Misplaced Pages

Revision as of 01:14, 16 August 2006

Template:India state infobox

Tamil Nadu pronunciation (Tamil: தமிழ் நாடு, "Land of the Tamils"; IPA: /t̪əmɪl naːɖʊ/) is a state at the southern tip of India. The bordering states/territories are Pondicherry, Kerala, Karnataka and Andhra Pradesh. The island nation of Sri Lanka, which has a significant Tamil minority, lies off the southeast coast.

Description

Tamil Nadu has the largest urban agglomeration nationwide and is the second most industrialized state in India. Unlike most other parts of the country, Tamil Nadu gets its rainfall largely from the "North-East monsoon" in the months of October-December. There is a long standing dispute with Karnataka over the matter of water from the Kaveri River. The river flows south from Karnataka to Tamil Nadu, and both regions draw on water from the river, prompting concerns over whether the upper riparian Karnataka has released its fair share of river water to the lower riparian Tamil Nadu.

Chennai, which was known until 1996 as Madras, is the fourth largest city of India and the state capital. Also known as the auto capital of India, Chennai is the home of Marina Beach, one of longest beaches in the world. Kolvam beach and Silver Beach in Cuddalore are beaches of tourism importance.Madurai, Coimbatore, Tiruchirapalli, Salem, Thirunelveli and Tirupur (Coimbatore District)are other large cities (Corporations) of Tamil Nadu.

History

Tamil Nadu's history dates back pre-historic times and archeological evidence points to this area being one of the longest continuous habitations in India. From early pre-history Tamil Nadu was the home of the three famous kingdoms of the Chera, the Chola and the Pandya. The ancient Tamil literature points to an ancient civilisation lasting since the dawn of time.

The Sangam literature has numerous mentions of the kings and princes who ruled this region. Scholars now generally agree that this literature belongs to the first few centuries CE. The Sangam literature is full of names of the kings and the princes, and of the poets who extolled them. The early Cholas reigned between 1st and 4th centuries CE. The first and the most famous king of this period was Karikala Chola, who expanded the Chola territories up to Kanchipuram. The Cholas occupied the present Thanjavur and Tiruchirappali districts and excelled in military exploits. In the height of their glory, the Chola kings had spread their influence as far as Ceylon (SriLanka) in the south and hundreds of kilometers across the northern region. The early Cholas went into decline around the third century CE, when the Tamil country was invaded by Kalabhras who defeated the Tamil kingdoms and ruled for almost three centuries. They were defeated and the expelled in the sixth century CE by the Pallavas in the north and the Pandyas in the south.

Temple builders

Around 580 CE, the Pallavas, great temple builders, emerged into prominence and dominated the south for another 150 years. They ruled a large portion of Tamil Nadu with Kanchipuram as their base. They subjugated the Cholas and reigned as far as the Kaveri River. Among the greatest Pallava rulers were Mahendravarman I and his son Narasimhavarman I. Dravidian architecture reached its epitome during Pallava rule.

The Cholas again rose to power by the 9th century. Under Rajaraja Chola and his son Rajendra Chola, the Cholas rose as a notable power in Asia. The Chola Empire stretched as far as Bengal. Rajaraja Chola conquered peninsular South India, and annexed parts of Sri Lanka. Rajendra Chola's navies went beyond, occupying coastal Burma, the Andaman and Nicobar Islands, Lakshadweep, Sumatra, Java, Malaya in South East Asia and Pegu islands. He defeated Mahipala, the king of the Bengal, and to commemorate his victory he built a new capital called Gangaikonda Cholapuram. Chola armies exacted tribute from Thailand and Cambodia.

The Cholas revelled in building magnificent temples. Brihadisvara Temple in Thanjavur is a classical example of the magnificent architecture of the Chola kingdom. The power of the Cholas declined around the 13th century. With the decline of the Cholas, the Pandyas rose to prominence once again in the early 14th century. This was short lived; they were soon subdued by Muslim Khilji invaders from the north in 1316. Madurai was sacked. The invasion led to the establishment of the Madurai Sultanate. These Muslim invasions caused the establishment of Vijayanagara Empire in the Deccan. It eventually conquered the entire Tamil country (c. 1370 CE). As the Vijayanagara Empire went into decline after mid-16th century, the Nayak governors, who were appointed by the Vijayanagar kingdom to administer various territories of the empire, declared their independence. The Nayaks of Madurai and Thanjavur were most prominent of them all. They reconstructed some of the oldest temples in the country.

