First Ramachandran Ministry

4th Ministry of Tamil Nadu
Head of the government

Dr. M. G. Ramachandran
Former Chief Minister of Tamil Nadu

Date formed| 30 June 1977
Date dissolved| 17 February 1980
People and organisations
Governor| Prabhudas B. Patwari
Chief Minister| M. G. Ramachandran
Chief Minister's history| Indian film actor
Total no. of members| 18
Member party|  All India Anna Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam
Status in legislature| Majority

130 / 234 (56%)

Opposition party|  Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam
Opposition leader| M. Karunanidhi
History
Election| 1977
Outgoing election| 1971
Legislature terms| 2 years, 232 days
Predecessor| Second Karunanidhi ministry
Successor| Second Ramachandran ministry

The First Ministry of Ramachandran was the Council of Ministers, headed by M. G. Ramachandran, that was formed after the sixth legislative assembly election, which was held in two phases on 12th and 14th of June 1977. The results of the election were announced in June 1977, and this led to the formation of the 6th Assembly. On 30 June 1977, the Council took office.[1]

## Constitutional requirement

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### For the Council of Ministers to aid and advise Governor

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According to Article 163 of the Indian Constitution,

> # There shall be a Council of Ministers with the Chief Minister at the head to aid and advise the Governor in the exercise of his function, except in so far as he is by or under this Constitution required to exercise his functions or any of them in his discretion.

>   1. If any question arises whether any matter is or is not a matter as respects which the Governor is by or under this Constitution required to act in his discretion, the decision of the Governor in his discretion shall be final, and the validity of anything done by the Governor shall not be called in question on the ground that he ought or ought not to have acted in his discretion.
>   2. The question whether any, and if so what, advice was tendered by Ministers to the Governor shall not be inquired into in any court.

This means that the Ministers serve under the pleasure of the Governor and he/she may remove them, on the advice of the Chief Minister, whenever they want.

The Chief Minister shall be appointed by the Governor and the other Ministers shall be appointed by the Governor on the advice of the Chief Minister, and the Minister shall hold office during the pleasure of the Governor:
Provided that in the States of Bihar, Madhya Pradesh and Odisha, there shall be a Minister in charge of tribal welfare who may in addition be in charge of the welfare of the Scheduled Castes and backward classes or any other work.

> # The Council of Minister shall be collectively responsible to the Legislative Assembly of the State.

>   1. Before a Minister enters upon his office, the Governor shall administer to him the oaths of office and of secrecy according to the forms set out for the purpose in the Third Schedule.
>   2. A Minister who for any period of six consecutive months is not a member of the Legislature of the State shall at the expiration of that period cease to be a Minister.
>   3. The salaries and allowances of Ministers shall be such as the Legislature of the State may from time to time by law determine and, until the Legislature of the State so determines, shall be a specified in the Second Schedule.

## Council of Ministers

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### Cabinet (30 June 1977 – 6 May 1978)

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Chief Minister

No.  | Name  | Constituency  | Portfolio  | Departments  | Political party
1  | M. G. Ramachandran | Aruppukkottai | Chief Minister |

* Public
* General Administration
* Matters relating to Indian Civil Service and Indian Administrative Service Officers
* District Revenue Officers
* Deputy Collectors
* Police
* Elections
* Passport
* Prohibition
* Health
* Medicine
* Religious Endowments
* Prevention of Corruption and
* Industries

| All India Anna Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam |
Cabinet Ministers
2  | Nanjil K. Manoharan | Palayamkottai | Minister for Finance  |

* Finance
* Planning
* Commercial Taxes and Excise
* Revenue and
* Legislature

| All India Anna Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam |
3  | Panruti S. Ramachandran | Panruti | Minister for Public Works  |

* Public Works
* Minor Irrigation including Special Minor Irrigation Programme Works
* Mines and Minerals and
* Iron and Steel Control

4  | K. Narayanaswamy | Member of the Legislative Council | Minister for Law  |

* Law
* Courts Prisons
* Legislation on Weights and Measures
* Legislation on money lending
* Legislation on chits and
* Registration of Companies

5  | G. R. Edmund | Tirunelveli | Minister for Food and Co-operation  |

* Food
* Food Production
* Co-operation and
* Fisheries

6  | R. M. Veerappan | Member of the Legislative Council | Minister for Information and Publicity  |

* Information and Publicity Film Technology
* Tourism Development Corporation and
* Cinematograph Act

7  | C. Aranganayagam | Coimbatore West | Minister for Education  |

* Education (including Technical Education)
* Official Language
* Approved Schools
* Employment and
* Training

8  | K. Kalimuthu | Thiruparankundram | Minister for Local Administration  |

* Municipal Administration
* Community Development
* Panchayats
* Panchayat Unions
* Village
* Industries
* Rural Industries
* Project and
* Rural Indebtedness

9  | S. Raghavanandam | Member of the Legislative Council | Minister for Labour  |

* Labour
* Housing
* Slum Clearance Board
* Statistics
* Tamil Nadu Water Supply and Drainage Board and
* Town Planning

10  | P. Soundarapandian | Krishnarayapuram | Minister for Harijan Welfare  |

* Harijan Welfare
* Backward Classes
* Stationary and Printing
* Government Press and
* Hill Tribes

11  | C. Ponnaiyan | Tiruchengode | Minister for Transport  |

* Transport
* Nationalized Transports
* Motor Vehicles Act
* Highways and
* Ports

