Local Bodies in Tamil Nadu
Encyclopedia
Local Bodies in Tamil Nadu constitute the third tier administration set-up in the South Indian
state of Tamil Nadu
. It is a system of local government which forms the last level from the Centre
. Chennai Corporation
(now in Tamil Nadu
) in the then Madras Presidency
, established in 1688, is the oldest such Local Body not only in India but also in any commonwealth nations outside United Kingdom.
wherein the village administration was taken care by a Village assembly known as Sabai in every village. Further, each village was divided into several wards known as mandalams . This is evident from the epigraph inscriptions found in Vaikuntha Perumal Temple near Uthiramerur
. They used the Pot-ticket system of election (Kudavolai Murai) to elect the representatives to the assembly.
Later came the British
rule in India in which the centralization of governance was enforced. People in the interior of the villages had to walk up to the central authorities for their obligations and grievances. Anyhow this system faded out as the British government realized the pitfalls in this system. Laudable efforts of Lord Ripon
brought legislation in this aspect which created unions in small towns and villages, to facilitate proper sanitation and lighting. Later, councils were constituted in this regard for which the members are directly elected by elections. Councils were made accountable to an Inspector and Chairman. Though urbanization was less prevalent those days, Chennai
(erstwhile Madras) had the honor of having such Municipal Corporation
status even in 1688. Urban local bodies known Municipalities were in existence. A department named Local and Municipal Department was functioning in the then Secratariat from 1916 and it had Local, Municipal, Plague, Medical and Legislative Branches.
Independent India heard many voices for the revival and strengthening of the Village panchayats, even as the Nation's father Mahatma Gandhi
insisted upon this for achieving Swaraj
completely covering all the corners of this country. Later, a committee set up by Government of India
, popularly known Balwant Rai Mehta Committee
committee suggested the formation of three tier Panchayati Raj
system. From then, there came many legislation to ensure effective system of Local governance in Tamil Nadu. Notable legislative orders to Local Bodies by the centre-state governments include:
is the state government governing body for local bodies which is headed by a Minister who is an elected member of the Tamil Nadu Legislative Assembly.
, Tamil Nadu has about 48.45% of total population living in urbanized areas. Depending on the population and income of the urban local bodies, they are further classified into three categories.
Larger cities of Tamil Nadu are governed by City Municipal Corporations . Tamil Nadu has 10 municipal corporations: Chennai
, Madurai
,Coimbatore, Tiruchirappalli
, Salem
, Tirunelveli
, Erode
, Tirupur
, Vellore
and Thoothukudi
. These cities alone house one-third of urban population in this state. Corporation consists of a council of elected councilors from each ward and a presiding officer, Mayor
who is also an elected representative. Apart from them, an executive authority referred as Corporation Commissioner is also vested with administrative powers.
Municipalities fall next to the city corporations. There are about 125 Municipalities in Tamil Nadu. Municipalities have four categories based on their annual income and population. These include 17 special grade municipalities, 31 selection grade municipalities, 33 grade I municipalities, 44 grade II municipalities. Their elected representatives include ward councilors and a presiding officer, Municipal Chairperson. Municipal Commissioner is the executive authority.
Town panchayat is the body of government for areas in transition form ‘rural’ to ‘urban’. Tamil Nadu is the first state to introduce such a classification in urban local bodies. The state has 529 town panchayats. Town panchayats are upgraded to Grade III municipalities if they are found to be eligible. They are categorized in a similar way to that of Municipalities depending on the income criteria and population. Town panchayat council include elected ward councilors and their presiding officer, Town panchayat chairperson. Executive Officer is the executive authority as in case of Town panchayats.
Village panchayats form the grass-root level of democracy as they form the local government for the basic building blocks of our country - villages. It is set up in villages where the population is less than 300. There are about 12,524 Village panchayats in this state. Gram Sabha is a part of Village panchayat which consists of elected ward members and Village panchayat president. Village panchayat president himself is an executive authority here. They must meet for minimum of four times a year.
Panchayat Union is the group of Village panchayats. They serve as the link between the villages and the district administration. They form the local government at the Taluk level. Tamil Nadu has 385 panchayat unions. Panchayat union council consists of elected ward members from the villages. It is headed by a panchayat union chairperson, who is elected indirectly by the ward members of the council.