European settlements

Around 1609, the Dutch established a settlement in Pulicat. In 1639, the British, under the British East India Company, established a settlement further south, in present day Chennai. The British used petty quarrels among the provincial rulers (divide and rule) to expand their sphere of influence. The British fought and reduced the French dominions in India to Pondicherry. They consolidated southern India into the Madras Presidency. Some notable chieftains or Poligars who fought the British East India Company as it was expanding were Veerapandya Kattabomman, Maruthu Pandiyar, Pulithevan and Dheeran Chinnamalai. Pudukkottai remained as a princely state under British suzerainty.

When India became independent in 1947, Madras Presidency became Madras State, comprising of present day Tamil Nadu, coastal Andhra Pradesh, northern Karnataka, and parts of Kerala. The state was subsequently split up along linguistic lines. In 1968, Madras State was renamed Tamil Nadu. (means Tamil Country)

Politics

Tamil Nadu had a bicameral legislature until 1986, when it was replaced with a unicameral legislature, like most other states in India.

• Number of Lok Sabha Constituencies : 39
• Number of Assembly Constituencies : 234

Regional parties have dominated state politics since 1967. One of the earliest regional parties was the South Indian Welfare Association, which was founded in 1916. It came to be known as the Justice Party after the name of its English-language daily, Justice.

E.V. Ramasami Naicker, popularly known as "Periyar", renamed the party Dravidar Kazhagam in 1944. DK was a non-political party which demanded the establishment of an independent state called Dravida Nadu. However, due to the differences between its two leaders Periyar and C.N. Annadurai, the party was split. Annadurai left the party to form the Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam.The DMK decided to enter into politics in 1956.

Racial concepts

In the 19th century, Western scholars proposed that Dravidian speakers were earlier inhabitants of India than the speakers of the Indo-Aryan languages in the north of the country. It was supposed that the generally darker-skinned Dravidians constituted a distinct race. This notion corresponded to racial hierarchies of the time according to which darker skinned peoples were more primitive than light-skinned whites. Accordingly, Dravidians were envisaged as primitive early inhabitants of India who had been partially displaced and subordinated by more advanced Aryans.

This concept has affected thinking in India about racial and regional differences and has informed aspects of Tamil nationalism, which has at times appropriated the claim that Dravidians are the earliest inhabitants of India in order to argue that other populations were oppressive interlopers from which Dravidians should liberate themselves. The discovery of the Indus Valley Civilisation in the 1920s, which is sometimes attributed to now assimilated Dravidians of the north, further fuelled such Dravidianist ideas since it implied that the Indo-Aryans were "uncivilised barbarians" rather than a "superior race". Although the general outline of the theory, concerning the differences in language and culture between North and South India as being the result of an incursion of Indo-European speaking peoples or culture, is generally considered correct by modern scholars, the racial implications of these differences are far more controversial.

Nehru's grant of a separate state essentially forced Tamil nationalism off stage. Instead Tamil regional parties now fight for access to the centre and between each other. The Anti-Hindi agitations in mid-1960s made the DMK more popular and more powerful in the state. The DMK routed the Congress Party in the 1967 elections and took control of the state government, ending Congress's stronghold in Tamil Nadu. C.N. Annadurai became the DMK's first Chief Minister, and Muthuvel Karunanidhi took over as Chief Minister and party leader after Annadurai's death in 1969.

