Chennai, Apr 16 (PTI) Tamil Nadu government on Wednesday proposed to amend the Tamil Nadu Urban Local Bodies Act, 1998, and the Tamil Nadu Panchayats Act 1994, to empower the differently abled to participate in local governance without having to contest in polls.

Introducing the Bills to amend these two Acts, Tamil Nadu Chief Minister M K Stalin told the Assembly that the move would ensure appropriate representation for persons with disabilities.

“The present amendment will provide equal opportunities and privileges to the differently abled in local governance,” he said.

The amendment followed an announcement by the chief minister recently that steps would be taken to nominate persons with disabilities in all local bodies in the state to ensure that their voices were heard in local governance and that they were empowered to take leadership roles in local administration.

“This announcement paved the way for achieving social justice by way of distribution of opportunities and privileges equally to all citizens, including persons with disabilities,” the ‘statement of objects and reasons’ in the Bill said.

Accordingly, the government has decided to nominate persons with disabilities in all the town panchayats, municipal councils, and municipal corporations by amending the Tamil Nadu Urban Local Bodies Act, 1998, and Tamil Nadu Panchayats Act 1994, suitably, the Bill stated.

One person with disability will be nominated as a member by the government in the municipal corporation and by the director with respect to municipal council and town panchayats, and two persons will be nominated as members of the council where the strength of the exceeds one hundred.

The term of office for the nominated member will be co-terminus with the duration of the panchayat.

Currently, only 35 members are elected in urban local bodies. The present legislation would ensure the nomination of about 650 differently abled persons in urban local bodies, 12,913 in gram panchayats, 388 in panchayat unions, and 37 in the district panchayats, the chief minister said. PTI JSP KH