District panchayats form the cream of the panchayat raj system. They take the top slot with mainly advisory powers to the rest. Developmental administration of the district in rural areas are in its hands. It consists of ward members elected from various villages in its jurisdiction. It is presided by district panchayat chairperson, who is indirectly elected by its ward members. There are 31 district panchayats in this state except for the district of Chennai
as it is an urban district. District collector
is the ex-officio chairman of the District rural development agency.
. Both direct and indirect elections apply for local bodies. Direct election posts include:
Indirect election posts include Chairpersons of District panchayats and Panchayat unions, Deputy Mayor of corporations, Vice-Chairpersons of Municipalities and Town panchayats. Various statutory/standing committees are also elected by the way of indirect elections.
Source of revenue for these local bodies are mainly from centre-state governments. Local bodies also have the power of taxation which include House Tax, Profession Tax, Property Tax etc. Apart from these they levy fees for specific building plan and layout approvals, Water charges, Sewerage charges etc.
India
India , officially the Republic of India , is a country in South Asia. It is the seventh-largest country by geographical area, the second-most populous country with over 1.2 billion people, and the most populous democracy in the world...
state of Tamil Nadu
Tamil Nadu
Tamil Nadu is one of the 28 states of India. Its capital and largest city is Chennai. Tamil Nadu lies in the southernmost part of the Indian Peninsula and is bordered by the union territory of Pondicherry, and the states of Kerala, Karnataka, and Andhra Pradesh...
. It is a system of local government which forms the last level from the Centre
Government of India
The Government of India, officially known as the Union Government, and also known as the Central Government, was established by the Constitution of India, and is the governing authority of the union of 28 states and seven union territories, collectively called the Republic of India...
. Chennai Corporation
Chennai Corporation
Chennai Corporation , formerly known as Madras Corporation, is the civic body that governs the city of Chennai , India. The Chennai Corporation is the oldest municipal body of the Commonwealth of Nations outside the United Kingdom and the oldest corporation in India...
(now in Tamil Nadu
Tamil Nadu
Tamil Nadu is one of the 28 states of India. Its capital and largest city is Chennai. Tamil Nadu lies in the southernmost part of the Indian Peninsula and is bordered by the union territory of Pondicherry, and the states of Kerala, Karnataka, and Andhra Pradesh...
) in the then Madras Presidency
Madras Presidency
The Madras Presidency , officially the Presidency of Fort St. George and also known as Madras Province, was an administrative subdivision of British India...
, established in 1688, is the oldest such Local Body not only in India but also in any commonwealth nations outside United Kingdom.
History
The history of local bodies in Tamil Nadu could be dated back to the Ancient periodHistory of Tamil Nadu
The region of Tamil Nadu in modern India has been under continuous human habitation since prehistoric times, and the history of Tamil Nadu and the civilization of the Tamil people are among the oldest in the world. Throughout its history, spanning the early Paleolithic age to modern times, this...
wherein the village administration was taken care by a Village assembly known as Sabai in every village. Further, each village was divided into several wards known as mandalams . This is evident from the epigraph inscriptions found in Vaikuntha Perumal Temple near Uthiramerur
Uthiramerur
Uthiramerur is a panchayat town in Kancheepuram district in the Indian state of Tamil Nadu.-History:The Pallava king Nandivarman II established it around 750 A.D.It was ruled by the Pallavas, the Cholas, the Pandyas, the Sambuvarayars, the Vijayanagara Rayas and the Nayaks.-Demographics: India...
. They used the Pot-ticket system of election (Kudavolai Murai) to elect the representatives to the assembly.