Karunanidhi's leadership was soon challenged by M.G. Ramachandran, popularly known as MGR. In 1972, he split from DMK and formed the All India Anna Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam (AIADMK). He was the Chief Minister of the state from 1977 until his death in 1987. After the death of MGR, the party split again into two factions, one led by Janaki Ramachandran, wife of MGR, and the other led by J. Jayalalithaa. After the defeat of AIADMK in 1989 assembly polls, both factions were merged and Jayalalithaa took control of the party. She was elected as the General Secretary of the unified AIADMK. There have been splits in both the DMK and the AIADMK, but since 1967 one of those two parties has held power in the state. In the State Elections held in May 2006, the prevailing government by the AIADMK was defeated by the DMK-led alliance.

Demographics

Tamil Nadu's population stood at 62,110,839 as of 00.00 hours of March 1 2001. It is the sixth most populous State of the Indian Union behind Uttar Pradesh, Maharashtra, Bihar, West Bengal and Andhra Pradesh. The State accounts for 6.05% of the country's population. Its population density at 478 persons per square kilometre, up from 429 in 1991, and much higher than the all-India density of 324, makes it the eleventh most densely populated State (1991 rank:10) . Approximately 47% of Tamil Nadu's population live in urban areas, one of the highest percentages in India.

During the decade 1991-2001, Tamil Nadu reported the second lowest decadal growth in population after Kerala, among the group of States with population exceeding 20 million in 2001. While Kerala's population grew by 9.42% between 1991 and 2001, Tamil Nadu's grew by 11.19%. In fact, Tamil Nadu, Kerala and Orissa are the only three States in this group to have shown a decline in decadal percentage change in population in every decade since 1971.

Culture and Arts

Tamil civilization is one of the oldest in the world. Unique cultural features, like Tanjore paintings, Bharatanatyam and Tamil architecture, give Tamil Nadu a heritage to be proud of. Chola kings conquered lands as far north as the Himalayas, and as far east as Thailand, Cambodia, Malaysia and Indonesia. The world's oldest dam was built across the Kaveri river in Tamil Nadu by King Karikala Chola. Today, the rapidly increasing IT boom in Tamil Nadu cities like Chennai and Coimbatore makes Tamil Nadu one of India's economic hotspots. Even then, the Tamil Indians preserve their Tamil culture, while being proud Indians and active global citizens.

Tamil is the official language of Tamil Nadu and it achieved the classical language status in India (as well as one of the official languages of India). Tamil Nadu is known for its rich tradition of literature, music and dance which continue to flourish today.

Literature

Tamil is a vibrant language with a long and rich literary tradition. Most of the older works are in verse form, and prose gained popularity later. All through history, Tamil literature has sought to inform and inspire, educate and entertain. Tamil poetry has universal appeal as evinced by many examples. Tirukural which was written nearly two millennia ago portrays a universal outlook. This is evident by the author, Thiruvalluvar who had not mentioned his religion, land, and the auidence of his work. He is portrayed as holy saint of Tamil nadu today and even for the generations to come. There is an evidential history that the kings of olden days rolled out Tamil Sangam (Tamil organization) to develop literature works in tamil. The Sangam headquartered in Madurai generated lot a notable literary works. In 20th century during the freedom struggle, many tamil poets and writers provoked national spirit, socila equity, secularistic thoughts among the common man. Some of the notable persons are Subramanya Bharathy , Periyar Ramasami, C. N. Annadurai, etc. Even today, Tamil nadu host potential writers like Kalignar M. Karunanidhi, Kavignar Vairamuthu, Kavignar Vaali, etc.

