CHENNAI: Some government schemes might be called game-changers in electoral politics, but, for the ordinary voting masses the flagship schemes are actually life-changers. One such is the Naan Mudhalvan scheme, one of the pet schemes of Chief Minister MK Stalin to upskill the youths and make them more employable.
In the first three years of its launch, the scheme has ushered in a seismic change in the lives of several underprivileged youth. Meet 27-year-old Buvaneswari of Nariyampatti near Harur in Dharmapuri. A graduate who has struggled to crack UPSC and banking exams since 2018, she has managed to land a job in a leading public sector bank last year owing to the scheme.
One of the 58 candidates who succeeded between October 2024 and April 2025 in SSC, Railway Recruitment Board and banking exams among the many conducted for the Union government jobs, Buvaneswari said, “After completing BSc (agriculture) in 2018, I was trying to crack UPSC till 2021. My father and mother are small farmers holding two acres and cultivating rain-fed crops. As agriculture was not enough to feed the family, putting immense pressure on my father to support me and my three siblings. But his poor health did not encourage him to actively pursue compressor tractor-based work too. So, I shifted my focus from UPSC to a banking job.
“I was preparing on my own till then. Finally, I underwent coaching in Chennai for a banking job. But, I had to work on a part-time job to pay for my food and accommodation in Chennai, and manage my coaching in the available time. That was when I decided to utilise the Naan Mudhalvan residential programme. I applied for it in August–September 2024. I took a test and passed it. In November 2024, I cleared the prelims and main exam in December and finally the interview in February for the banking job. At the Naan Mudhalvan facility in Salem, we had tutors guiding candidates who struggled in the prelims. They also provided literature to such candidates. Also, they provided mentorship to those who were low in confidence. Now, I have been selected for a job in Punjab National Bank, which will get me Rs 70,000 to 80,000 per month. It will change the financial situation of my family,” she told DT Next over the phone.
Call taxi driver’s daughter R Dhivya of Karur and securing guard’s son Alagu Anish of Tirunelveli were also among the candidates who had cracked the IBPS PO exam and the SSC exam, respectively. Barely a fortnight ago, Chief Minister Stalin credited the scheme for the spurt in the number of candidates who cracked the all-India Services from Tamil Nadu this year.