efforts and great foresight, rescued Tamil Nadu from the COVID-19 pandemic by taking all necessary measures such as ensuring universal COVID-19 vaccine coverage, securing adequate oxygen supplies and augmenting hospital bed capacity.”
The address also lauded the “dynamic leadership” of the Deputy Chief Minister over the self-help group movement, which has transformed into a massive people’s movement and flourishing like a banyan tree. “Under the guidance of our kind-hearted Chief Minister”, 25 Anbu Cholai homes have been established and are functioning across Tamil Nadu to ensure a safe and supportive daycare environment for the elderly.
The Tamil Nadu government has issued orders to remove the term ‘colony’ to refer to Adi Dravidar habitations, the Governor said and added that the Chief Minister has translated into reality the immortal words of Tamil saint-poet Thiruvalluvar, who proclaimed that all human beings are equal by birth and that differences can be seen only in the skills they display through their work.
“Various pioneering initiatives such as Drug-Free Tamil Nadu Mission to prevent youth from straying onto the path of destruction due to ignorance, the Thanthai Periyar Memorial Lecture to cultivate moral consciousness among the youth and State-Level Social Justice Workshops are being conducted,” the Governor said. With the noble objective of elevating the status of women in society and firmly upholding their rights, our Government introduced the Kalaignar Mahalir Urimai Thittam, through which approximately 1.30 crore women receive a monthly entitlement of ₹1,000, it said.
Under the Iyothee Thass Pandithar Habitation Development Scheme, infrastructure facilities at a cost of Rs.1,000 crore are being created in areas predominantly inhabited by Adi Dravidar communities. In addition to this, under the ‘Tholkudi Scheme’, infrastructure facilities to the tune of ₹1,000 crore are being upgraded to develop tribal habitations For the benefit of tribal communities, 7,255 houses have been sanctioned at an estimated cost of ₹315 crore. Further, 246 Village Knowledge Centres equipped with essential facilities are being established in Adi Dravidar habitations.
In the industrial sector, investments exceeding ₹12.16 lakh crore have been attracted, and projects are being implemented across the State over the past five years. So far, 1,176 Memoranda of Understanding (MoUs) have been signed with various leading industries, which are expected to generate approximately 36 lakh employment opportunities. In the year 2025 alone, electronics goods worth 14.65 billion USD were exported from Tamil Nadu. Notably, Tamil Nadu’s share in overall electronics exports of the country has risen to record levels of 41.2%.
To restore and conserve ancient temples that are thousands of years old, restoration work are being carried out in 352 temples over the past four years with an allocation of ₹425 crore from Government’s funds, the Governor said. Furthermore, 28,229 renovation works worth ₹8,057 crore are underway across Tamil Nadu, and renovation works have been completed and consecration ceremonies have been held in 3,956 temples.
Published – January 21, 2026 12:57 am IST