Later came the British
British Raj
British Raj was the British rule in the Indian subcontinent between 1858 and 1947; The term can also refer to the period of dominion...
rule in India in which the centralization of governance was enforced. People in the interior of the villages had to walk up to the central authorities for their obligations and grievances. Anyhow this system faded out as the British government realized the pitfalls in this system. Laudable efforts of Lord Ripon
George Robinson, 1st Marquess of Ripon
George Frederick Samuel Robinson, 1st Marquess of Ripon KG, GCSI, CIE, PC , known as Viscount Goderich from 1833 to 1859 and as the Earl de Grey and Ripon from 1859 to 1871, was a British politician who served in every Liberal cabinet from 1861 until his death forty-eight years later.-Background...
brought legislation in this aspect which created unions in small towns and villages, to facilitate proper sanitation and lighting. Later, councils were constituted in this regard for which the members are directly elected by elections. Councils were made accountable to an Inspector and Chairman. Though urbanization was less prevalent those days, Chennai
Chennai
Chennai , formerly known as Madras or Madarasapatinam , is the capital city of the Indian state of Tamil Nadu, located on the Coromandel Coast off the Bay of Bengal. Chennai is the fourth most populous metropolitan area and the sixth most populous city in India...
(erstwhile Madras) had the honor of having such Municipal Corporation
Municipal corporation
A municipal corporation is the legal term for a local governing body, including cities, counties, towns, townships, charter townships, villages, and boroughs. Municipal incorporation occurs when such municipalities become self-governing entities under the laws of the state or province in which...
status even in 1688. Urban local bodies known Municipalities were in existence. A department named Local and Municipal Department was functioning in the then Secratariat from 1916 and it had Local, Municipal, Plague, Medical and Legislative Branches.
Independent India heard many voices for the revival and strengthening of the Village panchayats, even as the Nation's father Mahatma Gandhi
Mahatma Gandhi
Mohandas Karamchand Gandhi , pronounced . 2 October 1869 – 30 January 1948) was the pre-eminent political and ideological leader of India during the Indian independence movement...
insisted upon this for achieving Swaraj
Swaraj
Swaraj can mean generally self-governance or "self-rule", and was used synonymously with "home-rule" by Gandhi but the word usually refers to Gandhi's concept for Indian independence from foreign domination. Swaraj lays stress on governance not by a hierarchical government, but self governance...
completely covering all the corners of this country. Later, a committee set up by Government of India
Government of India
The Government of India, officially known as the Union Government, and also known as the Central Government, was established by the Constitution of India, and is the governing authority of the union of 28 states and seven union territories, collectively called the Republic of India...
, popularly known Balwant Rai Mehta Committee
Balwant Rai Mehta Committee
The Balwant Rai Mehta Committee was a committee appointed by the Government of India in January 1957 to examine the working of the Community Development Programme and the National Extension Service and to suggest measures for their better working. The Chairman of this committee was Balwantrai G Mehta...
committee suggested the formation of three tier Panchayati Raj
Panchayati Raj
The panchayat raj is a South Asian political system mainly in India, Pakistan, and Nepal. "Panchayat" literally means assembly of five wise and respected elders chosen and accepted by the local community. Traditionally, these assemblies settled disputes between individuals and villages...
system. From then, there came many legislation to ensure effective system of Local governance in Tamil Nadu. Notable legislative orders to Local Bodies by the centre-state governments include:
- Article 40 of Indian Constitution
- Madras Village Panchayat Act, 1950
- Tamil Nadu District Municipalities (Amendment) Act, 1950
- Tamil Nadu Panchayats Act, 1958
- Tamil Nadu District Development Councils Act, 1958
- Tamil Nadu Panchayats Act, 1994 (ratifications to 73rd and 74th Amendment of the Constitution of IndiaAmendment of the Constitution of IndiaAmendment of the Constitution of India is the process of making changes to the nation's fundamental law. Changes to the Indian constitution are made by the federal parliament. They must be approved by a super-majority in each house of the Parliament of India, and certain amendments must also be...
)
Overview
Developmental administration is the main objective of these local bodies. They are effected by the means of Urban and Rural local bodies. They are responsible for the implementation of various centrally-sponsored, state-funded, and externally-aided schemes for provision of basic amenities and other services to the people. Elections are held to elect the representatives for local body council in respective urban and rural areas every five years. Ministry of Municipal Administration and Rural Development, Government of Tamil NaduGovernment of Tamil Nadu
The Government of Tamil Nadu, headquartered at Chennai is the governing authority for the Indian State of Tamil Nadu. It is seated at the Fort St. George...
is the state government governing body for local bodies which is headed by a Minister who is an elected member of the Tamil Nadu Legislative Assembly.
