Student ID cards will not carry caste details, clarifies Tamil Nadu Minister Sengottaiyan

Minister for Revenue and Disaster Management K.A. Sengottaiyan on Saturday (June 27, 2026) clarified that the proposed student identity cards would not contain caste details and would instead 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 a function organised 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 were jointly examining the feasibility of issuing a data-based identity card for students of Classes X and XII.

‘Bid to streamline records’

The Revenue Department had, 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 Revenue Department offices, Village Administrative Officers, or Revenue Inspectors. The proposed identity card, he said, was intended as the next step in streamlining student records and improving access to essential information.

“As the next step, we are considering issuing an identity card containing details such as the student’s address, blood group, Aadhaar particulars, and educational qualifications,” he said.

Rejecting reports that caste details would be in the identity cards, Mr. Sengottaiyan said no caste-related information would be included. “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 available on the card would enable authorities to identify students quickly, provide immediate assistance, and contact their family members. The two departments would shortly work out the modalities for implementing the scheme for students of Classes X and XII, he added.

Deaths at Kodiveri dam

Responding to questions on the recurring incidents of tourist deaths at the Kodiveri dam, Mr. Sengottaiyan said the Public Works Department had already prohibited persons who did not know swimming from entering the reservoir area. Visitors could bathe in the waterfalls downstream, but swimming in the storage area of the dam above the sluices remained prohibited, he said, adding that members of the fishermen’s association were stationed there.

On the appointment of film producer Venkataraman as the Tamil Nadu government’s Special Representative in New Delhi, Mr. Sengottaiyan said appointing representatives was a policy decision of the government and there was nothing improper about it. Asked whether the appointee would safeguard the State’s interests in the Mekedatu project issue, he said all those appointed by the government were committed to voicing Tamil Nadu’s concerns before the Union government on inter-State river water disputes and other matters affecting the State.