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{{Short description|Indian politician (born 1966)}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=September 2019}}
{{Use Indian English|date=September 2019}}
{{Infobox officeholder
| name = Dr. Palanivel Thiaga Rajan
| native_name = 
| honorific_suffix =
| image = File:PTR.Thiagarajan.JPG
| office = [[Minister (government)|Minister]] for [[Department of Information Technology (Tamil Nadu)|Information Technology and Digital Services]] [[Tamil Nadu]]
| 1blankname = Chief Minister
| 1namedata = [[M. K. Stalin]]
| term_start = 11 May 2023
| predecessor = [[Mano Thangaraj]]
| term_end = 5 May 2026
| office1 = [[Department of Finance (Tamil Nadu)|Finance Minister]] in The [[Government of Tamil Nadu]]
| term_start1 = 7 May 2021
| term_end1 = 10 May 2023
| 2namedata1 = [[M. K. Stalin]]
| 2blankname1 = Chief Minister
| predecessor1 = [[O. Panneerselvam]]
| successor1 = [[Thangam Thennarasu]]
| office2 = [[Member of the Legislative Assembly (India)|Member]] of [[Tamil Nadu Legislative Assembly]]
| term_start2 = 25 May 2016
| term_end2 = 4 May 2026
| constituency2 = [[Madurai Central (state assembly constituency)|Madurai Central]]
| predecessor2 = [[R. Sundarrajan (Politician)|R. Sundarrajan]]
| successor2 = Mathar Badhruddin
| birth_date = {{birth date and age|1966|03|7|df=y}}
| birth_place = [[Madurai]], [[Madras State]] (now [[Tamil Nadu]]), [[India]]
| relations = [[P. T. Rajan]] (grandfather)
| parents = Rukmani (mother) [[P. T. R. Palanivel Rajan]] (father)
| spouse = Margaret Thiagarajan
| children = 2
| death_date =
| death_place =
| party = [[Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam]]
| alma_mater = [[Lawrence School, Lovedale|The Lawrence School, Lovedale]] 
[[National Institute of Technology, Tiruchirappalli]] ([[Bachelor of Technology|BTech (Hons)]]) [[University at Buffalo]] ([[Master of Science|M.S.]], [[PhD]]) [[MIT Sloan School of Management]] ([[MBA]])
| signature =
| website = https://www.ptrmadurai.com/
}}
'''Palanivel Thiaga Rajan''' (born 7 March 1966) known by his initials '''PTR''' is an Indian politician and the current Minister of Information Technology and Digital Services of [[Tamil Nadu]].<ref>{{Cite web|date=2021-05-06|title=MK Stalin to head 34-member cabinet: PTR is Finance Minister, Ma Su gets Health|url=https://www.thenewsminute.com/article/mk-stalin-head-34-member-cabinet-ptr-finance-minister-ma-su-gets-health-148415|access-date=2021-05-19|website=The News Minute|language=en}}</ref> He was elected to the [[2016 Tamil Nadu Legislative Assembly election|Tamil Nadu Legislative Assembly election in 2016]] and [[2021 Tamil Nadu Legislative Assembly election|2021]] from [[Madurai Central (state assembly constituency)|Madurai Central]].<ref>{{cite web | url=http://eciresults.nic.in/ConstituencywiseS22193.htm?ac=193 | title=Tamil Nadu - Madurai Central 2016 | publisher=[[Election Commission of India]] | accessdate=25 May 2016 | archive-date=22 May 2016 | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160522162025/http://eciresults.nic.in/ConstituencywiseS22193.htm?ac=193 | url-status=dead }}</ref><ref>{{Cite web|title=Palanivel Thiagarajan Election Results 2021: News, Votes, Results of Tamil-nadu Assembly|url=https://www.ndtv.com/elections/tamil-nadu-assembly-election-candidates-list-2021/palanivel-thiagarajan-22193-5|access-date=2021-06-08|website=NDTV}}</ref>

==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.<ref name="d990">{{cite web | last=Rajan | first=Dr PTR Palanivel Thiaga | title=A Weighty Lineage Rests Easy On His Shoulders | website=Dr PTR Palanivel Thiaga Rajan | date=March 6, 2020 | url=https://ptrmadurai.com/a-weighty-lineage-rests-easy-on-his-shoulders | access-date=September 14, 2025}}</ref> His grandfather, [[P. T. Rajan]], was the Chief Minister of Madras Presidency<ref name="d990" /> from 4 April 1936, to 24 August 1936.