Administrative Units
Local bodies are categorized into two viz. Urban Local Body and Rural Local Body. This classification is rooted in terms of living standards in the context of urban and rural agglomeration.Urban Local Bodies
The urban local bodies acts as platform between the people in the urban areas and the administration. According to 2011 census of India2011 census of India
The 15th Indian National census was conducted in two phases, houselisting and population enumeration. Houselisting phase began on April 1, 2010 and involved collection of information about all buildings...
, Tamil Nadu has about 48.45% of total population living in urbanized areas. Depending on the population and income of the urban local bodies, they are further classified into three categories.
- City Municipal CorporationsMunicipal Corporations of Tamil NaduMunicipal corporations of Tamil Nadu . There are 10 municipal corporations in Tamil Nadu-List of municipal corporations:-List of Corporations based on Administration:-See also:* Municipal Corporations of India...
- Municipalities
- Town PanchayatNagar PanchayatA nagar palika or nagar panchayat is a form of an urban political unit in India comparable to a municipality.An urban centre with more than 30,000 and less than 100,000 inhabitants is classified as a nagar panchayat....
Larger cities of Tamil Nadu are governed by City Municipal Corporations . Tamil Nadu has 10 municipal corporations: Chennai
Chennai Corporation
Chennai Corporation , formerly known as Madras Corporation, is the civic body that governs the city of Chennai , India. The Chennai Corporation is the oldest municipal body of the Commonwealth of Nations outside the United Kingdom and the oldest corporation in India...
, Madurai
Madurai Municipal Corporation
Madurai Municipal Corporation is the civic body which administers the city of Madurai in Tamil Nadu, India. It consists of a legislative and an executive body. The legislative body is headed by the city mayor while the executive body is headed by a Chief Commissioner.- History :The municipality of...
,Coimbatore, Tiruchirappalli
Tiruchirappalli Municipal Corporation
Tiruchirappalli Municipal Corporation is the municipal corporation which looks after the city administration of Tiruchirappalli in Tamil Nadu, India. It consists of a legislative and an executive body...
, Salem
Salem Municipal Corporation
Salem City Municipal Corporation is a civic body that governs Salem city, India. It consists of a legislative and an executive body.The legislative body is headed by the city mayor while the executive body is headed by a Chief Commissioner....
, Tirunelveli
Tirunelveli Municipal Corporation
Tirunelveli Municipal Corporation ) is the civic body which administers the city of Tirunelveli in Tamil Nadu, India. It consists of a legislative and an executive body...
, Erode
Erode Municipal Corporation
Erode Municipal Corporation ) is a civic administrative body that governs the City of Erode, India. The Corporation consists of a legislative boby, headed by the City Mayor and an executive body headed by the Corporation Commissioner...
, Tirupur
Tiruppur Municipal Corporation
The City Municipal Corporation of Tiruppur or Tiruppur Municipal Corporation ) is a civic body that governs Tiruppur city, India. This corporation consist of 52 wards and is headed by a Mayor who presides over a Deputy Mayor and 50 councillors who represent eachwards in the city....
, Vellore
Vellore Municipal Corporation
The City Municipal Corporation of Vellore or Vellore Municipal Corporation . is a civic body that governs Vellore city, India. This corporation consist of 60 wards and is headed by a Mayor who presides over a Deputy Mayor and 60 councillors who represent each wards in the city....
and Thoothukudi
Thoothukudi Municipal Corporation
The City Municipal Corporation of Thoothukudi or Thoothukudi Municipal Corporation . is a civic body that governs Thoothukudi city, India. This corporation consist of 51 wards and is headed by a Mayor who presides over a Deputy Mayor and 49 councillors who represent each wards in the...
. These cities alone house one-third of urban population in this state. Corporation consists of a council of elected councilors from each ward and a presiding officer, Mayor
Mayor
In many countries, a Mayor is the highest ranking officer in the municipal government of a town or a large urban city....
who is also an elected representative. Apart from them, an executive authority referred as Corporation Commissioner is also vested with administrative powers.