Music

The Kings of the olden days created sangams for Iyal Isai Nadagam (Dance, Music and Drama) to express the spiritual feels and to quench the entertainment. Music plays a major role in sangams. Music in tamil nadu had different forms across the people. In villages where farming was a major work, the ladies who work in the feilds used to sing kulavai songs. Even today, southern Tamil nadu has this tradition. Odhuvars, Sthanikars, or Kattalaiyars offer short musical programmes in the temples by singing the devotional Thevaram songs. Musicians had total reliance on divine grace. They lead the chorus in the temple congregational prayers to the accompaniment of the Sarangi. Sarangi was in use in the temples of Tamil Nadu till the end of the nineteenth century. Carnatic music is the classical music of Southern India. The basic form is a monophonic song with improvised variations. There are 72 basic scales on the octave, and a rich variety of melodic motion. Both melodic and rhythmic structures are varied and compelling. This is one of the world's oldest & richest musical traditions. Carnatic music abounds in structured compositions in the different ragas. These are songs composed by great artists and handed down through generations of disciples. While the improvised elaboration of a raga varies from musician to musician, the structured portion is set. These compositions are extremely popular, with a strong accent on rhythm and lively melodic patterns. Three saint composers of the nineteenth century, Tyagaraja, Muthuswami Dikshitar and Shyama Shastri, have composed thousands of songs that remain favourites among musicians and audiences. The Nineteen Forties were a rather turbulent period for Carnatic Music in Tamil Nadu because of the Tamizh Isai controversy. More than a controversy, it was a move by some well meaning people to increase the number of Tamil songs being sung in concerts in Tamil Nadu. Started by Raja Sir Annamalai Chettiar and spurred on by individuals like Sir R.K.Shanmugham Chettiar and journalist Kalki Krishnamurthy, it tried to create a lot of awareness among musicians and rasikas that language had a role in music. Today, Tamil nadu is proud to have hundreds of notable carnatic singers who spreads this music all over the world. M. S. Subbulakshmi, a renoved carnatic singer has a uniqueness of singing song in the UN security council. World famous singer D. K. Pattammal contributed a lot to this music.

Dance

Entertainment

From the olden days, to mark the youth's adventures activities, Jallikattu, a traditional sports is conducted. In south Tamil Nadu, this game is very famous and still it is conducted with same enthusiasim

Film Industry

Tamil Nadu is also home to the large Tamil film industry, producing a huge number of Tamil films each year. Next to Bollywood movies, Tamil movies are big budget movies.Chennai has often been referred to as Kollywood, a conflation of Hollywood and Kodambakkam,the section of Chennai that houses the cinema related facilities. Kollywood is the biggest film industry in India next to Bollywood. Artists from Andhra, Kerala have contributed a lot to the growth of Tamil film Industry. Particulary singers from these states are widely accepted in Kollywood. Karnataka and Maharashtra has also contributed a lot by providing actresses. Tamil movies are the one screened outside India and non-muslim world.

Tamil Festivals

Pongal, a four-day harvest festival, is the most celebrated festival of Tamil Nadu. Pongal is also known as Tamizhar Thirunal or The Festival of Tamils among the Tamil people. The Tamil language saying Thai Pirandhal Vazhi Pirakkum -- literally meaning, the birth of the month of Thai will pave way for new opportunities -- is often quoted with reference to the Pongal festival. The first day, Bhogi Pongal, is celebrated by throwing away and destroying old clothes and materials by setting them on fire to mark the end of old and emeregence of new. The second day, Surya Pongal, is the main day which falls on the first day of the Tamil month Thai (January 14 or January 15 in western calendar). The third day, Maattu Pongal, is meant to offer thanks to the cattle, as they provide milk and are used to plough the lands. Jallikattu, a violent taming the wild bull contest, marks the main event of this day. During this final day, Kaanum Pongal — the word "kanum", literally meaning 'to view' — youths used to gather at river banks to view and select their future life partners, but that practice has declined.

It is then followed in importance by Thai Poosam Kavady, Tamil New Year which generally falls on the April 14 or 15 of the Gregorian calendar. The major festival that is celebarated in Tamil Nadu is Deepavali (Diwali). It is also known as KedhAra Gowri vradham. The day marks the death of Naragasuran, who did misdeeds to the common people. Crackers and fireworks will be the unique features of this festival. Wearing new dress and sharing sweets with neighbours to mark the unity in destroying the misdeeds. The first month in the tamil calendar is Chittirai. Apart from these, other national festivals like Saraswathi Poojai (Dasara) and Vinayaka Chathurthi are also celebrated.

The day of incarnation of Vaikundar, Ayya Vaikunda Avataram was celebrated in a grand scale in the southern districts of Tamil Nadu. In addition the Velankanni Church and The Nagore mosque stand testimony to the secular and multi-religious nature of the state.

