MIT Graduate, Investment Banker, Politician: Meet Palanivel Thiagarajan, Next Finance Minister Of Tamil Nadu

As DMK president MK Stalin has sworn in as the Chief Minister of Tamil Nadu on Friday, May 7, he has appointed Palanivel Thiagarajan as the minister of Finance and Human Resource Management. Scion of P. T. Rajan, the Chief Minister of Madras Presidency in 1936, Thiagarajan is a multi-talented asset for the state.

Thiagarajan holds a multitude of degrees under his successful mantle ranging from Chemical Engineering from the National Institute of Technology, Trichy, Master's degree in Operations Research and a PhD in Human Factors Engineering at the State University of New York, and Master of Business Administration in Financial Management from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology's Sloan School of Management.

He was an investment banker at the Lehman Brothers and with Standard Chartered in Singapore. He has been active in politics since 2014 and has ushered valuable financial management instigating his selection in the cabinet by Stalin.

Thiagarajan is surrounded by the turmoiled financial affairs of the state and will have to replenish its debilitated treasury. He will be joining the office when the state is debt-trodden with a burden of over 5.7 crores and is likely to experience the highest fiscal deficit of the millennium for the Fiscal year 2021 following large revenue paucity since the pandemic.

The crux of the Financial department's management lies in the usage of the money borrowed and how Thiagarajan would be able to acquire the GST overdue right from the central treasury.

The Cabinet list, revealed by the secretary of Tamil Nadu's Governor to be spearheaded by Stalin constitutes 34 members that include veterans, 15 fresh faces, and just two women. It is an amalgamation of experienced politicians, doctorates, and young minds.

The cabinet's size is four more than the previous retreating Edapaadi K. Palaniswami Ministry.

The veteran and party general secretary Duraimurugan will manage the recently established Department of Water Resources. Former Chennai Mayor Ma Subramanian has been designated as the Minister for Medical and Family Welfare incorporating the Health portfolio when the country is amid the conflagration of a pandemic

The women representatives of the party are P.Geetha Jeevan managing Ministry for Social Welfare and Women Empowerment and was previously a part of the DMK Cabinet from 2006 to 2011 and Kayalvizhi Selvaraj, steering the Department of Adi Dravidar Welfare.

DMK principal secretary K.N Nehru will be at the helm of Municipal Administration, Urban and Water Supply, portfolios which were handled by Mr Stalin during 2006-2011. K. Ponmudi has been allotted Higher Education Department which was held by him in the last DMK government.

Party's representative from Tiruvannamalai, E.V. Velu was appointed as the Minister for Public Works (Buildings, Highways and Minor ports). The cabinet will witness the return of S.Muthusamy (Housing and Urban Development) and Rajakannappan (Transport) after a period of 25 years, reported The Hindu.

The newly formed Cabinet's first formal meeting will be conducted on Friday evening.

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