No need to capture PoK by force; its people will themselves want to join India, Rajnath feels
Mr. Singh asserted that the ground situation has improved significantly in Jammu and Kashmir and that a time will come when AFSPA (Armed Forces Special Powers Act) will no longer be required in the Union Territory
Karan Brar, Kamalpreet Singh, and Karanpreet Singh, have been charged with first-degree murder and conspiracy to commit murder
Updated: Revised News Schedule
Updated: Revised News Schedule National news schedule for Sunday, May 5 NATIONAL **** Lok Sabha elections related stories and other political developments NCR *** Tamil Nadu BJP president Annamalai to address 'Delhi Tamil Samagam' at Talkatora Stadium BJP press conference Stories related to Lok Sabha elections *** NORTH **** PM to address poll rallies in Etawah, Sitapur and hold roadshow in Ayodhya Rajnath Singh to campaign in Lucknow Punjab CM Bhagwant Mann to hold roadshow in Kharar Campaigning ends for third-phase seats in UP **** SOUTH ****Election related developments Andhra Pradesh Amit Shah, Rajnath Singh to address poll rallies Telangana: Rahul Gandhi, Amit Shah to address election rallies EAST **** PM Modi to reach Odisha on a 2-day tour. BJP president JP Nadda to release party manifesto for twin polls External Affairs minister S Jaishankar to attend meetings in Cuttack and Sambalpur. Bengal: Mamata Banerjee to address rallies in Bardhaman Durgapur, Birbhum, Bolpur Abhishek Banerjee to address two rallies at Krishnanagar and Malda North Third phase campaign end stories from Bengal, Bihar and Assam Poll-related stories from states *** WEST ****BJP president J P Nadda to address poll rally at Surajpur in Surguja Lok Sabha constituency of Chhattisgarh Chhattisgarh CM Vishnu Deo Sai to address press conference in Raipur Chhattisgarh Congress president Deepak Baij's press conference Congress spokesperson Supriya Shrinate to address press conference in Ahmedabad Madhya Pradesh CM Mohan Yadav to campaign in Vidisha, Guna and Rajgarh Lok Sabha constituencies. Sharad Pawar to address last campaign rally in Baramati in support of his daughter Supriya Sule Congress leader Girish Chodankar to address press conference in Panaji ***
Rahul Gandhi has no fire but Cong playing with fire by attempting Hindu-Muslim divide:Rajnath
Rahul Gandhi has no fire but Cong playing with fire by attempting Hindu-Muslim divide:Rajnath Congress leader Rahul Gandhi has no fire while his party is playing with fire by attempting to create Hindu-Muslim divide for electoral dividends, Defence Minister Rajnath Singh has said. In an interview to PTI, Singh also indicated that the BJP will implement its big-ticket plans like rolling out of the Uniform Civil Code (UCC) and implementing the 'One Nation One Election' push if it retains power for the third consecutive term. The defence minister also said that he was confident that the National Democratic Alliance (NDA) will cross 400 seats and the BJP will get over 370 as these projections were made after detailed assessment of the ground situation and not made only for public consumption. On the overall political landscape, the defence minister accused the Congress of attempting to disturb social harmony and trying to create tensions on religious lines. ''They are attempting to create Hindu-Muslim divide for electoral gains. The Congress is trying to create tensions on religious lines,'' he alleged. ''The Congress wants to disturb social harmony. They look at the Muslim community only as a vote bank. I have a suggestion for them -- politics should not be done only for forming governments. The aim of politics should be for nation building,'' he said. ''Rahul Gandhi has no fire but Congress is playing with fire,'' he said. Singh said people of the country will repose their faith in Prime Minister Narendra Modi and the BJP's tally will improve significantly based on the performance of the government in the last five years. ''Our seats will increase in Uttar Pradesh and West Bengal and we will get some seats in Tamil Nadu. Our account will open in Kerala as well. We are winning a good number of seats in Andhra Pradesh and Telangana,'' the senior BJP leader said. ''We will increase our tally in Odisha, Jharkhand and Assam. We are sweeping Chhattisgarh,'' he said, asserting that the BJP will cross the 370-mark. Asked whether the BJP's seats in Maharashtra will come down, he did not give a direct reply but said there may be some adjustments here and there. The BJP leader also came down hard on the Congress for its plan to ''redistribute'' wealth, saying it will have disastrous consequences for the country's economy. ''The concept of redistribution of wealth will trigger recession. Argentina and Venezuela implemented it and faced disastrous consequences. The investors will lose confidence in India,'' Singh said. On the BJP's big-ticket plans like implementation of the UCC and 'One Nation One Poll' push in if it retains power, Singh said it fulfils promises that it makes to the people of India. In its manifesto, the BJP pledged to implement the UCC if it returns to power after the general elections. It also mentioned that the party will move forward with a resolve to realise the idea of 'One Nation, One Election'. ''We always fulfil our commitments. We will never allow any question mark on our credibility and will not compromise on the country's unity and integrity. We implement whatever we say in our manifesto. We have to do whatever we say,'' Singh said. ''We will go for 'One Nation One Election. We will take views of every quarter, including all political parties on it,'' he said. On the UCC, the defence minister said even the Constitution-makers felt a need for it, as it is mentioned in the directive principles. ''The Congress wants to create fear psychosis; they want to use the Hindu-Muslim card,'' he said. ''They do not have any issue. They want to form a government by dividing the society in the name of caste, creed and religion and they have always done it,'' he alleged.