Educational capabilities of the state

Contents on

• Current literacy level
• Split on various feilds
• Universities of the State
• Various categories of the institutions (Minority and majority)
• General sciences, commerece, engineering, medicine, law, etc
• Steps taken by various administrations to check the basic education to all
• Proposed universities and institutions in the recent budget

Economy

Macro-economic trend

This is a chart of trend of gross state domestic product of Tamil Nadu at market prices estimated by Ministry of Statistics and Programme Implementation with figures in millions of Indian Rupees.

In the Nineties, West Bengal was decisively overtaken by the dynamic economies of Andhra Pradesh and Tamil Nadu due to proactive reformist governments. At the current rate of growth, both of these economies are expected to overtake Uttar Pradesh by 2010 and Maharashtra by 2025.

Tamil Nadu's gross state domestic product for 2004 is estimated at $56 billion in current prices.

Possessing the fifth largest economy (2004-2005) among states in India, Tamil Nadu is also the second most industrialised state next to Maharastra. It ranks second in per capita income (2004-2005) among large states. It ranks third in foreign direct investment approvals (cumulative 1991-2002) of Rs.225,826 million ($5,000 million), next only to Maharashtra (Rs.366,024 million ($8,100 million)) and Delhi (Rs.303,038 million ($6,700 million). The State's investment constitutes 9.12% of the total FDI in the country. Unlike many other states, the economic resources are quite spread out, rather than concentrated in a small industrialised area.

According to the 2001 Census, Tamil Nadu has the highest level of urbanization (43.86%) in India, accounting for 6% of India’s total population and 9.6% of the urban population. Tamil Nadu has a network of about 110 industrial parks and estates offering developed plots with supporting infrastructure. Also, the state government is promoting other industrial parks like Rubber Park, Apparel Parks, Floriculture Park, TICEL Park for Biotechnology, Siruseri IT Park, and Agro Export Zones among others.

The Tamil Nadu state government owns the Tamil Nadu Newsprint and Papers (TNPL), the world's biggest bagasse based Paper mills in Karur as well as the world's sixth largest manufacturer of watches together with TATA, under the brandname of "Titan". 55% of all wind-generated electricity in India is created by windmills in Tamil Nadu. Renowned Danish wind power company NEG Micon has established its manufacturing unit in Chennai. Tamil Nadu is leading producer of Cement in India, it is the home for leading cement brands in the country such as Chettinad Cements(Karur), Dalmia Cements Ariyalur, Ramco cements (Madras Cement Ltd), etc.,There is a ACC cement factory located in madukarai outskirts of Coimbatore.

Annual Plan outlays have increased by a record 75% from Rs.52,000 million ($1,100 million) in 2001-2 to Rs.91,000 million ($2,000 million) in 2005-6.

Agriculture

Tamil Nadu has historically been an agricultural state, while its advances in other fields launched the state into competition with other areas. Even so, Tamil Nadu is a leading producer of agricultural products in India. Tamil Nadu agriculture is heavily dependent on the river water and Monsoon rains. The perennial rivers are Palar, Cheyyar, Ponnaiyar, Kaveri, Meyar, Bhavani, Amaravati, Vaigai, Chittar & Tamaraparani. Non-perennial rivers include the Vellar, Noyal, Suruli, Gundar, Vaipar, Valparai and Varshali. Tamil Nadu is also the leading producer of kambu, corn, rye, ground nuts, oil, seeds and sugar cane in India. At present Tamil Nadu is India's second biggest producer of rice, next to Punjab where there is perennial source of irrigation. Tamil Nadu is the home to Dr. M.S. Swaminathan, known as the "father of the Green Revolution" in India. The town of Namakkal is also known as the Poultry hub of India.

