TN Assembly adopts 20 bills, House adjourned sine die

The Tamil Nadu Assembly adopted 20 bills on Tuesday including one to revive and further amend the Tamil Nadu Urban Local Bodies Act, 1998, that has been suspended about two decades ago following which the House was adjourned sine die. The government has decided to enact the Tamil Nadu Urban Local Bodies (Amendment) Act, 2022, by updating and reviving the 1998 Act, which is under suspension since 2000, to strengthen municipal governance, apart from engaging in a continuous process of transfer of functions, funds and functionaries to the urban local bodies.

''There is an urgent and imperative need to provide an enabling environment through crucial legislative and institutional initiatives,'' Municipal Administration Minister K N Nehru said while introducing the bill.

Being one of the most urbanised states in the country, Tamil Nadu as per 2011 census has an urban population of 48.45 per cent. It is estimated that the percentage of population living in urban areas compared to the total population has increased to over 53 per cent at present. ''The process of rapid urbanisation has created myriad challenges of more and better delivery of civic services,'' the Minister said. Hence, strengthening the administrative capacity of the urban local bodies through a better system for day-to-day management of municipal affairs is crucial in meeting such challenges and to provide better quality of life to the people in towns and cities, he emphasised.

The 22-day session, which commenced on April 6, witnessed an intense debate in the House which saw the passage of several crucial bills including one to empower the state government to appoint vice-chancellors of state universities curtailing the Governor's powers, and another making Chief Minister M K Stalin chancellor of the proposed Siddha Medical University.

The members were greeted by showers triggered by Cyclone Asani on the concluding day today and the weather remained cool for most part of the day.

Referring to the debates in the House, Speaker M Appavu said the ''discussions have been healthy throughout the session'' and that the Opposition AIADMK leaders had put forth valuable suggestions. ''It was Chief Minister Stalin's desire that the opposition members were given ample opportunity to raise issues to which the Ministers promptly replied,'' he added.

Later, the Speaker adjourned the House sine die.

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