CHENNAI: Every time a Cabinet takes charge, it’s often the ministers with MBBS degrees and PhDs that get noticed. However, a total of 13 ministers of the new DMK government, including Chief Minister MK Stalin, have reached the position after serving at least one full five year term in local bodies ranging from village panchayat president, district panchayat president to corporation mayor (refer box). More than higher education degrees, this experience might come in handy when it comes to understanding the ground realities and addressing people’s grievances.
Veteran journalist T Koodalarasan said, “It is not new that former local body leaders have become ministers in the state. But this time the number is high. To even dig a borewell in a village, the village panchayat officials have to deal with various rules. So having had these experiences, the ministers might be in a better position to frame policies and rules,” he said.
Dr G Palanidurai, a former professor in Gandhigram Rural Institute and an expert in rural affairs, said that a better local body administration ultimately reduces the burden of the State government, especially during these challenging times. Currently, more than 50 per cent of the local bodies do not have elected representatives and are being managed by officials appointed by the State government.
“The new government has bifurcated the local body administration department into urban and rural. This is a good decision and Chief Minister Stalin seems to have taken it based on his experience as the Chennai mayor, municipal administration minister and the deputy Chief Minister,” he said.
A former Project Officer of District Rural Development Agency recalled how in 1996, the then DMK local body minister Ko Si Mani changed the rule to enable village panchayats to lay cement roads and install sodium vapour lamps. Mani too had the experience of serving as a village panchayat head.
“Till then the government policy classified such expenditures by a village local body as ‘wasteful expenditure. This led to changing the landscape of our villages,” he said. It remains to be seen how in this term the DMK ministers’ experience will benefit the State.
Strong foundation
List of ministers in the new DMK government with at least 5 yrs of experience as local body leaders