Tamil Nadu has created a separate Secretariat department for Hindu Religious and Charitable Endowments administration, bringing the existing HR&CE commissionerate under its complete control, according to a government order reported on Wednesday, September 9.
The new unit has been named the Hindu Religious and Charitable Endowments Department. The move is intended to improve administrative convenience and accelerate the handling of departmental work, according to the order issued by Tamil Nadu Chief Secretary Saikumar, as reported by Dinamalar.
The order marks a change in the way the department is positioned within the state Secretariat. The HR&CE commissionerate, which had been functioning as the department’s administrative arm, will now operate fully under the newly created Secretariat department.
The government has also decided to make corresponding amendments to the Tamil Nadu Government Business Rules and the Secretariat Office Manual. The order states that the Human Resources Management Department will issue separate instructions covering these changes.
Rajaram, who currently serves as Secretary to the Tamil Development and Information Department, will hold additional charge as Secretary of the new Hindu Religious and Charitable Endowments Department until further orders. The government order does not specify a separate permanent appointment for the department’s secretary.
The HR&CE administration oversees the state’s institutional framework for Hindu religious and charitable endowments. The creation of a dedicated Secretariat department changes the formal administrative arrangement for the commissionerate, while the order’s stated objectives focus on internal coordination and faster processing of work.
Further details on the revised allocation of business, reporting responsibilities and the practical implementation of the new department are expected through the amendments to the government and Secretariat procedure rules. Those changes will be issued separately by the Human Resources Management Department, according to the order.