Following his schooling at The [[Lawrence School, Lovedale]],<ref name="s332">{{cite web | title=Alumni | website=Lawrence School | date=January 1, 1970 | url=https://www.thelawrenceschool.org/alumni | access-date=September 14, 2025}}</ref> 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]].<ref>{{Cite news|url=https://www.thehindu.com/society/drpalanivel-thiagarajan/article19802115.ece|title=Unlike a politician|last=Basu|first=Soma|date=2017-10-05|work=The Hindu|access-date=2019-11-21|issn=0971-751X}}</ref> He is a named inventor on a patent held by Barclays Capital Inc.<ref>{{citation|url=https://patents.google.com/patent/US20060253386A1/en |title=Methods and systems for providing structured loan commitment transactions}}</ref>

== Corporate career ==
He began his career in 1990 as an independent consultant in Operations and Systems Improvement.<ref>{{Cite web|date=2021-05-06|title=Meet Palanivel Thiagarajan, the next Finance Minister of Tamil Nadu! What are his challenges?|url=https://www.thenewstuff.in/meet-palanivel-thiagarajan-next-finance-minister-tamil-nadu-what-are-his-challenges|access-date=2021-05-20|website=The New Stuff|language=en}}</ref> In 2001 he joined [[Lehman Brothers|Lehman Brothers Holdings Inc.]] as Trader and Co-Portfolio Manager – Firm Relationship Loan Portfolio.<ref>{{Cite web|url=http://www.huffingtonpost.in/2016/04/24/tamil-nadu-election_n_9766486.html|title=This Former Lehman Banker Is Betting On Legacy In TN Polls|website=The Huffington Post|date=24 April 2016 |access-date=2016-05-07}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.catchnews.com/national-news/from-wall-street-to-madurai-will-ex-banker-thiaga-rajan-be-able-to-make-his-mark-in-politics-1462272097.html|title=From Wall Street to TN assembly polls: Will Thiagarajan be able to make his mark in politics?|website=CatchNews.com|access-date=2016-05-07}}</ref> He quit Lehman Brothers Holdings Inc. as Head Of Offshore Capital Markets in the year 2008.<ref>{{Cite news|url=https://economictimes.indiatimes.com/news/politics-and-nation/wall-street-banker-p-thiaga-rajan-contests-elections-from-temple-town-madurai/articleshow/52084907.cms?from=mdr|title=Wall Street banker P Thiaga Rajan contests elections from temple town Madurai|website=The Economic Times|access-date=2016-05-07|last1=Narayanan |first1=Dinesh }}</ref><ref>{{Citation|last=Manthan India|title=The Collapse of Lehman Brothers – An Insider's Perspective with P T Rajan|date=2015-05-12|url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Cg0NMt1MnqM|accessdate=2016-05-07}}</ref> He then worked for [[Standard Chartered|Standard Chartered Bank]], Singapore in the Global Capital Markets division. He quit Standard Chartered Bank as managing director, Financial Markets Sales in 2014.<ref>{{Citation|last=Murali D|title=Dr P T Rajan, Former Managing Director, Financial Markets, Standard Chartered Bank|date=2014-11-13|url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uFLIJp8MXqU|accessdate=2016-05-07}}</ref>