Industry and manufacturing

Many heavy engineering and manufacturing-based companies are centered in and around the suburbs of Chennai (nicknamed, "The Detroit of Asia"). Chennai boasts the presence of global vehicle manufacturing giants like Ford, Caterpillar, Hyundai, BMW and Mitsubishi as well as domestic heavyweights like MRF, TI cycles of India, Ashok Leyland, Royal Enfield, Mahindra & Mahindra, TAFE Tractors and TVS. Everything from automobiles, railway coaches, battle-tanks, tractors, motorbikes and heavy vehicles are manufactured in Tamil Nadu. A large number of textile mills and lot of engineering industries ewre present in and out side Coimbatore City. Karur is known for its bus body building industries where most of the buses used in south India are manufactured. Over 11.2% of the S&P CNX 500 conglomerates have corporate offices in Tamil Nadu.

The Kalpakkam Nuclear Power Plant, Ennore Thermal Plant, Neyveli Lignite Power Plant,Vriddachalam Ceramics and the Narimanam Natural Gas Plants are major sources of Tamil Nadu's electricity. Tamil Nadu sources a significant proportion of its power needs from renewable sources with Wind Power contributing over 2000 MW or over 20% of the needs. As of 2005, Tamil Nadu is one of the few Indian states with surplus power electricity, enabling the electrical authority to sell it to neighbouring states. India's leading steel producer SAIL has a steel plant in Salem, Tamilnadu. Tamil Nadu ranks first nationwide in diesel-based thermal electricity generation with national market share of over 34%.

The textile industry plays a significant role in the Indian economy by providing direct employment to an estimated 35 million people, and thereby contributing 4% of GDP and 35% of Gross Export Earnings. The textile sector contributes to 14% of the manufacturing sector. The city of Tirupur(Coimbatore district), in Tamil Nadu is the largest garment exporter in India and sometimes referred to as Textile valley of India. In 2004, the export turnover from the town was more than Rs.50,000 million ($1,100 million). Some 7,000 garment units in the town provides employment opportunity to 1 million people. 56% of India's total knitwear exports come from Tirupur. The Export Import Policy of 2002-2007 acknowledges Tirupur for its contribution to the export efforts. Next to Tirupur, the town of Karur generates around $300 million a year in foreign exchange through home textile exports such as bed linens, kitchen linens, toilet linens, table linens and wall hangings. Madurai and Kanchipuram is very famous for handloom sarees. This handloom sarees are on sale all over India. Tamilnadu, Karnataka, and Kerala are the main states for wholesale sarees. This sarees manufacturing raw materials are purchased from Salem and Coimbatore.

Electronics manufacturing is a growing industry in Tamil Nadu. Companies like Nokia, Flextronics, Motorola and Foxconn have chosen Chennai as their South Asian manufacturing hub. Products manufactured include circuit boards and cellular phone handsets. Ericsson also has an R&D facility in Chennai.

The town of Sivakasi is a leader in the areas of printing, fireworks, and safety matches. It was fondly called as Kutty Japan or "little Japan" by Jawaharlal Nehru. It contributes to 80% of India's production of safety matches as well as 90% of India's total fireworks production. Sivakasi provides over 60% of India's total offset printing solutions and ranks as one of the highest taxpaying towns in India. Sivakasi also is a 100% employed town, putting it in the company of very few towns in India.

Mining

This is a chart of proven reserves of major minerals of Tamil Nadu published in 2001 by Department of Geology and Mining with figures in tonnes.

Services

There are 320 engineering colleges in Tamil Nadu, which is next to Maharashtra. It is famous in the transportation sector. There are also many private and government airways.

This is a chart of trend of software exports from Tamil Nadu published by ELCOT with figures in millions of Indian Rupees.

Chennai is the second leading software exporter in India, after Bangalore. India's largest IT park is housed at Chennai. Software exports from Tamil Nadu rose from Rs.76,000 million ($1,600 million) in 2003-04 to Rs.110,000 million ($2,400 million) in 2004-5. Chennai is a hub for e-publishing, as there are 47 e-publishing units registered with the STPI in Chennai and 25 in Bangalore. Companies such as HCL, Wipro, TCS, Satyam, Infosys, Cognizant Technology Solutions, Covansys, Ford Information Technology, Xansa, Verizon, iSoft, iNautix, Electronic Data Systems, Bally and many others have offices in Chennai. Infosys Technologies has set up India's largest software development centre to house 25,000 software professionals at an estimated investment of Rs.12,500 million ($270 million) in Chennai. India's largest IT park is housed at Chennai, jointly made by Ascendas India Ltd, a Singapore-based company engaged in providing business space solutions, and Tamil Nadu Industrial Development Corporation (TIDCO).

