Palanivel Thiaga Rajan
Indian politician (born 1966)
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Palanivel Thiaga Rajan (PTR) (born 7 March 1966) is an Indian politician and the current Minister of Information Technology and Digital Services of Tamil Nadu.[1] He was elected to the Tamil Nadu Legislative Assembly election in 2016 and 2021 from Madurai Central.[2][3]
Dr. Palanivel Thiaga Rajan | |
|---|---|
| |
| Minister for Information Technology and Digital Services Tamil Nadu | |
| Assumed office 11 May 2023 | |
| Chief Minister | M. K. Stalin |
| Preceded by | Mano Thangaraj |
| Finance Minister in The Government of Tamil Nadu | |
| In office 7 May 2021 – 10 May 2023 | |
| Chief Minister | M. K. Stalin |
| Preceded by | O. Panneerselvam |
| Succeeded by | Thangam Thennarasu |
| Member of Tamil Nadu Legislative Assembly | |
| Assumed office 25 May 2016 | |
| Preceded by | R. Sundarrajan |
| Constituency | Madurai Central |
| Personal details | |
| Born | 7 March 1966 |
| Party | Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam |
| Spouse | Margaret Thiagarajan |
| Relations | P. T. Rajan (grandfather) |
| Children | 2 |
| Parent(s) | Rukmani (mother) P. T. R. Palanivel Rajan (father) |
| Alma mater | The Lawrence School, Lovedale National Institute of Technology, Tiruchirappalli (BTech (Hons)) University at Buffalo (M.S., PhD) MIT Sloan School of Management (MBA) |
| Website | https://www.ptrmadurai.com/ |
Early life
He is the son of the late P. T. R. Palanivel Rajan, who was also a well-known politician and speaker of Tamil Nadu Assembly.[4] His grandfather, P. T. Rajan, was the Chief Minister of Madras Presidency[4] from 4 April 1936, to 24 August 1936.
Following his schooling at The Lawrence School, Lovedale,[5] and Vikaasa School, Madurai, he graduated with a degree in chemical engineering from the National Institute of Technology, Tiruchirappalli (formerly, Regional Engineering College, Tiruchirappalli). He obtained a master's degree in operations research and a Ph.D. in human factors engineering/engineering psychology at University at Buffalo. He then completed his MBA in financial management at MIT Sloan School of Management.[6] He is a named inventor on a patent held by Barclays Capital Inc.[7]
Corporate career
He began his career in 1990 as an independent consultant in Operations and Systems Improvement.[8] In 2001 he joined Lehman Brothers Holdings Inc. as Trader and Co-Portfolio Manager – Firm Relationship Loan Portfolio.[9][10] He quit Lehman Brothers Holdings Inc. as Head Of Offshore Capital Markets in the year 2008.[11][12] He then worked for Standard Chartered Bank, Singapore in the Global Capital Markets division. He quit Standard Chartered Bank as managing director, Financial Markets Sales in 2014.[13]
Political career
Thiagarajan was elected as the Member of the Legislative Assembly (MLA) from Madurai Central Assembly constituency in the 2016 Tamil Nadu Legislative Assembly election. He was re-elected in the 2021 Tamil Nadu Legislative Assembly election.
He was the Finance and Human Resources Management Minister of Tamil Nadu since May 2021.[14] He has released a White Paper on Tamil Nadu's finances after a long time.[15] In a cabinet reshuffle on 11 May 2023 by the Tamil Nadu government, he was made the Information Technology and Digital Services minister of the state.[16]
Ministry
| Designation | Portfolio | Party | Ministry | Tenure | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Took office | Left office | ||||
| Minister of Information Technology & Digital Services | Information Technology and Digital Services[17] | DMK | M.K.Stalin | 11 May 2023 | Incumbent |
| Minister of Finance and Human Resources Management | Finance, Planning, Personal and Administrative Reforms, Pensions and Pension allowances. | 7 May 2021 | 10 May 2023 | ||
Electoral performance
| Elections | Constituency | Party | Result | % Votes | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2016 Tamil Nadu Legislative Assembly election | Madurai Central | DMK | Won | 42.55% | |
| 2021 Tamil Nadu Legislative Assembly election | Madurai Central | DMK | Won | 49.47% | |
Personal life
He married Margaret, whom he met at University at Buffalo where he was pursuing his Ph.D. while she was pursuing her Master's. They have two sons.[18]