TN govt amends MLACDS norms to allow purchase of equipment, furniture for Anganwadis

CHENNAI: The Tamil Nadu government amended the guidelines of the Member of Legislative Assembly Constituency Development Scheme (MLACDS) to permit legislators to utilise funds for purchasing equipment and furniture for Anganwadi centres.

Under the guidelines issued for the 2026–27 to 2030–31 period, the positive list of permissible works under the category of equipment and furniture only covered government schools, ITIs, colleges, and hostels.

Following a proposal submitted by the Commissioner of Rural Development and Panchayat Raj, the state government decided to modify the existing provisions.

An order issued by Dharmendra Pratap Yadav on September 30, Principal Secretary to the Government, Rural Development and Panchayat Raj Department, stated that after the words "Government Schools, ITIs, Colleges, Hostels", the phrase "and Anganwadi Centers" has been formally added to the permissible works list.

Earlier, the state government had released Rs 828.36 crore for implementing the MLACDS across all assembly constituencies in Tamil Nadu for the 2026–27 financial year, allocating Rs 3.54 crore per constituency.