Chennai: State govt introduced a bill to form special area development authorities to develop tourism in Tamil Nadu by building modern facilities in major tourist hubs and implementing major projects with various govt departments.The Tamil Nadu Special Area Development Authorities Bill, 2026, will empower the govt to notify any area as a special development area and to constitute a special development authority for that area. In the first phase, Mamallapuram and Kanyakumari will be notified as special development areas, “considering their historical, ecological and tourism importance”. The authority will create an area master plan for the “comprehensive and sustainable infrastructure development” of those areas.State govt also introduced a bill to extend the 20% reservation for Tamil medium students to those already employed in govt service, if they apply for another govt job carrying a higher pay scale. An amendment enacted in 2010 had provided a 20% reservation for candidates who studied in Tamil medium in direct recruitment, but did not clearly apply to govt employees seeking better appointments.The new bill clarifies that the reservation will be applicable even when existing govt employees apply for another govt job, provided the new post carries a higher level of pay.
