CHENNAI:
In a bid to enhance public access to key government services, Tamil Nadu's Information Technology and Digital Services Minister, Dr Palanivel Thiagarajan, announced a series of digital initiatives on Friday, including the expansion of Aadhaar Enrollment Centers and the integration of e-Services with WhatsApp.
During an address to the state assembly, Dr Thiagarajan revealed that the Tamil Nadu Electronics Corporation (ELCOT) would establish an additional 50 Aadhaar Enrollment Centers. These new centers will be strategically located across local government offices, complementing the existing 266 centers already operational across the state. This initiative aims to streamline the enrollment process for millions of residents and improve the accessibility of Aadhaar services, which have seen over one crore transactions last year alone.
The expansion is part of the state’s broader efforts to leverage technology for governance, with ELCOT at the forefront. The corporation has already set up Aadhaar registration facilities in various administrative hubs, including district collector offices, municipal headquarters, and rural development offices. The move is expected to further widen the reach of Aadhaar-related services, ensuring more Tamil Nadu residents can conveniently access critical government services.
In parallel, the state is embracing digital administration through the integration of e-Services into WhatsApp. This new initiative, part of the government’s “e-Services” project, aims to provide easy access to over 260 government services via the widely used messaging app. In its first phase, 50 services will be available, including utility bill payments and citizen services. The government has earmarked Rs. 3.85 crore for the project, which will reduce the need for physical visits to e-Service Centers and offer faster, more cost-effective solutions for the public.
“We are committed to using technology to bridge the gap between government services and the people,” Dr. Thiagarajan remarked. “This integration with WhatsApp is a significant step toward making government services more accessible and user-friendly.”
Alongside these developments, the state government is also focusing on strengthening welfare program delivery through enhanced security measures. A new e-KYC (Know Your Customer) platform will be rolled out to streamline beneficiary identification processes for Aadhaar-linked welfare schemes. The platform will employ biometric authentication methods—such as facial recognition, fingerprints, and iris scans—to ensure secure and efficient identity verification for services ranging from senior citizen pensions to health insurance schemes.
In an effort to preserve Tamil culture and history, the Tamil E-Library will undergo a significant upgrade. The project, backed by Rs. 50 lakh in funding for 2025-26, will digitize rare audiovisual materials, such as historical documentaries and speeches, creating a multimedia archive for future generations. The expanded library will not only include traditional texts but also incorporate visual and auditory records of Tamil history, politics, and society.
In line with its commitment to modernizing Tamil language education, the state government will also offer training in language technologies to students of Tamil literature and linguistics. Under the "I am the Chief Minister" scheme, these students will learn tools like Natural Language Processing (NLP) and speech recognition, enhancing their ability to integrate traditional Tamil knowledge with cutting-edge technology.
Th state is also preparing to launch a new initiative designed to foster innovation in deep-tech and advanced hardware manufacturing. The "Deep Tech Hardware Product Design Scheme" will provide startups with up to 75% funding for product development, helping to position the state as a hub for high-tech manufacturing. This initiative will be supported by the iTNT hub, a key component of the state’s broader push for technological innovation.