CHENNAI: The State will introduce a weekly traditional attire day across government offices, with ministers and government employees required to wear a veshti and shirt or a saree on a designated day, School Education and Tamil Development Minister Rajmohan announced on Sunday, in a move aimed at promoting Tamil culture and supporting the handloom sector.

Speaking at the Tamil Nadu Day celebrations at the Government Museum in Egmore here, Rajmohan said Chief Minister C Joseph Vijay had approved the proposal, which would cover the Secretariat and other government offices.

The minister also announced that the government would establish a Tamil Sangam at the Secretariat to bring existing Tamil associations under a common umbrella, with the Chief Minister serving as its president. He further said the government would organise World Tamil Conferences worldwide.

He also announced Tamil-related competitions in schools, adding that the initiative would encourage children to develop an interest in the language.

Praising Public Works Minister Aadhav Arjuna, Rajmohan said he had met with contractors and instructed them not to pay bribes. "Tamil Nadu has a Cabinet that does not accept bribes," he asserted.

The celebrations marked November 1, 1956, when the present-day State was formed following the reorganisation of states on linguistic lines. The Vijay government has decided to commemorate November 1 as Tamil Nadu Day (celebrated across the country as Founding Day, marking the redrawing of state maps on a linguistic basis) while also retaining July 18, which marks the renaming of Madras State as Tamil Nadu, a decision made in 1967 by the then DMK Chief Minister CN Annadurai.

Later, Rajmohan attended 'Punnagai 2026 – A Day with VIPs', an event organised in the city to provide children with special needs a platform to showcase their talents, creativity and abilities.