# First 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 14 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.

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

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

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 | All India Anna Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam |
| 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 | All India Anna Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam |
| 5 | G. R. Edmund | Tirunelveli | Minister for Food and Co-operation | Food Food Production Co-operation and Fisheries | All India Anna Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam |
| 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 | All India Anna Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam |
| 7 | C. Aranganayagam | Coimbatore West | Minister for Education | Education (including Technical Education) Official Language Approved Schools Employment and Training | All India Anna Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam |
| 8 | K. Kalimuthu | Thiruparankundram | Minister for Local Administration | Municipal Administration Community Development Panchayats Panchayat Unions Village Industries Rural Industries Project and Rural Indebtedness | All India Anna Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam |
| 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 | All India Anna Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam |
| 10 | P. Soundarapandian | Krishnarayapuram | Minister for Harijan Welfare | Harijan Welfare Backward Classes Stationery and Printing Government Press and Hill Tribes | All India Anna Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam |
| 11 | C. Ponnaiyan | Tiruchengode | Minister for Transport | Transport Nationalized Transports Motor Vehicles Act Highways and Ports | All India Anna Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam |
| 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 | All India Anna Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam |
| 13 | P. Kolandaivelu | Udumalaipettai | Minister for Agriculture | Agriculture Agriculture Refinance Agricultural Engineering Wing Agro Engineering Wing Milk Dairy Development Corporation and Operation Flood Project | All India Anna Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam |
| 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) | All India Anna Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam |

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

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 | All India Anna Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam |
| 4 | K. A. Krishnaswamy | Member of the Legislative Council | Minister for Co-operation | Co-operation and Registration | All India Anna Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam |
| 5 | S. D. Somasundaram | Member of the Legislative Council | Minister for Revenue | Revenue Commercial Taxes Legislation on money lending Legislation on chits and Excise | All India Anna Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam |
| 6 | G. R. Edmund | Tirunelveli | Minister for Food-Price Control and Co-operation | Food Fisheries Youth Service Crops Backward Classes Elections and Ex-Serviceman | All India Anna Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam |
| 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 | All India Anna Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam |
| 8 | K. Narayanaswamy | Member of the Legislative Council | Minister for Law | Law Courts Prisons Legislation on Weights and Measures and Registration of Companies | All India Anna Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam |
| 9 | C. Aranganayagam | Coimbatore West | Minister for Education | Education (including Technical Education) Official Language Approved Schools Employment and Training | All India Anna Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam |
| 10 | K. Kalimuthu | Thiruparankundram | Minister for Local Administration-Rural Indebtedness | Municipal Administration Community Development Panchayat and Panchayat Unions | All India Anna Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam |
| 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 | All India Anna Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam |
| 12 | P. Soundarapandian | Krishnarayapuram | Minister for Harijan Welfare | Harijan Welfare Backward Classes Stationery and Printing Government Press News Paper Control Hill Tribes and Bonded Labour | All India Anna Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam |
| 13 | C. Ponnaiyan | Tiruchengode | Minister for Transport | Transport Nationalized Transports Motor Vehicles Act and Ports | All India Anna Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam |
| 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) | All India Anna Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam |
| 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 | All India Anna Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam |
| 16 | R. Soundararajan | Srirangam | Minister for Health | Health | All India Anna Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam |
| 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 | All India Anna Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam |
| 18 | Subbulakshmi Jagadeesan | Modakkurichi | Minister for Khadi and Handlooms | Handlooms Khadi and Yarn | All India Anna Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam |