Tamil Nadu sanctions ₹71.01 crore to raise police stations’ contingency funds

Tamil Nadu issued an order on October 21 sanctioning ₹71.01 crore to raise monthly contingency funds for police stations across the Indian state, The Hindu reported. The money is intended to help stations meet routine administrative and operational expenses, with larger allocations for each of three station categories.

The order follows an announcement by Chief Minister C. Joseph Vijay during the state Assembly’s consideration of Home Department grants for 2026–27, according to The Hindu. A government press release cited by the newspaper said the increase was intended to cover unforeseen expenses and eliminate corruption. That is the government’s stated aim, not a measured effect of the new funding.

How much each police station will receive

• Light stations: ₹30,000 a month, up from ₹3,750.
• Medium stations: ₹40,000 a month, up from ₹6,000.
• Heavy stations: ₹50,000 a month, up from ₹8,250.

DT Next reported that the allocations cover 1,169 light stations, including all-women and traffic stations; 353 medium stations; and 395 heavy stations, including Metro-1 and Metro-2 stations. Those figures describe which stations fall within the three funding bands, rather than additional categories of spending.

Why the funding was raised

Police officials said inadequate contingency funds had led stations to rely on complainants, victims, petitioners and other members of the public to pay routine expenses, DT Next reported. The account explains the concern behind the government’s anti-corruption aim; it does not establish how often such requests occurred or whether the increase will end them.

Special units that have police-station powers do not currently receive contingency funds, according to DT Next. The order asks the Director General of Police to submit a separate proposal for those units, so the announced monthly increases do not yet resolve their funding arrangements.