Tamil Nadu

Environmental Conservation

Launch of ‘Thuli’ Mascot & Mass Rainwater Harvesting Campaign:
- Chief Minister officially unveiled ‘Thuli’, a mascot representing rainwater harvesting (RWH) awareness, organized by the Municipal Administration and Water Supply Department.
- Launched under the G.O. titled ‘Implementation of Rain Water Harvesting as a Mass Movement – Renewed Initiatives’.
- Directs all residential households, commercial establishments, institutions, and apartment complexes to clean and restore rooftop RWH systems, filter chambers, recharge pits, and open wells ahead of heavy monsoon spells.
- Teams from Chennai Metrowater and municipal corporations across the State were tasked with conducting audits of RWH structures, particularly in multi-storeyed buildings.
TNPSC.Academy’s Bitz
- Tamil Nadu was the first state in India to make rooftop rainwater harvesting (RWH) compulsory for all buildings across urban and rural areas under a landmark initiative launched in 2001 and reinforced through subsequent state orders by the then Chief Minister J. Jayalalithaa.

Tenure Extension for Special Officers in Rural Local Bodies:
- The Rural Development and Panchayat Raj Department extended the tenure of Special Officers administering rural local bodies (village panchayats, panchayat union councils, and district panchayats) across 28 districts till April 19, 2027.
- Appointed Special Officers for rural local bodies in 9 other districts also.
- Reason: Under the Tamil Nadu Panchayats Act, 1994, elections could not be completed prior to delimitation and reservation exercises resulting from the ongoing merger/amalgamation of 46 rural local bodies into expanding urban local bodies across 23 districts.