The bills, proposed by the Department of Municipal Administration and Rural Development, aims to enable the nomination of persons with disabilities as members in all types of local bodies
Published Apr 16, 2025 | 1:12 PM ⚊ Updated Apr 16, 2025 | 3:07 PM
Chief minister of Tamil Nadu MK Stalin
Synopsis: Tamil Nadu Chief Minister MK Stalin introduced a bills to ensure representation for persons with disabilities in local governance through nominations, without elections. Amendments to the 1994 and 1998 Panchayat Acts aim to provide equal opportunities. If passed, over 12,000 persons with disabilities will be appointed across various local bodies, significantly increasing their participation in governance.
Tamil Nadu Chief Minister MK Stalin on Wednesday, 16 April, introduced two amendment bills in the State Assembly to ensure representation for persons with disabilities (PwDs) in local bodies through a nomination-based mechanism.
Introducing the Tamil Nadu Urban Local Bodies (Amendment) Bill, 2025 and the Tamil Nadu Panchayats (Second Amendment) Bill, 2025, the chief minister said this Dravidian model initiative would guarantee the voice of persons with disabilities in every tier of local governance — from Village Panchayats, Panchayat Unions, Town Panchayats, Municipalities, and Corporations — without requiring them to contest in elections.
Amendments are being proposed to the Tamil Nadu Panchayats Act, 1994 and the Tamil Nadu Urban Local Bodies Act, 1998. These changes are intended to provide equal opportunities and ensure adequate representation for persons with disabilities in local governance.
The move is expected to benefit around 12,000 persons with disabilities across the state.
Stalin, speaking in the assembly, about the bills said, “This government does not extend help to persons with disabilities out of pity, but on the basis of their rightful entitlements,” receiving multiple rounds of desk-thumping from the treasury benches.
He added that the government’s inclusive vision is encapsulated in the principle of “ellārkkum ellām” (everything for everyone), reinforcing that all communities, especially the most marginalised, must have a place in the administrative framework.
The chief minister recalled that former Chief Minister Kalaignar Karunanidhi had first coined the term “மாற்றுத்திறனாளிகள்” (persons with disabilities) with compassion, and said he is carrying forward the same sentiment.
“Persons with disabilities will be appointed as members on a nomination basis rather than contesting elections in municipal administrations, village panchayats and panchayat unions. This bills will ensure representation of persons with disabilities in local government bodies and enable them to get the opportunities they deserve.”
எல்லாருக்கும் எல்லாம் என்ற பரந்த உள்ளத்துடன் செய்யப்பட்டு வரும் நம் திராவிட மாடல் அரசின் சார்பில் உள்ளாட்சி அமைப்புகளில் மாற்றுத் திறனாளிகளுக்கு உரிய பிரதிநிதித்துவம் வழங்கும் சட்ட முன்வடிவை முன்மொழிவதில் நான் வாழ்நாள் பெருமையடைகிறேன்!
– சட்டப்பேரவையில் மாண்புமிகு முதலமைச்சர்… pic.twitter.com/BtkdPY3XMh
— DMK (@arivalayam) April 16, 2025
“For this, amendments have been proposed in the Tamil Nadu Government Panchayat Act 1994 and the Urban Panchayats Act 1998. I am recommending this to the respective departments. Their voice will resonate in the local government. They will become the ones who lead the local government administration,” said Chief Minister MK Stalin.
“This is not just about representation. It is about turning the oppressed into decision-makers,” Stalin concluded, to resounding applause from the House.
This is a steep rise from the existing 35 elected persons with disability members across urban local bodies. “Their voices will now echo in decision-making rooms across Tamil Nadu,” Stalin said.
The chief minister revealed that the idea to push for direct representation of persons with disabilities was born on 27 February, during the inauguration of the Thanthai Periyar Government Multi-Speciality Hospital in Kolathur.
Activist and academic Prof. Deepak Nathan, a longtime advocate for disability rights, expressed that this was the most impactful achievement of the Dravidian model government, said Chief Minister Stalin. He also noted that Prof. Nathan, along with several other disability rights activists, was present in the Assembly’s visitor gallery during the announcement.
Chief Minister Stalin further recalled the initiatives announced or in progress for persons with disabilities.
He further noted that, since the DMK government assumed office, the budget allocation for the Welfare of the Differently Abled has been more than doubled — from ₹667 crore to ₹1,432 crore.
(Edited by Sumavarsha, with inputs from Subash Chandra Bose)
