Tamil Nadu Governor RN Ravi’s customary address, which was deemed read in the Assembly on Tuesday, lauded the state government led by Chief Minister MK Stalin for its unwavering commitment to showcase the greatness of the Tamil language worldwide, protect the rights of Tamil Nadu and fulfill the great aspirations of the Tamil people. (Though the Governor refused to read the prepared speech and left, a resolution was passed in the House that the speech prepared by the State Government and sent to him would be deemed to have been read by him in the House.)
“I wholeheartedly commend this Chief Minister-led government for its unflinching commitment in showcasing the greatness of our classical language across the world, protecting the rights of Tamil Nadu and fulfilling the great aspirations of the Tamil people,” the governor said in the speech. Thanks to the Chief Minister’s tireless efforts, Tamil Nadu’s economy 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 came into office, the people of Tamil Nadu were suffering from several hardships due to the COVID-19 pandemic, the speech stated and observed, “History will forever remember with gratitude the remarkable achievement of the Chief Minister who, with his untiring efforts and great foresight, saved Tamil Nadu from the COVID-19 pandemic by taking all necessary measures against COVID-19 such as universal vaccine against COVID-19 and taking all necessary measures like is vaccination against COVID-19. increasing the capacity of hospital beds.”
The speech also lauded the deputy minister’s “dynamic leadership” over the self-help group movement, which has turned into a massive people’s movement and is blossoming like a banyan tree. “Under the guidance of our benevolent Chief Minister”, 25 Anbu Cholai Homes have been established and are functioning across Tamil Nadu to provide a safe and supportive day care environment for the elderly.
The Tamil Nadu government has issued orders to remove the term ‘colony’ to denote Adi Dravidar dwellings, the governor said, adding that the chief minister has translated into reality the immortal words of Tamil saint poet Thiruvalluvar, who declared that all human beings are equal from birth and that differences can be seen only in the skills they display through their work.
“Various pioneering initiatives like Drug Free Tamil Nadu Mission to prevent youth from straying on the path of destruction due to ignorance, Thanthai Periyar Memorial Lecture to cultivate moral awareness among youth and State Level Social Justice Workshops are underway,” the Governor said. With the noble objective of uplifting the status of women in the society and firmly asserting their rights, our government has introduced Kalaignar Mahalir Urimai Thittam through which around 1.30 lakh women are getting a monthly entitlement of ₹1,000, she said.
Under the Iyothee Thass Pandithar Housing Development Programme, infrastructural facilities at a cost of Rs 1,000 crore are being created in areas inhabited mainly by Adi Dravidar communities. In addition, infrastructure facilities worth ₹1,000 crore are being upgraded under the ‘Tholkudi Scheme’ to create tribal housing. 7,255 houses at an estimated cost of ₹315 crore have been sanctioned for the benefit of tribal communities. Further, 246 village knowledge centers equipped with basic facilities are being set up in Adi Dravidar habitations.
Investments exceeding ₹ 12.16 crore have been attracted in the industrial sector and projects are being implemented across the state in the last five years. So far, 1,176 Memorandums of Understanding (MoUs) have been signed with various leading industries, which are expected to create around 36 thousand employment opportunities. Electronic goods worth USD 14.65 billion were exported from Tamil Nadu in 2025 alone. Notably, Tamil Nadu’s share of the country’s total electronics exports rose to a record high of 41.2%.
To restore and preserve the ancient temples, which are thousands of years old, restoration work has been carried out in 352 temples during the last four years with an allocation of ₹ 425 crore from government funds, the governor said. In addition, 28,229 renovation works worth ₹8,057 crore are underway in Tamil Nadu and renovation work has been completed and dedication ceremonies have been held in 3,956 temples.
Published – 21 Jan 2026 0:57 IST