Business Process Outsourcing Services:

Chennai is now emerging as the most preferred destination for high-end BPOs in financial services, healthcare and other back-office services for multinational companies. Companies like Congruent Solutions (back-end services for California-based retirement funds), Secova eServices (HR service provider for US clients), Lason India (data processing for healthcare and financial services clients in the US) and OfficeTiger (outsourcing of creative works) have set up centres here to take advantage of Chennai's "quality talent pool and infrastructure". Stanchart, eServe (Citibank),ABN AMRO and World Bank have also chosen the city for their back-office functions.

In the recent surveys, Chennai has been rated as the most attractive city for Offshoring Services.

Knowledge Process Outsourcing:

Chennai is also the preferred destination for companies outsourcing their high-end knowledge intensive operations. Testimony to this is the presence of major market research companies such as Frost & Sullivan and equity research companies such as Irevna in Chennai. This is the next high growth area that Chennai is witnessing.

Governance

Tamil Nadu has been a pioneering state in E-Governance initiatives in India. A large part of the government records like land ownership records are already digitised and all major offices of the state government like Urban Local Bodies - All the Corporations and Municipal Office activities - revenue collection etc, land registration offices, and transport offices have been computerized, thereby improving the quality of service and transparency in operations.

Revenues of Government

Tamil Nadu ranks second nationwide of all State governments in tax revenues. This is a chart of trend of tax revenues (including the shares from Union tax pool) extracted from the Consolidated Fund of the Government of Tamil Nadu with figures in millions of Indian Rupees. See also . Tax revenues of local bodies are excluded.

Template:Fnb includes tax on trades

Template:Fnb includes stamp fees

Template:Fnb includes sales tax on motor spirit

Template:Fnb includes the province of Hyderabad

This is a chart of trend of non-tax revenues and grants-in-aid extracted from the Consolidated Fund of the Government of Tamil Nadu with figures in millions of Indian Rupees. See also and . Non-tax revenues of local bodies are excluded.

Template:Fnb includes revenues from non-ferrous mining and metallurgical industries

Social development

The Dravidian movement, which began in Tamil Nadu, claimed to uplift the socially repressed classes, but drew its main support from the middle classes. Educating the people and eradicating superstitions were some of their objectives. They had a commitment to social justice which led to the expansion of reservation for the middle castes (or other backward classes - OBCs) and the lower castes and tribes (the scheduled castes and scheduled tribes). Today many of India's premier educational institutions such as IIT-Madras, Chennai; Anna University, Chennai; University of Madras, Chennai; Madurai Kamaraj University, Madurai; Regional Engineering College, Trichy; Chennai Medical College, Chennai and TamilNadu Agricultural University, Coimbatore are some of the many premier institutions of the state. Tamil Nadu has also performed reasonably well in terms of literacy growth during the decade 1991-2001. The State's literacy rate increased from 62.66% in 1991 to 73.47% in 2001.

The Mid-day meals program in Tamil Nadu program, initiated by Karumaiveerar Kamarajar, was expanded considerably during the rule of the AIADMK in 1983. It feeds over a fifth of the state's population. The other event is "Entry in Vaikkom Temple"

The mutual interaction of various philosophies, schools of thought, and religious ideologies in the state has made it one of the most tolerant and universalistic states. Women enjoy a high level of respect and protection.

Magsaysay Award winners from Tamil Nadu

• Aruna Roy, Chennai
• Jockin Arputham, Mumbai
• Dr. V Shanta, Chennai
• Dr. M.S. Swaminathan, Chennai
• M.S. Subbulakshmi, Madurai
• T.N. Seshan, Chennai

Districts

Main article: Districts of Tamil Nadu

There are 30 districts in Tamil Nadu, with Krishnagiri District being the thirtieth with headquarters at Krishnagiri, by bifurcating the Dharmapuri District.