12  | P. T. Saraswathi | Thirumangalam | Minister for Social Welfare  |

* Social Welfare (including Women and Children Welfare)
* Animal Husbandry
* Beggars Home
* Orphanages
* Vigilance Service
* Indian Overseas and Refugees and
* Evacuees

13  | P. Kolandaivelu | Udumalaipettai | Minister for Agriculture  |

* Agriculture
* Agriculture Refinance
* Agricultural Engineering Wing
* Agro Engineering Wing
* Milk
* Diary Development Corporation and
* Operation Flood Project

14  | K. Raja Mohammed | Member of the Legislative Council | Minister for Handlooms and Textiles  |

* Accommodation Control
* News Print Control and
* Agro Service Cooperative Societies at Block, District and Apex Level (including Federation, Wafts, Textiles, Yarn and Handloom)

### Cabinet (7 May 1978 – 17 February 1980)

[edit]

Chief Minister

No.  | Name  | Constituency  | Portfolio  | Departments  | Political Party
1  | M. G. Ramachandran | Aruppukkottai | Chief Minister |

* Public
* General Administration
* Indian Administrative Service Officers
* District Revenue Officers
* Deputy Collectors
* Police
* Passport
* Prohibition
* Prevention of Corruption
* Large Scale Industries
* Textiles and
* Mines and Minerals

| All India Anna Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam |
Cabinet Ministers
2  | Nanjil K. Manoharan | Palayamkottai | Minister for Finance  |

* Finance
* Planning
* Legislature
* Public Works (Buildings) and
* Establishment Matters relating to the Public Works Department

| All India Anna Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam |
3  | Panruti S. Ramachandran | Panruti | Minister for Electricity  |

* Electricity and
* Iron and Steel Control

4  | K. A. Krishnaswamy | Member of the Legislative Council | Minister for Co-operation  |

* Co-operation and
* Registration

5  | S. D. Somasundaram | Member of the Legislative Council | Minister for Revenue  |

* Revenue
* Commercial Taxes
* Legislation on money lending
* Legislation on chits and
* Excise

6  | G. R. Edmund | Tirunelveli | Minister for Food-Price Control and Co-operation  |

* Food
* Fisheries
* Youth Service Crops
* Backward Classes
* Elections and
* Ex-Serviceman

7  | R. M. Veerappan | Member of the Legislative Council | Minister for Information and Hindu Religious Endowments  |

* Information and Publicity
* Film
* Technology
* Tourism
* Tourism Development Corporation
* Cinematography Act
* Hindu Religion and Charitable Endowments
* Forests
* Grant of liquor permits and
* Cinchona

8  | K. Narayanaswamy | Member of the Legislative Council | Minister for Law  |

* Law
* Courts Prisons
* Legislation on Weights and Measures and
* Registration of Companies

9  | C. Aranganayagam | Coimbatore West | Minister for Education  |

* Education (including Technical Education)
* Official Language
* Approved Schools
* Employment and
* Training

10  | K. Kalimuthu | Thiruparankundram | Minister for Local Administration-Rural Indebtedness  |

* Municipal Administration
* Community Development
* Panchayat and
* Panchayat Unions

11  | S. Raghavanandam | Member of the Legislative Council | Minister for Labour  |

* Labour
* Housing
* Slum Clearance Board
* Statistics
* Tamil Nadu Water Supply and Drainage Board
* Town Planning and
* Accommodation Control

12  | P. Soundarapandian | Krishnarayapuram | Minister for Harijan Welfare  |

* Harijan Welfare
* Backward Classes
* Stationary and Printing
* Government Press
* News Paper Control
* Hill Tribes and
* Bonded Labour

13  | C. Ponnaiyan | Tiruchengode | Minister for Transport  |

* Transport
* Nationalized Transports
* Motor Vehicles Act and
* Ports

14  | P. Kolandaivelu | Udumalaipettai | Minister for Agriculture and Irrigation-Agro Engineering  |

* Agriculture
* Agriculture Refinance
* Agricultural Engineering Wing
* Agro Service
* Co-operative Societies
* Irrigation (including Minor Irrigation)

15  | K. Raja Mohammed | Member of the Legislative Council | Minister for Rural Industries-Wakfs  |

* Rural Industries (including Villages)
* Cottage and Small Industries
* Milk and
* Dairy Development

16  | R. Soundararajan | Srirangam | Minister for Health  |

* Health

17  | P. T. Saraswathi | Thirumangalam | Minister for Social Welfare  |

* Social Welfare (including Women and Children Welfare)
* Animal Husbandry
* Beggars Home
* Orphanages
* Correctional Administration
* Indian Overseas and Refugees
* Evacuees and
* Highway

18  | Subbulakshmi Jagadeesan | Modakkurichi | Minister for Khadi and Handlooms  |

* Handlooms
* Khadi and
* Yarn

## References

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1. ^ TAMIL NADU LEGISLATIVE ASSEMBLY QUINQUENNIAL REVIEW 1977-80 (PDF), Chennai: Government of Tamil Nadu, 1980
\- G.C. Shekhar (16 May 2011). "Swearing-in at 'lucky' venue". The Telegraph. Retrieved 25 May 2021.
\- Revathi Krishnan (17 January 2021). "AIADMK founder MGR was also the first film actor to become a chief minister in India". The Print. Retrieved 25 May 2021.
\- "SIXTH ASSEMBLY". Tamil Nadu Legislative Assembly. Retrieved 25 May 2021.

*[no.]: number