Tamil Nadu government structure

Governor to Village Panchayat · expandable tree with search

Tamil Nadu civics

Interactive tree of Tamil Nadu government structure from Governor down to Village Panchayat. Tap any card to expand role, contact and escalation details.

State / Constitutional
District + Revenue
Urban Local Bodies
Rural Local Bodies
streetlight ration card patta / land police MGNREGA electricity CM helpline
  • Governor ஆளுநர்
    Rajendra V. Arlekar · Constitutional head
    State
    Role
    Constitutional referee — assents to bills, appoints CM, oversees the state's constitutional functioning.
    Secondary
    Ex-officio Chancellor of state universities. Discretionary powers in hung-assembly (Art. 163, 164).
    Office
    Lok Bhavan, Chennai · Raj Bhavan, Udhagamandalam
    Website
    lokbhavan.tn.gov.in
    Escalation ↑
    President of India
  • Chief Minister முதலமைச்சர்
    C. Joseph Vijay (TVK) · Head of government
    State
    Role
    Heads the Council of Ministers. Sets state policy. Final political escalation point for state matters.
    Secondary
    Floor leader of the Legislative Assembly. Final word on inter-departmental issues.
    Office
    Secretariat, Fort St. George, Chennai – 600009
    Citizen line
    CM Helpline: 1100 · 7am–10pm · cmhelpline@tn.gov.in
    Portal
    cmhelpline.tnega.org
    Escalation ↑
    Governor (constitutional) · PM/Centre (centre-state) · Courts (legal)
    • Cabinet & Assembly அமைச்சர்கள் & சட்டப் பேரவை
      ~30 Ministers · 234 MLAs · 5-year term
      State
      Role
      Each Minister holds a portfolio (Home, Finance, Health, Education, MAWS, RD). MLAs pass laws and raise constituency issues.
      Your MLA
      Most direct political rep at state level — find at assembly.tn.gov.in
      Opposition
      Thiru. Udhayanidhi Stalin (DMK)
      Website
      assembly.tn.gov.in
    • Chief Secretary & Secretariat தலைமைச் செயலர்
      Senior-most civil servant · runs the bureaucracy
      State
      Role
      Coordinates the entire bureaucracy. Oversees all department secretaries. Implements Cabinet decisions.
      Below
      30+ Secretaries to Government — one per department
      Office
      Secretariat, Fort St. George, Chennai
      Website
      tn.gov.in
    • 38 Districts 38 மாவட்டங்கள்
      Where the state meets the ground
      District
      Each district
      Has a District Collector (coordinator) + Superintendent of Police (law & order). Supervises all local bodies in jurisdiction.
      Website
      <district>.nic.in — e.g., chennai.nic.in, coimbatore.nic.in, madurai.nic.in
      • District Collector மாவட்ட ஆட்சியர்
        IAS · District coordinator for state administration
        District
        Role
        Revenue admin, land records, disaster response, elections, inter-department coordination across the district.
        Secondary
        Ex-officio chairman of DRDA · Returning officer for elections · Magistrate (BNSS)
        Office
        District Collectorate
        Escalation ↑
        Divisional Commissioner → Revenue Secretary → Chief Secretary → CM
        • Sub-Collector / RDO வருவாய் கோட்டாட்சியர்
          Heads a Revenue Division
          Role
          Revenue + magisterial functions for a division (sub-unit of district)
          Secondary
          Hears appeals on Tahsildar orders; sub-jail oversight
          Escalation ↑
          District Collector
          • Tahsildar வட்டாட்சியர்
            Heads a Taluk · Issuing authority for most certificates
            Role
            Issues income, community, nativity, legal-heir certificates · Patta/chitta land records · Ration cards
            Apply via
            tnesevai.tn.gov.in · land: eservices.tn.gov.in
            Escalation ↑
            RDO → Collector
            • Village Administrative Officer கிராம நிர்வாக அலுவலர்
              "VAO" · Ground-floor counter for revenue matters
              Role
              Verifies citizen applications, recommends issuance, ground-truths land records. Citizens apply through e-Sevai; Tahsildar issues; VAO verifies.
              Office
              VAO Office in every revenue village
              Escalation ↑
              Tahsildar → RDO → Collector
      • Superintendent of Police காவல்துறை கண்காணிப்பாளர்
        IPS · Law & order (in cities: Commissioner)
        District
        Role
        Heads all police stations in the district. Crime, investigation, traffic, VIP security.
        Below
        DSP → Inspector → Sub-Inspector → Constable
        Emergency
        112 · 100 · 1091 women · 1098 child
        Escalation ↑
        IG → DGP → Home Secretary → CM
      • Urban Local Bodies நகர்ப்புற உள்ளாட்சி
        3 tiers · towns and cities · 650+ bodies
        Urban
        Cover
        Water, garbage, roads, streetlights, drains, property tax, building permits, primary schools
        Councillors
        Directly elected by ward residents, every 5 years
        Presiders
        Mayor / Chairperson / Chairman — indirectly elected by councillors
        Dept
        Municipal Administration & Water Supply (MAWS)
        • Municipal Corporation மாநகராட்சி
          25 in TN · large cities · presided by Mayor
          Mayor
          Political head, indirectly elected by councillors
          Commissioner
          Executive head — IAS officer who runs day-to-day operations
          Ward Councillor
          Directly elected · your first stop for any street-level issue
          Helpline
          1913 (Chennai) · Namma Chennai app
          Escalation ↑
          Councillor → Zonal Officer → Commissioner → Mayor → MAWS Secretary → Minister → CM
        • Municipality நகராட்சி
          ~145 in TN · smaller cities · presided by Chairperson
          Chairperson
          Political head, indirectly elected by councillors
          Commissioner
          Executive head, appointed by state
          Same services
          As corporation, smaller scale
        • Town Panchayat பேரூராட்சி
          ~480 in TN · transitional rural-to-urban
          Chairman
          Indirectly elected by councillors
          Executive Officer
          Appointed by state
          Website
          tn.gov.in/dtp
      • Rural Local Bodies கிராமப்புற உள்ளாட்சி
        Panchayati Raj · 3 tiers · 12,000+ villages
        Rural
        Cover
        Drinking water, village roads, sanitation, MGNREGA, SHGs (Magalir Thittam), scheme delivery
        Dept
        Rural Development & Panchayat Raj — tnrd.tn.gov.in
        • District Panchayat மாவட்ட ஊராட்சி
          One per rural district · long-term planning
          Chairperson
          Indirectly elected by ward members
          Note
          Collector is ex-officio chairman of DRDA
          • Panchayat Union (Block) ஊராட்சி ஒன்றியம்
            BDO runs it · most important rural officer
            Union Chairman
            Elected political head of the block council
            BDO
            Block Development Officer — runs MGNREGA, water, roads, SHGs. The highest officer most rural citizens ever meet directly.
            Escalation ↑
            DRDA Project Officer → Collector → Director RD → Minister RD → CM
            • Village Panchayat கிராம ஊராட்சி
              12,000+ in TN · your front door
              President
              Directly elected; chairs council, signs orders, custodian of funds
              Ward Members
              Directly elected, one per ward
              Gram Sabha
              All voters · meets ≥4×/year · approves budgets & beneficiaries
              Handles
              Drinking water, village roads, streetlights, sanitation, burial grounds, birth/death registration
              Escalation ↑
              BDO → Collector → Director RD → Minister RD → CM
Tap any card to expand role, contact and escalation. Use search or the quick chips to filter. Color bar on the left tells you which layer of government you're in.