JOIN USEconomists, doctors, and transgender artist part of Tamil Nadu’s policy body
Tamil Nadu Chief Minister M K Stalin on Sunday reconstituted the State Development Policy Council (SDPC) by naming noted economist Prof. J Jayaranjan as its Vice-President and appointing nine members, including Transgender Bharatnatyam artiste Dr Narthaki Nataraj.
Representatives from various sections of the society, including doctors, and the business community, have been included in the SDPC, formerly known as State Planning Commission. The Council will have a permanent member and eight part-time members besides the Vice-President and Stalin, who is the President in his capacity as Chief Minister.
DMK government’s decision to include Dr Narthaki Natraj, the first person from the Transgender community to be bestowed with the Padma Shri award, into the SDPC has won laurels with many taking to social media to applaud the move. This is probably the first time that the community is being represented in a top government decision-making body in the country.
Prof R Sreenivasan of the University of Madras will be a permanent member of the Council, while Dr J Amalorpavanathan, the man behind Tamil Nadu’s robust organ donation system, and renowned Siddha specialist Dr K Sivaraman are among the part-time members.
Mallika Srinivasan, Chairman and Managing Director of Tractors and Farm Equipment Limited, Prof. M Vijayabhaskar of the Madras Institute of Development Studies (MIDS), Prof Sultan Ahmed Ismail, and retired bureaucrat M Deenabandu are the other part-time members.
Three-time DMK MLA T R B Raaja is also part of the Council that will draft government policies on various issues.
Prof Jayaranjan is a vocal critic of the economic policies of the Narendra Modi Government and a proponent of the Dravidian model. A popular face on Tamil news television channels, Jeyaranjan is outspoken and had campaigned for the DMK in the April 6 assembly elections.
Dr Narthaki, a famous Bharatnatyam dancer, is a disciple of Tanjore K P Kittappa Pillai, who was a direct descendant of the Tanjore Quartet brothers (considered the fathers of Bharatanatyam). She learnt and practised under him in Gurukul (Full time residential) for 14 years and specialized in the Tanjore style Nayaki Bhava tradition.