Chennai: In the first session of the legislative assembly of the TVK government, 13 bills, including the amendment bill for private universities, were passed. Of these, Tamil Nadu Governor R.V. Arlekar has given assent to 12 bills.
The first session of the 17th Legislative Assembly in Tamil Nadu was held from May 11 to 13, and from June 18 to 23, while the second session was held from August 5 to September 8.
During this, the Governor's address, the general budget, and the agriculture budget were presented, followed by debates on them. In addition, a total of 13 bills and 9 government special resolutions were introduced and passed in the Legislative Assembly.
TNPSC Bill: Accordingly, to facilitate the marketing of agricultural produce, extending the validity period of the mandi license to 5 years, the TNPSC Additional Functional Duties Amendment Act, simplifying the procedures for starting a business
The 13 bills, including the Amendment Act for the Fire and Rescue Services, the Value Added Tax on TASMAC liquor, the Private Universities Amendment Act, the Urban and Regional Planning Amendment Act, the Tamil Nadu Payment of Salaries Amendment Act, the GST tax amendment laws, and the extension of the tenure of special officers appointed to administer local bodies in 28 districts in Tamil Nadu, were passed in the Legislative Assembly by voice vote.
Of these, Tamil Nadu Governor R.N. Arlekar has given assent to 12 bills within just 5 days of the end of the session. Only the bill concerning private universities has been sent for the President’s assent for a final decision. Accordingly, the bills that have been approved have now become laws. All of them were published in the Tamil Nadu Government Gazette dated September 15.
Following this, under the Tamil Nadu Salaries and Allowances Amendment Act, MLAs will now be provided with a vehicle for effective work in their constituencies, and the monthly vehicle allowance will also be increased to Rs. 75,000. In addition, a special assistant allowance of Rs. 25,000 will be provided. Likewise, under the new law, the authority to effect land conversion has been given to the Director of Town and Country Planning instead of the District Collector.
In addition, in Tamil Nadu, except for the districts of Kanchipuram, Chengalpattu, Viluppuram, Kallakurichi, Vellore, Ranipet, Tirupattur, Tirunelveli and Tenkasi, the tenure of the special officers appointed to administer the local bodies in the remaining 28 districts has been extended until October 19. Under the TNPSC Additional Functions Act, it is noteworthy that all types of vacancies in 25 municipal corporations, including Chennai, 142 municipalities, and 528 town panchayats in Tamil Nadu will henceforth be filled through TNPSC competitive examinations.
Private University Bill: At the same time, when the Private Universities Amendment Bill, which had been sent for the President’s assent, was introduced in the Legislative Assembly, members of the AIADMK, PMK, and the Communist Party of India expressed opposition.
It states that to establish a private university in Tamil Nadu, if it is located within the Chennai Corporation area, it must have land of not less than 12 acres; if it is within other corporation or municipality areas, not less than 18 acres; and if it is located in other areas, not less than 25 acres. It also includes provisions such as reducing the minimum endowment fund for the university from Rs. 50 crore to Rs. 25 crore.