Municipalities fall next to the city corporations. There are about 125 Municipalities in Tamil Nadu. Municipalities have four categories based on their annual income and population. These include 17 special grade municipalities, 31 selection grade municipalities, 33 grade I municipalities, 44 grade II municipalities. Their elected representatives include ward councilors and a presiding officer, Municipal Chairperson. Municipal Commissioner is the executive authority.
Town panchayat is the body of government for areas in transition form ‘rural’ to ‘urban’. Tamil Nadu is the first state to introduce such a classification in urban local bodies. The state has 529 town panchayats. Town panchayats are upgraded to Grade III municipalities if they are found to be eligible. They are categorized in a similar way to that of Municipalities depending on the income criteria and population. Town panchayat council include elected ward councilors and their presiding officer, Town panchayat chairperson. Executive Officer is the executive authority as in case of Town panchayats.
Rural Local Bodies
Rural local bodies include the panchayat raj institutions of this state. There are three levels in this system as follows.- Village PanchayatsGram panchayatGram panchayats are local self-governments at the village or small town level in India. As of 2002 there were about 265,000 gram panchayats in India. The gram panchayat is the foundation of the Panchayat System. A gram panchayat can be set up in villages with minimum population of 300...
- Panchayat UnionsPanchayat samitiPanchayat samiti is a local government body at the tehsil or Taluka level in India. It works for the villages of the Tehsil or Taluka that together are called a Development Block. The Panchayat Samiti is the link between the Gram Panchayat and the district administration. There are a number of...
(co-terminus with Blocks) - District PanchayatsZilla ParishadZilla Parishad is a local government body at the district level in India. It looks after the administration of the rural area of the district and its office is located at the district headquarters...
in this state.
Village panchayats form the grass-root level of democracy as they form the local government for the basic building blocks of our country - villages. It is set up in villages where the population is less than 300. There are about 12,524 Village panchayats in this state. Gram Sabha is a part of Village panchayat which consists of elected ward members and Village panchayat president. Village panchayat president himself is an executive authority here. They must meet for minimum of four times a year.
Panchayat Union is the group of Village panchayats. They serve as the link between the villages and the district administration. They form the local government at the Taluk level. Tamil Nadu has 385 panchayat unions. Panchayat union council consists of elected ward members from the villages. It is headed by a panchayat union chairperson, who is elected indirectly by the ward members of the council.
District panchayats form the cream of the panchayat raj system. They take the top slot with mainly advisory powers to the rest. Developmental administration of the district in rural areas are in its hands. It consists of ward members elected from various villages in its jurisdiction. It is presided by district panchayat chairperson, who is indirectly elected by its ward members. There are 31 district panchayats in this state except for the district of Chennai
Chennai district
The Chennai District is a district in the state of Tamil nadu, in India. It is the smallest of all the districts in the state, but has the highest population. The district is a city district which means that it does not have a district headquarters. Most of the city region of Chennai comes under...
as it is an urban district. District collector
District collector
The District Collector is the district head of administration of the bureaucracy in a state of India. Though he/she is appointed and is under general supervision of the state government, he/she has to be a member of the elite IAS recruited by the Central Government...
is the ex-officio chairman of the District rural development agency.
