In a significant push to boost Tamil Nadu’s presence in India’s civil services, Chief Minister M.K. Stalin on Thursday announced the establishment of a state-of-the-art residential training centre for UPSC aspirants in Chennai. The facility, to be located at Shenoy Nagar, will have the capacity to accommodate 500 students and will be built at an estimated cost of Rs 40 crore.
Making the announcement in the Tamil Nadu Legislative Assembly, the Chief Minister pointed out a concerning decline in the number of students from Tamil Nadu clearing the UPSC Civil Services Examination in recent years. While the state had seen strong representation in the past, the numbers dipped alarmingly to just 27 successful candidates in 2021.
In contrast, 57 candidates from Tamil Nadu have cleared the exam this year—a promising rise that the Chief Minister attributed to the government’s focused efforts through the Naan Mudhalvan scheme. “Out of the 57 aspirants selected, 50 were trained under the Naan Mudhalvan scheme,” Stalin noted, underlining the scheme’s impact in creating opportunities for civil service hopefuls.
The proposed centre at Shenoy Nagar will serve as a residential facility, offering not only accommodation but also intensive academic training, access to expert faculty, and modern infrastructure tailored for UPSC preparation. The goal, Stalin said, is to create an environment where aspiring civil servants from across the state can prepare rigorously without financial or logistical constraints.
This new initiative is expected to be a key addition to the Anna Administrative Staff College, which has been a hub for civil services coaching under government schemes.
The Chief Minister also reiterated the existing support mechanisms for UPSC aspirants under government schemes. Each student receives Rs 7,500 per month for ten months during preparation for the preliminary exam, and those who clear the prelims are given an additional lump sum of Rs 25,000 to aid in the next stages of the examination.
“Our vision is to ensure that no deserving aspirant is denied the chance to serve the nation due to lack of resources,” Stalin stated, stressing the need to improve the state’s national administrative representation.
The Chief Minister further announced that a special felicitation ceremony would be held at the Anna Administrative Staff College on Saturday to honour the 57 candidates from Tamil Nadu who successfully cleared the UPSC exams this year.
As Tamil Nadu strengthens its commitment to educational empowerment and social equity, the upcoming residential training centre stands as a symbol of the government’s determination to make the state a prominent contributor to India’s bureaucracy once again.
