The Tamil Nadu government has announced immediate steps to rectify the electoral roll by reinstating voters who were omitted during the recent Special Intensive Revision (SIR) process. Deputy Chief Minister Udhayanidhi Stalin stated that work will commence shortly to add these voters back to the list.
Addressing Voter Omissions
In Tiruvarur on Friday, Udhayanidhi Stalin responded to media queries regarding large-scale deletions from the electoral rolls. He clarified that the full details of the omitted voters would become clear only after an online verification process is completed. He reiterated that Chief Minister M K Stalin has been a consistent critic of the short duration allocated for the SIR exercise since its inception.
Echoing this commitment, School Education Minister Anbil Mahesh Poyyamozhi declared that vigorous efforts are underway. The administration plans to meticulously gather details on why and how voters were removed and then take necessary steps to reinstate them. "Just as we worked intensively during the Special Intensive Revision, we will now vigorously collect information on who was removed and why, and take necessary steps to add them back," Poyyamozhi affirmed.
Countering Claims on School Dropout Rates
The minister also addressed remarks made by Tamilaga Vettri Kazhagam (TVK) president Vijay regarding an alleged increase in school dropout rates. Poyyamozhi presented data to counter the claim, stating that the dropout rate was at its highest in 2017-2018 under the previous AIADMK government. He noted that K A Sengottaiyan, who is now associated with TVK, was the school education minister at that time.
"Under the DMK government, the dropout rate has come down to just 7.7%," Poyyamozhi asserted. He accused Vijay of relying on outdated news reports for his allegations and advised him to update his information before making such accusations.
Boost for STEM Education with New Robotics Labs
In a separate development focused on education infrastructure, Minister Poyyamozhi, along with Municipal Administration Minister K N Nehru, inaugurated a robotics laboratory at the Government Higher Secondary School in Thuvakudi. This was part of a statewide launch where a total of 15 such labs, established at an overall cost of ₹6.09 crore across 15 districts, were opened simultaneously.
The minister also inaugurated eight new classrooms at the same school, constructed at a cost of ₹1.3 crore. The newly established robotics laboratories aim to foster crucial skills like problem-solving, teamwork, and creativity among students from classes 6 to 9 in government schools.
Earlier in the day, Deputy CM Udhayanidhi Stalin inaugurated the newly established Kalaignar Park near Kalaignar Kottam and participated in a commemoration event for Dravidian writer R Thiruvidam.