District Wise Details
| District | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Urban | Rural | ||||
| Corporations | Municipalities | Town Panchayats | Panchayat Unions (Blocks) | Village Panchayats | |
| Ariyalur Ariyalur district Ariyalur is an administrative district in the state of Tamil Nadu in India. The district headquarters are located at Ariyalur... |
0 | 2 | 2 | 6 | 201 |
| Chennai Chennai district The Chennai District is a district in the state of Tamil nadu, in India. It is the smallest of all the districts in the state, but has the highest population. The district is a city district which means that it does not have a district headquarters. Most of the city region of Chennai comes under... |
1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Coimbatore Coimbatore District Coimbatore District is one of the more affluent and industrially advanced districts of the state of Tamil Nadu in India. Coimbatore is known as the Manchester of South India. It one of the most industrialized towns of Tamil Nadu. It has the highest GDP among the districts of Tamil Nadu, even ahead... |
1 | 19 | 52 | 13 | 389 |
| Cuddalore Cuddalore District Cuddalore District is a district of Tamil Nadu state in southern India. The city of Cuddalore is the district headquarters. For the first time, urn burial grave goods were found in the village of Marungur in the district, carrying inscriptions in Tamil Brahmi from the 1st century... |
0 | 5 | 16 | 13 | 682 |
| Dharmapuri | 0 | 1 | 10 | 8 | 251 |
| Dindigul Dindigul District Dindigul District is an administrative region in the south of Tamil Nadu, India. The district was carved out of Madurai District in the year 1985... |
0 | 3 | 24 | 14 | 306 |
| Erode Erode District Erode District is a western district of the state of Tamil Nadu, India, with Erode as its headquarters. Until the year 1996, Erode district was called as Periyar District.... |
1 | 10 | 53 | 14 | 343 |
| Kancheepuram Kanchipuram district Kanchipuram district is a district in the northeast of the state of Tamil Nadu in India. It is bounded in the west by Vellore and Thiruvannamalai districts, in the north by Thiruvallur District and Chennai District, in the south by Viluppuram District and in the east by the Bay of Bengal. It lies... |
0 | 10 | 24 | 13 | 648 |
| Kanniyakumari | 0 | 4 | 56 | 9 | 99 |
| Karur Karur District Karur District is located center along the Kaveri & Amaravati rivers in the Indian State of Tamil Nadu. The main town in Karur District is the city of Karur, which is also the district headquarter. It had a population of 935,686 as of 2001. It is 33.27% urbanized as per Census 2001... |
0 | 4 | 11 | 8 | 158 |
| Krishnagiri Krishnagiri District Krishnagiri is a district in the state of Tamil Nadu, India. The municipal town of Krishnagiri is the district headquarters. In Tamil Nadu, E-Governance was first introduced at Krishnagiri district under the National e-Governance Project in Revenue, Social Welfare departments on a pilot basis... |
0 | 2 | 7 | 10 | 337 |
| Madurai Madurai District Madurai district is one of the 32 districts of the state of Tamil Nadu, in southeastern India. The city of Madurai serves as the district headquarters. It houses the world famous Sri Meenakshi Sundareshwarar temple and is situated on the banks of river Vaigai. Thiruparankundram is one of the major... |
1 | 6 | 24 | 12 | 431 |
| Nagapattinam | 0 | 4 | 8 | 11 | 434 |
| Namakkal Namakkal District Namakkal District is an administrative district in the state of Tamil Nadu, India. The district was bifurcated from Salem District with Namakkal town as Head Quarters on 25-07-1996 and started to function independently from 01-01-1997... |
0 | 5 | 19 | 15 | 331 |
| Perambalur | 0 | 1 | 4 | 4 | 121 |
| Pudukkottai Pudukkottai District Pudukkottai District is a district of Tamil Nadu state in southern India. The city of Pudukkottai is the district headquarters... |
0 | 2 | 8 | 13 | 498 |
| Ramanathapuram Ramanathapuram District Ramanathapuram District is an administrative district of Tamil Nadu state in southern India. The city of Ramanathapuram is the district headquarters. Ramanthapuram District has an area of 4123 km²... |
0 | 4 | 7 | 11 | 443 |
| Salem Salem District Salem District is a district of Tamil Nadu state in southern India. The city of Salem is the district headquarters. Other major towns in the district are Mettur, Omalur and Attur... |
1 | 4 | 33 | 20 | 385 |
| Sivaganga Sivaganga District Sivaganga District is an administrative district of Tamil Nadu state in southern India. The city of Sivaganga is the district headquarters. It is bounded by Pudukkottai district on the Northeast, Tiruchirapalli district on the North, Ramanathapuram district on South East, Virudhunagar district... |
