Tamil Nadu Minister Clarifies: Student ID Cards Will Not Include Caste Details
Minister for Revenue and Disaster Management K.A. Sengottaiyan on Saturday clarified that the proposed student identity cards will not contain caste details. Instead, the cards will include only essential information such as the student's address, blood group, Aadhaar particulars, and educational qualifications.
Speaking to reporters after distributing welfare assistance at an event in Gobichettipalayam to mark Chief Minister C. Joseph Vijay's birthday, Mr. Sengottaiyan said the Revenue and Disaster Management Department and the School Education Department are jointly examining the feasibility of issuing a data-based identity card for students of Classes X and XII.
The Revenue Department has, over the past five years, been issuing certificates such as income, nativity, and community certificates directly to students in schools, sparing them the need to visit government offices. The proposed identity card, he said, is the next step in streamlining student records and improving access to essential information.
Rejecting reports that caste details would be included, Mr. Sengottaiyan said no caste-related information would be on the card. 'If caste is mentioned on an identity card issued in schools, it may create discrimination or cause emotional distress among students. Children study in schools without distinctions of caste or religion. Our movement is also beyond caste and religion. The proposal is being considered purely in the interest of students,' he said.
The Minister said the card would also serve a practical purpose during emergencies. In the event of accidents or unforeseen situations, the address, blood group, and Aadhaar details would enable authorities to identify students quickly, provide immediate assistance, and contact their family members. The two departments will shortly work out the modalities for implementing the scheme for students of Classes X and XII, he added.
Responding to questions on recurring incidents of tourist deaths at the Kodiveri dam, Mr. Sengottaiyan said the Public Works Department has prohibited people who cannot swim from entering the reservoir area. Visitors may bathe in the waterfalls downstream, but swimming in the storage area above the sluices is prohibited. Members of the fishermen's association are stationed there to enforce the rules.
On the appointment of film producer Venkataraman as the Tamil Nadu government's Special Representative in New Delhi, Mr. Sengottaiyan said appointing representatives is a policy decision of the government and there is nothing improper about it. Asked whether the appointee would safeguard the State's interests in the Mekedatu project issue, he said all government appointees are committed to voicing Tamil Nadu's concerns before the Union government on inter-State river water disputes and other matters affecting the State.