Tourism

Tamil Nadu is a land of varied beauty. It is mostly famous for its numerous Hindu temples based on the Dravidian architecture. The temples are of a distinct style which is famous for its towering Gopuram. Popular temple towns include Madurai, Trichy, Tanjore, Kanchipuram, Palani, Tiruvallur and Mahabalipuram. The most famous temple is the Brihadisvara Temple in Thanjavur that is about 1000 years old and is on the UNESCO's World Heritage Site list.

Tamil Nadu also has the Navagraha temples that are a popular pilgrim circuit. Kanyakumari, the southern most tip of peninsular India, is famous for its distinct and beautiful sunrise, Vivekanda Rock Memorial on the mid-sea, Thiruvalluvar statue and has some very green hilly landscape and picture-postcard perfect sceneries around the district and Nagercoil. Hill stations like Kodaikanal and Nilgiris boast some of the stunning landscapes in India. The Nilgiris also has one of the two mountain Railways in India and is being evaluated for the UNESCO's World Heritage Site list. The Mudumalai Wildlife Sanctuary located in Gudalur near the border of Karnataka known for its elephants, tigers and deer and the Pitchavaram Mangrove forests located in Chidambaram are two of the many eco-tourism spots of importance.

See also

• List of people from Tamil Nadu

References

1. ^ World Bank Supports India's Urban Development
2. ^ The Tamil Nadu picture on Frontline Magazine
3. Ranking of states
4. Tamil Nadu ranks third in FDI, favoured destination
5. Example include Tidelpark and ITP Chennai
6. TICEL Park for Biotechnology
7. TNPL
8. Titan Website
9. Vestas Webpage
10. Government Policy Notes
11. M. S. Swaminathan Research Foundation
12. SAIL Plant
13. Tirupur:India's Textile Valley
14. Flextronics signs pact for Chennai facility
15. Exports in software likely to increase
16. Infosys setting up giant centre in Chennai
17. India's largest IT park at Chennai to have world-class workplace facilities
18. Chennai becomes most preferred BPO hub
19. Chennai most attractive city for offshoring services

External links

• Tamil Nadu Government Website Detailed information and Opportunities to start Industries in Tamil Nadu
• SIPCOT Formed to establish, develop, maintain and manage industrial complexes, parks and growth centres at various places across the state
• Nodal Agency for Information Technology Nodal Agency for Information Technology in Tamil Nadu]
• Tamil Nadu Tourism Formed to promote tourism

v t e  State of Tamil Nadu
Capital: Chennai
State symbols	Seal: Srivilliputhur Andal temple tower Animal: Nilgiri tahr Bird: Emerald dove Flower: Gloriosa lily Fruit: Jackfruit Tree: Palm tree Butterfly: Cirrochroa Thais
Governance	Governors Chief ministers Deputy chief ministers Legislative Assembly Political parties Raj Bhavan Chennai Ooty High Court Police
Topics	Cinema Cuisine Economy Government History Language Literature Music People Education Sports Politics Temples Protected areas Radio on Internet Highest point Wildlife Sexual minorities Tourism Kaveri River water dispute State Day
Major cities	Chennai Coimbatore Madurai Tiruchirappalli Tiruppur Salem
Districts	Ariyalur Chengalpattu Chennai Coimbatore Cuddalore Dharmapuri Dindigul Erode Kallakurichi Kanchipuram Kanyakumari Karur Krishnagiri Madurai Mayiladuthurai Nagapattinam Namakkal Nilgiris Perambalur Pudukkottai Ramanathapuram Ranipet Salem Sivaganga Tenkasi Thanjavur Theni Thoothukudi Tiruchirappalli Tirunelveli Tirupathur Tiruppur Tiruvallur Tiruvannamalai Tiruvarur Vellore Viluppuram Virudhunagar
Lists	Districts in Tamil Nadu by HDI Cities in Tamil Nadu by population Towns in Tamil Nadu by population Revenue divisions in Tamil Nadu
India portal

Template:India

Template:Link FA

• States and territories of India
• Tamil Nadu