0 | 3 | 12 | 12 | 431 |
| Thanjavur Thanjavur District Thanjavur District is one of the 32 districts of the state of Tamil Nadu, in southeastern India. Its headquarters is Thanjavur.-Geography:... |
0 | 3 | 22 | 14 | 589 |
| Nilgiris | 0 | 4 | 11 | 4 | 35 |
| Theni Theni District Theni District is a district of Tamil Nadu state in South India. The city of Theni is the district headquarters. The district is divided into two natural divisions: The hilly areas constituted by parts of the three taluks Periyakulam, Uthamapalayam and Andipatti with thick vegetation and... |
0 | 6 | 22 | 8 | 130 |
| Thiruvallur | 0 | 12 | 13 | 14 | 539 |
| Thiruvannamalai | 0 | 4 | 10 | 18 | 860 |
| Thiruvarur | 0 | 4 | 7 | 10 | 430 |
| Thoothukudi Thoothukudi District Thoothukudi District, also known as Tuticorin District, is a district of Tamil Nadu state in southern India. Thoothukudi is the district headquarters. It is also known for Pearl cultivation with abundance of pearls found in the seas of Thoothukudi... |
1 | 2 | 19 | 12 | 408 |
| Tiruchirappalli Tiruchirappalli district Tiruchirapalli District , also known as Tiruchchirapalli District or Trichy District, is located along the Kaveri River in Tamil Nadu, India... |
1 | 3 | 17 | 14 | 408 |
| Tirunelveli Tirunelveli District Tirunelveli District is a district of Tamil Nadu state in southern India. The city of Tirunelveli is the district headquarters. A unique feature of this district is that it encompasses all five geographical traditions of Tamil Literature; kurinji , mullai , marudham , neithal and palai... |
1 | 18 | 36 | 19 | 425 |
| Tiruppur | 1 | 6 | 17 | 13 | 273 |
| Vellore Vellore District Vellore district is one of the 32 districts in the Tamil Nadu state of India. Vellore City is the headquarters of this district. It had a population of 3,477,317 as of 2001. It is 37.62% urbanised... |
1 | 13 | 22 | 20 | 753 |
| Villupuram | 0 | 3 | 15 | 22 | 1104 |
| Virudhunagar Virudhunagar District Virudhunagar District is an administrative district of Tamil Nadu state in southern India. Virudhunagar is the district headquarters. Virudhunagar district was formed from parts of Tirunelveli and Madurai districts.... |
0 | 7 | 9 | 11 | 450 |
| Total | 10 | 125 | 529 | 385 | 12,524 |
Elections
Elections to the local bodies in Tamil Nadu, held once in five years, are conducted by Tamil Nadu State Election CommissionTamil Nadu State Election Commission
The Tamil Nadu State Election Commission is an autonomous, independent Constitutional and Statutory authority of Tamil Nadu. It was formed under the Constitution of India as per the provisions of the 73rd and 74th Amendments Acts of 1992 on 15 July 1994...
. Both direct and indirect elections apply for local bodies. Direct election posts include:
- Urban Bodies
- Corporation Mayor
- Municipality/Town Panchayat Chairperson
- Corporation/Municipality/Town Panchayat Councillor
- Rural Bodies
- Village Panchayat President
- District Panchayat Ward Member
- Panchayat Union Ward Member
- Village Panchayat Ward Member
Indirect election posts include Chairpersons of District panchayats and Panchayat unions, Deputy Mayor of corporations, Vice-Chairpersons of Municipalities and Town panchayats. Various statutory/standing committees are also elected by the way of indirect elections.
Functions
Local bodies are completely responsible for the developmental administration in the state. Maintenance of clean environment, primary health facilities gain the foremost importance. Apart from them water supply, roads and buildings, storm water drains, street lighting, solid waste management, sanitation and bus stands cum commercial complexes etc. are the prime duties of the local bodies. Centrally sponsored schemes like Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Scheme (MGNREGS), Indira Awaas Yojana (IAY), Member of Parliament Local Area Development Scheme (MPLADS), etc., and State-funded Schemes like Tamil Nadu Village Habitation Improvement Scheme(THAI), Member of Legislative Assembly Constituency Development Scheme (MLACDS), Self Sufficiency Scheme, Solar Powered Green House Scheme are also undertaken by the local bodies.Source of revenue for these local bodies are mainly from centre-state governments. Local bodies also have the power of taxation which include House Tax, Profession Tax, Property Tax etc. Apart from these they levy fees for specific building plan and layout approvals, Water charges, Sewerage charges etc.