Chennai, May 18 (IANS) In a move aimed at improving administrative efficiency and ensuring closer coordination across departments, Tamil Nadu Chief Minister C. Joseph Vijay has assigned a wide range of government portfolios to senior officials in the Chief Minister’s Office (CMO), outlining a new administrative structure for overseeing governance and policy implementation.

According to an order issued by the CMO, senior bureaucrats have been entrusted with clusters of important departments to facilitate smoother monitoring of government activities and speed up decision-making.

Additional Chief Secretary and Secretary-I to the Chief Minister, P Senthilkumar, has been given charge of several critical departments that form the backbone of the state administration. His responsibilities include Finance, Home, Municipal Administration and Water Supply, Industries, Highways, Health, Energy and Public Works departments.

In addition, the Vigilance Commission will also function under his supervision, placing a broad range of administrative and infrastructure-related sectors under a single coordinating authority. The allocation indicates that the Chief Minister has placed significant emphasis on ensuring close monitoring of finance, law and order, public infrastructure and essential services during the initial phase of the new government.

Secretary-II to the Chief Minister, G. Laxmi Priya, has been assigned several departments linked to social development and welfare initiatives. She will oversee School Education, Higher Education, Revenue, Rural Development, Housing, Social Welfare and Women Empowerment departments.

Apart from these responsibilities, she will also manage appointments, protocol matters and the overall administration of the Chief Minister’s Office.

Meanwhile, Secretary-III to the Chief Minister, A. Annadurai, has been entrusted with departments including Water Resources, Agriculture, Transport, Co-operation and Law, among others. The allocation places key sectors associated with agriculture, resource management and legal administration under his purview.

Additional Secretary to the Chief Minister, V. Vishnu, has been assigned emerging and growth-oriented sectors, including Information Technology and Digital Services, MSME, Tourism, Skill Development, Youth Welfare and Sports Development.

The administrative restructuring is seen as part of the Vijay government’s broader effort to establish an efficient governance framework and improve coordination between the Chief Minister’s Office and various government departments.

–IANS

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