Aandror Membattu Thittam: Rs.250 Crore for Tribal Habitations

The Aandror Membattu Thittam, announced in the Tamil Nadu Revised Budget 2026-27 on 5 August 2026, will improve basic amenities in Tribal habitations - houses, roads, drinking water, street lights, livelihood schemes, health infrastructure, education-related scholarship schemes, and school and hostel improvement works - with Rs.250 crore allocated in the current financial year. It carries forward the Tholkudi scheme, which the previous Government launched in 2024 at a cost of Rs.1,000 crore over four years for the same purpose: the Social Justice Department's Performance Budget 2026-27 shows the Tholkudi years 2024-25 and 2025-26 under the Aandror name.

Key facts at a glance

What did the Budget speech say about the Aandror Membattu Thittam?

The speech announces that the Aandror Membattu Thittam will be implemented to improve basic amenities in Tribal habitations, including houses, roads, drinking water, street lights, livelihood schemes, health infrastructure, education-related scholarship schemes, and school and hostel improvement works. Under this scheme, infrastructure in Tribal habitations will be upgraded with an allocation of Rs.250 crore in the current financial year.

Is this a new scheme?

No. The Tamil Nadu Budget 2024-25 (19 February 2024) announced the Tholkudi scheme to upgrade roads, drinking water, street lights and permanent houses in tribal habitations with Rs.1,000 crore, and its guidelines (G.O.(Ms) No.55, 26 July 2024) set Rs.250 crore a year for four years: Rs.225 crore for civic infrastructure such as houses, roads, street lights, health and educational buildings, schools and hostels, and the rest for livelihoods. The 2026 list of works is the same. The Social Justice Department's Performance Budget 2026-27 shows the scheme's spending under the new name: Rs.225 crore on infrastructure in each of 2024-25 and 2025-26 ("Aandror - Infrastructure Development Scheme") and Rs.25 crore and Rs.30 crore on livelihoods ("Aandror - Economic Development Schemes"). BBC Tamil (6 August 2026) also reported that the Government will run the Tholkudi scheme under the name Aandror Membattu Thittam.

What kinds of works will be taken up?

The speech gives an unusually specific list, and every item in it is quotable in an exam answer: houses, roads, drinking water, street lights, livelihood schemes, health infrastructure, education-related scholarship schemes, and school and hostel improvement works. Under the 2024 guidelines, habitations are prioritised using a socio-economic survey of 2.62 lakh tribal households. No separate guidelines under the new name had been found as of 21 October 2026.

Why does this scheme matter for TNPSC preparation?

Tribal welfare is a regular Prelims theme, and this is the main Tribal habitation scheme in the Revised Budget 2026-27. Remember these fact pairs:

• Scheme - purpose: Aandror Membattu Thittam - improving basic amenities and upgrading infrastructure in Tribal habitations.
• Scheme - allocation: Rs.250 crore in the current financial year.
• Scheme - earlier name: Tholkudi scheme (Budget 2024-25, Rs.1,000 crore over four years).
• Scheme - department: Social Justice Department (Adi Dravidar and Tribal Welfare).
• Exam point: this scheme covers Tribal habitations (Rs.250 crore), while the Iyothee Thass Pandithar Habitation Development Scheme listed just before it covers Adi Dravidar habitations, urban and rural (Rs.300 crore). Swapping the community or the amount between the two is the obvious wrong option an examiner will offer.
• Same-section names: also keep separate the Annal Ambedkar Overseas Higher Education Scholarship Scheme (Rs.131 crore), the Annal Ambedkar Business Champions Scheme (Rs.165 crore), the Vetri Entrepreneur Scheme (Rs.75 crore) and the Mannin Magal Thittam (Rs.20 crore).
• Budget context: Rs.2,079 crore under the Tribal Sub-Plan, Rs.25,225 crore under the Special Component Plan for Adi Dravidar, and Rs.3,937 crore for the Social Justice Department in the Revised Budget Estimates; the speech also affirms the Government's commitment to safeguarding Tamil Nadu's 69 per cent reservation.

How is this different from the Iyothee Thass Pandithar Habitation Development Scheme?

Both are habitation development schemes listed back to back in the Social Justice section, which makes them a natural match-the-following pair, and both continue earlier schemes. The Aandror Membattu Thittam is for Tribal habitations and itemises the amenities to be improved, from houses and roads to hostel works, with Rs.250 crore. The Iyothee Thass Pandithar scheme, running since 2023-24, is for Adi Dravidar habitations, both urban and rural, framed broadly as complete socio-economic development, with Rs.300 crore. Anchor the pairing in your notes: Tribal - Aandror - Rs.250 crore; Adi Dravidar - Iyothee Thass Pandithar - Rs.300 crore.

What is the current status?

The works begun under Tholkudi continue under the new name in 2026-27 with Rs.250 crore through the Social Justice Department; the four-year plan of 2024 runs to 2027-28. Every update will be added to this page with the date of revision, so you always have the latest verified position for your exam notes.