Tamil Nadu

State Economy & Fiscal Management

Sustainable Debt-GSDP Ratio for Tamil Nadu:
- Expert Analysis: K.R. Shanmugam, economic consultant to the State government, stated that the sustainable debt-to-GSDP ratio for Tamil Nadu is 23%.
- FRBM Benchmark: While the N.K. Singh Fiscal Responsibility and Budget Management (FRBM) Committee (2017) prescribed a 20% limit for States, an additional 3 percentage points allowance is suggested for Tamil Nadu based on macroeconomic progress.
- Fiscal Deficit & Revenue Deficit: Tamil Nadu keeps its fiscal deficit within the 3% GSDP limit, but the revenue deficit stands at ~1.4% of GSDP, meaning nearly 50% of borrowed funds go toward consumption expenditure rather than capital investments.

Greater Chennai Corporation (GCC) Sanitation Workers’ Agreement:
- Welfare Package: Following state mediation, sanitation workers called off their protest after agreements were reached on key service conditions:
  - ₹50/day food allowance for all conservancy workers starting October 1.
  - Construction of restrooms and toilets for women workers by September 30.
  - Establishment of a dedicated Sanitation Workers’ Welfare Board Office on the GCC premises.
  - Distribution of 160 battery-operated vehicles across Tondiarpet, Thiru. Vi. Ka. Nagar, and Anna Nagar zones.

Declining Birth Trends in Tamil Nadu:
- Civil Registration System (CRS) Data: Recorded 45,000 fewer births in 2025 compared to 2024 (a 5.3% drop from 8.47 lakh to 8.02 lakh).
- Total Fertility Rate (TFR): Tamil Nadu’s TFR fell below the replacement level of 2.1 nearly two decades ago, signifying a broader demographic transition.

ISRO Launch of Earth Observation Satellite EOS-05:
- Mission Details: ISRO successfully launched EOS-05 aboard the Geosynchronous Satellite Launch Vehicle (GSLV-F17) (in its 19th flight) from the Satish Dhawan Space Centre, Sriharikota.
- Orbit & Weight: The 2,367-kg satellite was placed into a sub-geosynchronous transfer orbit (Sub-GTO).
- Purpose: Dubbed an “eye in the sky,” EOS-05 will provide real-time high-resolution imagery from ~36,000 km above Earth for applications in agriculture, environmental monitoring, and disaster management.

Supreme Court Push to Increase District Judiciary Retirement Age:
- Direction: A CJI-led Supreme Court Bench issued directives urging States to enhance the superannuation age of experienced district judicial officers from 60 to 62 years to combat an pending backlog of 5.18 crore cases.
- State Responses: Seven States—including Tamil Nadu, Karnataka, Chhattisgarh, Madhya Pradesh, Maharashtra, Sikkim, and West Bengal—have agreed to amend service rules.