== Political career ==
Thiagarajan was elected as the [[Member of the Legislative Assembly (India)|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.<ref>{{Cite web|last=Sivapriyan|first=ETB|date=2021-05-30|title=Palanivel Thiagarajan: Former banker looks to fix Tamil Nadu's finances|url=https://www.deccanherald.com/national/south/palanivel-thiagarajan-former-banker-looks-to-fix-tamil-nadu-s-finances-991665.html|access-date=2021-06-08|website=Deccan Herald|language=en}}</ref> He has released a White Paper on Tamil Nadu's finances after a long time.<ref>{{cite web | url=https://www.theweek.in/news/biz-tech/2021/08/09/tamil-nadu-releases-white-paper-on-economy-says-gsdp-rate-declined-by-3-in-a-decade.html | title=Tamil Nadu releases white paper on economy; says GSDP rate declined by 3% in a decade | website=[[The Week (Indian magazine)|The Week]] }}</ref> 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.<ref>{{cite web | url=https://www.dtnext.in/tamilnadu/2023/05/11/portfolios-of-5-tn-mins-changed-ptr-gets-tech-thennarasu-gets-finance | title=Portfolios of 5 TN mins changed; PTR gets tech, Thennarasu gets finance | website=[[DT Next]] | date=11 May 2023 }}</ref>

== Ministry ==
{| class="wikitable"
|+
! rowspan="2" |Designation
! rowspan="2" |Portfolio
! rowspan="2" |Party
! rowspan="2" |Ministry
! colspan="2" |Tenure
|-
|'''Took office'''
|'''Left office'''
|-
|'''Minister of Information Technology & Digital Services'''
|Information Technology and Digital Services<ref name="‘Big demotion’ for PTR? DMK leader dropped as finance minister in reshuffle, given IT instead">{{cite news |last1=ThePrint |first1= |date=11 May 2023 |title='Big demotion' for PTR? DMK leader dropped as finance minister in reshuffle, given IT instead |url=https://theprint.in/politics/big-demotion-for-ptr-dmk-leader-dropped-as-finance-minister-in-reshuffle-given-it-instead/1567701/ |access-date=21 December 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20231221063337/https://theprint.in/politics/big-demotion-for-ptr-dmk-leader-dropped-as-finance-minister-in-reshuffle-given-it-instead/1567701/ |archive-date=21 December 2023}}</ref>
| rowspan="2" |[[Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam|DMK]]
| rowspan="2" |[[M. K. Stalin|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 ==
{| class="wikitable"
|+Tamil Nadu Legislative elections
!Elections
!Constituency
! colspan="2" |Party
!Result
!% Votes
|-
|[[2016 Tamil Nadu Legislative Assembly election]]
|[[Madurai Central Assembly constituency|Madurai Central]]
| bgcolor="{{party color|Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam}}"|
|[[Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam|DMK]]
|{{Won}}
|42.55%
|-
|[[2021 Tamil Nadu Legislative Assembly election]]
|[[Madurai Central Assembly constituency|Madurai Central]]
| bgcolor="{{party color|Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam}}"|
|[[Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam|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.<ref>{{Cite news|url=https://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/city/madurai/This-American-is-part-of-the-campaign-for-Madurai-Central/articleshow/52070186.cms|title=This American is part of the campaign for Madurai Central|website=The Times of India|date=2 May 2016 |access-date=2016-05-07}}</ref>

==References==
{{Reflist}}
{{Government of Tamil Nadu}}
{{Council of Ministers of Tamil Nadu}}

{{DEFAULTSORT:Thiagarajan, Palanivel}}
[[Category:1966 births]]
[[Category:Living people]]
[[Category:Politicians from Madurai]]
[[Category:Tamil Nadu MLAs 2016–2021]]
[[Category:Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam politicians]]
[[Category:National Institute of Technology, Tiruchirappalli alumni]]
[[Category:University at Buffalo alumni]]
[[Category:MIT Sloan School of Management alumni]]
[[Category:Indian investment bankers]]
[[Category:Tamil Nadu MLAs 2021–2026]]

Palanivel Thiaga Rajan - Revision history

1muhammet237823 at 08:23, 5 May 2026