Haveri constituency: A fight between former Chief Minister and son of a former MLA
The seat where BJP has won successively in the last four elections is considered to be a safe bet and that seems to be the reason for Mr. Bommai trying his luck from here in Lok Sabha election
In Frames | Vicissitudes of a wedding
Koothandavar festival at Koovagam in Tamil Nadu plays out a tale of marriage and widowhood, all in a day; the annual event has significance for transgender groups
1.5L to take NEET UG test across TN on May 5
CHENNAI : Nearly 1.5 lakh students from across the state will write the National Eligibility cum Entrance Test on Sunday for admission to MBBS courses. According to the National Testing Agency (NTA), a total of 24 lakh candidates are appearing for test in 557 cities in the country and 14 outside. The examination will be conducted in a single shift from 2 pm to 5.20 pm. This includes 12,730 government school students who took coaching from the school education department. Salem had the highest number of students taking coaching, with 992 of them attending it while only 71 went for the classes in Karur. NTA has advised the candidates to reach their examination centres on time with their admit cards. The cards should have three pages with a postcard size photograph pasted on the second page. It has also advised the candidates not to indulge in the use of unfair means and impersonation as they will face strict action including debarment from all the examinations conducted by NTA.
Start-ups have increased four-fold in 3 years in Tamil Nadu
CHENNAI: Due to the encouragement of the state government led by CM MK Stalin, a total of 6,384 start-ups have begun in the state, a release from the government said on Saturday. The state government introduced the Tamil Nadu Startup and Innovation Policy in 2023. Till 2021, the number of start-ups registered in the state was 2,032. This has increased four-fold and there are 8,416 start-ups at present. The number of start-ups by women also increased from 966 to 3,163 in the same period. Express News Service @ Chennai Due to the encouragement of the state government led by CM MK Stalin, a total of 6,384 start-ups have begun in the state, a release from the government said on Saturday. The state government introduced the Tamil Nadu Startup and Innovation Policy in 2023. Till 2021, the number of start-ups registered in the state was 2,032. This has increased four-fold and there are 8,416 start-ups at present. The number of start-ups by women also increased from 966 to 3,163 in the same period. The state was first in the rankings released by the centre for creating a favourable environment for start-ups, the release read.
Jayakumars death: Politicos in TN seek speedy probe
CHENNAI: Leaders of various political parties, including AIADMK general secretary Edappadi K Palaniswami, condemned the police for their alleged inaction that resulted in the death of KPK Jayakumar Dhanasingh , president of Tirunelveli east district of TNCC. In a statement, Palaniswami urged the chief minister to take swift action to arrest those involved in Dhanasinghs death. While PMK founder S Ramadoss blamed police negligence for the alleged murder, BJP state president K Annamalai urged the government to investigate all those mentioned in Jayakumars earlier complaint. TNCC president K Selvaperunthagai expressed hope that the police would identify the accused through investigation. TMC(M) president GK Vasan, AMMK general secretary TTV Dhinakaran, and others urged the state government to swiftly apprehend those responsible for Dhanasinghs death. However, the Tirunelveli SP Silambarasan claimed Jeyakumars complaint against his rivals was received only on Friday night. Former Tirunelveli MP of Congress party Ramasubbu said it is shocking as Jeyakumar had already intimated about the risk for his life to police prior. Condemning the murder, Tirunelveli Congress cadre staged protest. SP Silambarasan said the complaint handwritten by the Congress functionary was given to the police station on Friday May 3, even though the letter mentioned April 30.
Heavy rains likely in 9 TN districts on May 7 & 8
CHENNAI: While the sweltering heat continues to take its toll on the residents, there is a brief relief in sight for at least a couple of days with the regional meteorological centre issuing a heavy-rainfall warning in 9 districts on May 7 and 8. On May 7, heavy rainfall is likely over Theni, Dindigul, Tiruppur, Coimbatore, Nilgiris, Erode, Salem, Dharmapuri and Krishnagiri districts. And on the next day, Virudhunagar, Theni, Dindigul, Tiruppur, Coimbatore, Nilgiris, hilly areas of Tirunelveli and Tenkasi districts will receive heavy showers due to thunderstorm activity. In the rest of Tamil Nadu, the maximum temperature is likely to be generally 2-4C above normal over the interior Tamil Nadu during the next five days till May 8 and appreciably above normal by 3-5C over few pockets in north interior Tamil Nadu during till Sunday. It is likely to be 41-43C at a few pockets over the plains of the north interior districts, 39-40C over the plains of the rest the state and 36-38C over coastal Tamil Nadu, Puducherry and Karaikal during the next five days, the met office said. On Saturday, Coonoor received 30.5 mm of rainfall followed by Ooty 28.5 mm. Karur recorded the highest temperature of 43.5C, which is 6.7C above normal.
Learn from NCB about probing drug cases: Madras HC to narcotics intelligence
MADURAI: The Madurai Bench of the Madras High Court recently directed the (Narcotics Intelligence Bureau) NIB-CID to take note of how the Narcotics Control Bureau (NCB) conducted investigation into cases filed under the Narcotic Drugs and Psychotropic Substances Act (NDPS), and asked it to follow suit. The courts observation came when Justice B Pugalendhi was hearing a bail plea of Parimala Doss, an accused in a 423-kg ganja smuggling case of 2023 investigated by the NCB, and 144-kg ganja smuggling case of 2020 being probed by the NIB-CID. The court denied bail to Doss, and noted the difference in investigations conducted by both agencies. The petitioners counsel argued that neither agency seized any contraband from Doss possession. The counsel further noted that the NIB-CIDs report was based on confession statements. The NIB-CID counsel objected and said that Doss was in touch with one of the suspects and was absconding for three years. The counsel also submitted a list of cases pending against Doss. The NCB counsel submitted statements of other accused persons as well as the cell phone locations that proved that Doss was in nexus with another accused and was aware of the whereabouts of the contraband. Both agencies argued that the investigation is at a crucial stage, and granting bail to the petitioner would impact the probe. At this point, the court observed that though the NIB-CID has filed the final report, they have not collected any material evidence against the petitioner other than the confession statement of the co-accused. The NCB, on the other hand, conducted a thorough investigation and established a connection between the petitioner and the other accused persons. It appears that NIB-CID of Sivaganga district has not conducted a proper investigation, but filed the final report with the confession statement alone, observed the court, and noted the difference between the nature of investigations carried out by different agencies. The court further directed the Registry to mark a copy of the order to the Additional Director General of Police (ADGP) NIB-CID for them to identify his unit and impart special training in this regard.
The Tamil Nadu School Education Department has issued a warning to schools against conducting special classes during the summer vacation due to the intense heat wave conditions prevailing in the state. With the onset of the peak summer period known as Agni Nakshatram, forecasted to continue until May 28, the department emphasized the importance of caution. Schools are prohibited from organizing special classes during this time, with the department threatening action against any violations. Additionally, the department has instructed district education officers to investigate and ensure compliance with this directive.
