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Stalin launches outreach scheme; Opposition slams government
Chief minister MK Stalin on Tuesday launched a scheme to bring government services to people with the help of 100,000 volunteers who will fan out to set up 10,000 camps across Tamil Nadu
Ahead of the 2026 assembly elections, chief minister MK Stalin on Tuesday launched a scheme to bring government services to people with the help of 100,000 volunteers who will fan out to set up 10,000 camps across Tamil Nadu. The opposition AIADMK and BJP criticised him for not offering such solutions to people in the last four years.
According to the scheme “Ungaludan Stalin” (Stalin with You), all petitions received at the camps must be resolved within 45 days. “For Phases 1 and 2, the resolution period is 30 days and every district collector (an IAS officer) will be the chief coordinator for the scheme. However, if certain cases cannot be resolved within 30 days, feedback will be collected, and resolution must be ensured within 45 days as per the chief minister’s directive,” according to a statement from the government. The camps will continue till November.
Following the inauguration of the scheme in Cuddalore district, Stalin provided hearing aid to people with hearing disability, health insurance cards, and released an order for an individual’s need to change it for electricity connection. “I will send government administration to people to provide for their basic needs,” Stalin said. “We are always with you, in your town, in your ward.”
The volunteers at these camps have been directed to distribute applications to people in urban and rural areas.
The statement stated that a dedicated website has been launched under the name “Ungaludan Stalin” to help people check when and where camps are being conducted in their area. “The public is encouraged to participate in these camps held close to their residences to avoid inconvenience,” it said.
Urban areas will receive 43 services across 13 departments, while rural areas will receive 46 services across 15 departments. “The specific services and departments involved are determined based on the types of requests frequently received in Phases 1 and 2,” an official involved with the programme said. Four special officers have been appointed to oversee the implementation of this scheme.
The official said that petitions collected through these camps will be forwarded to the respective departments, and the responses from those departments will be promptly communicated to the applicants. Applicants will be able to track to whom the petition was submitted, where it was forwarded, how long it has been pending, and the response given by the department, the official said.
“If a petition remains unresolved beyond 30 days, a reminder will be sent to the concerned departments,” the official said. “If the response provided is unsatisfactory, applicants can file an appeal. In such cases, the petition will be escalated to higher officials for further action.”
In response, AIADMK spokesperson D Jayakumar said that Stalin launched a similar programme when the DMK formed the government in 2021 amd called it Makkaludan Mudhalvar (Chief Minister with the People). “But, he did not provide solutions,” Jayakumar told reporters. “Is there any history where a person has been able to meet Stalin in the secretariat to submit a grievance? There is no solution for people. Because elections are six months away, this government is using different names and launching programs. The real name should be Stalin with lies and not ungaludan Stalin.”
BJP state vice president said that Stalin has failed in his duties. “’Ungaludan Stalin’ means ‘Stalin with you today’, but what were you doing in the last 4.5 years?,” Thirupathy questioned. “He literally means he was never with the people of Tamil Nadu. Now he is trying to create an atmosphere to show that they have done something... DMK will lose all the seats because of their failed performance.”
