Citizen privilege card, AI governance: Vijay unveils reform pitch ahead of polls

Actor-politician Vijay on Monday unveiled an ambitious governance blueprint, promising a “Tamil Nadu Citizen Privilege Card” and an AI-driven administrative system as part of his party Tamizhaga Vettri Kazhagam’s (TVK) reform agenda.

Positioning it as a cornerstone of “21st Century Good Governance”, Vijay said every family in the state would receive a Citizen Privilege Card, similar to Aadhaar, containing comprehensive household data. He asserted that the system would ensure automatic delivery of welfare benefits from birth without the need for applications or bribes. The government, he said, would use Artificial Intelligence to deliver schemes directly to citizens’ doorsteps.

Taking a swipe at Chief Minister MK Stalin, Vijay said his proposals were “scientifically possible” and not “tall tales”, adding that a future TVK government would implement them.

Expanding on governance reforms, Vijay announced that a Tamil Nadu Rights to Services Act would be enacted within six months of coming to power. He also proposed a “Vetri Tamil Nadu” super app that would integrate services such as driving licences, ration cards, birth certificates, scheme tracking and grievance redressal. He said authorities would face action if services were delayed.

Vijay further proposed a Tamil Nadu Real-Time Governance Dashboard to bring transparency in budget allocation and spending, claiming that current fund utilisation lacks visibility.

Emphasising participatory governance, he said citizens would become partners in administration through a proposed website, myvetritamilnadu.in. The platform would allow people to propose ideas, vote on policies, evaluate services and monitor budget expenditure.

Under the “Makkal Arangam” scheme, citizens could submit petitions directly to the Legislative Assembly. He said the government would have to respond to petitions with 10,000 verified signatures, while those with 500,000 signatures would trigger mandatory debates in the Assembly. One full day of each Assembly session would be dedicated to public petitions.

On the economic front, Vijay said Tamil Nadu would aim to become India’s Artificial Intelligence and Digital Capital. He proposed setting up the state’s first AI University and an AI City to attract global tech firms and research institutions. He also announced plans to establish 1,000 deep-tech innovation centres in Madurai, Coimbatore, Salem and Tiruchirappalli to support startups. He added that a TVK government would create India’s first Ministry of Artificial Intelligence.

Addressing fiscal concerns, Vijay highlighted that Tamil Nadu’s debt has crossed 10.5 lakh crore and said the state cannot sustain rising borrowing levels. He promised to increase revenue without imposing additional taxes, ensure efficient spending and develop new revenue streams to make the state financially self-sufficient.