TN Information and Publicity Dept Gets Rs 292.77 Crore Revised Budget

The Tamil Nadu Department of Information and Public Relations has been allocated a revised budget estimate of Rs 292.77 crore for 2026-27. The allocation covers information and publicity, social security and welfare, public works, and other related activities across the state.

Presenting the demand for information and publicity in Chennai, Minister for School Education, Tamil Development, Information and Publicity Rajmohan tabled the overall revised estimate under Demand No. 28. The specific allocation for Information and Publicity under head 2220 was revised upward to Rs 278.91 crore from the interim estimate of Rs 243.53 crore.

Journalist welfare remains a central focus of the department's operations. The monthly pension for eligible journalists has been increased from Rs 12,000 to Rs 15,000, benefiting 399 journalists who have completed 20 years of service and are in indigent circumstances. The family pension for families of deceased pensioner-journalists has also been raised from Rs 6,000 to Rs 7,500 per month, covering 75 families.

Under the Journalist Welfare Fund, the government provides financial medical assistance of up to Rs 2.5 lakh for serious illnesses. A separate Family Benefit Fund has extended financial support to the families of 130 journalists who died while in service, with sums tied to their years of service. The government has also sanctioned Rs 2 lakh in accident relief for the families of journalists who die in accidents.

In 2026, the department issued 2,318 press accreditation cards and 377 press passes, with accredited journalists receiving free bus travel passes for news-gathering work. In Kotturpuram, the Chennai Institute of Journalism, which has run a postgraduate diploma program since 2025-26, awarded degrees to 39 students during its first convocation in June 2026.

The department's policy priorities focus on modernising District Information and Public Relations Offices to expand digital outreach on government welfare schemes. Its central Media Hub created 17,324 digital media assets for 37 government departments and produced 22,150 creative assets for 38 district offices.

Additionally, the department oversees the maintenance of 219 memorials, statues, memorial halls, pillars, and monuments across Tamil Nadu. The State Information Centre in Chennai holds 73,835 books, with 2,500 historical and literary works digitised under its e-library initiative.