Congress trying to mislead people with false promises again: Ponnala
The Congress party had failed to implement the six guarantees in 100 days of coming to power, he said
Tamil Nadu traffic police personnel bear the brunt of summer heat
CHENNAI: In the scorching heat of Vellore, one of the hottest places in the state where temperature is now sizzling at 43 degrees Celsius, a 45-year-old traffic police personnel is busy regulating the traffic, trying his best to ignore the exhaustion from the heat. His shift begins at 11 am when the sun is at its brightest best. I am sweating profusely and it drains our energy quickly, he said, adding the concept of splitting the work hours in a day into two four-hour shifts instead of a single eight-hour stretch, has helped in mitigating the adverse effects of this summer to a certain extent. While commuters feel the one-minute wait at traffic signals unbearable this summer, this policeman, like thousands of other personnel in khaki deployed across the state, stands often without a shade to discharge his duty. The policeman said pith helmets, butter milk and water help them manage the heat. Although fans are installed in designated rooms at traffic areas, they often exacerbate the heat, he remarked, wiping the sweat dripping from his brow with a kerchief. Some areas are devoid of such amenities altogether, leaving officials to bear the brunt of the heat. Another policeman, who is aged 55 years, said they had to sacrifice their weekly offs this summer since the model code of conduct is in force for the Lok Sabha election and more personnel are needed for election-related duties like providing security to counting centres and the like. A 42-year-old traffic constable in Chengalpattu said afternoons are difficult in particular. I drink lot of water. My wife calls me on the phone regularly to check on me, he said. When there is minimum traffic flow at the junction he is managing, he stands underneath a nearby tree for some respite. I have to run to my spot and manage the traffic if there is an ambulance or a VIP passes by, he said. Woman cops say they are prone to urinary tract infection due to the unhygienic or non-availability of toilets where they are posted | P Ravikumar A constable in Egmore said, The thick cloth with which the uniform is made makes it unbearable in the heat. When I stand in the middle of the road, it feels as if Im standing next to a fire. In the city, it is not easy to find shade. I stand in front of shops sometimes. However, I feel guilty for not being at the spot and rush back soon, he said. A traffic policeman in Krishnagiri district said though they are used to working in all weather conditions, this summer is the worst he has seen in at least 15 years. Earlier, people will sponsor juice or other cool drinks to us. This year, we were offered buttermilk once, but it was stopped later, he said, adding lack of bathroom facilities was also a key concern. Forty-six-year-old Kala (name changed), a sub inspector in Madurai city, who has been with the department for 26 years, said though the state government announced that police would get week offs, only very few enjoy that benefit. She said it is quite common for the police personnel to suffer urinary tract infection due to the unhygienic toilets or non-availability of toilets. At present, we are on duty at counting centres where no fan is available. Officials can at least allow us to do duty in civilian dress, so that the difficulties that accompany with donning full uniforms could be alleviated, she said. A policeman in Nagercoil said he has made it a routine to have fermented rice with small onions in the morning, which he said helped him in tackling the heat. Muthu Mariappan, a 41-year-old traffic policeman, on the busy Tirunelveli-Madurai NH near Sattur, said since vehicular movement is high and they travel at high speed, cops have to be alert to avoid accidents at the junctions on highways. If the heat wave continues, we may faint on the road, said the policeman who is on the job for 18 years. Considering the hike in prices, he said the daily allowance of `12 provided by the government during summer for buying juices is not adequate. Another policewoman in Virudhunagar said women, who are on their menstrual cycle, find it difficult to be on duty under the sun. Acknowledging all the struggles, S Saranya, a traffic inspector from Erode North, said they continued to work under battling the heat since the public will suffer otherwise. Gloves, caps, etc have been provided. Our higher officials have advised us to stand under umbrellas during off-peak hours, she said, adding while fruit juice was given earlier to beat the heat, it was stopped due to the election. (With inputs from Praveena SA @ Vellore, Gautham Selvarajan @ Chennai, Jeyalakshmi Ramanujam @ Madurai, S Sivaguru @ Krishnagiri, Harini M @ Virudhunagar, M Abdul Rabi @ Kanniyakumari, and P Srinivasan @ Erode) (In this series, TNIE looks at the condition of workers toiling under the sun)
TN BJP chief seeks probe into recovery of charred body of Congress leader
TN BJP chief seeks probe into recovery of charred body of Congress leader Chennai: Tamil Nadu BJP President K. Annamalai on Saturday expressed shock over the recovery of the charred remains of the body of Tirunelveli East district Congress President K.P.K. Jeyakumar Dhanasingh. The body of the 60-year-old Congress leader was found in his [] The post TN BJP chief seeks probe into recovery of charred body of Congress leader appeared first on Mangalorean.com .
No Paliyar tribal in two TN districts landed government job since 1947: Research report
MADURAI: Owing to deprival of basic facilities including housing and toilets, no member from the Paliyar community, residing in 36 villages across Dindigul and Theni districts, were able to join government services over a span of 76 years since independence, revealed a research report here on Friday. The research paper, which has been published by researcher SJ Aloysius Irudayam of Legal Action, Advocacy and Services (LAAS) centre, a Madurai-based private legal service centre, stated that as many as 1,173 families of Paliyar community continue to live in acute poverty, and many of them do not even possess community certificates, voter IDs, Aadhaar cards or other documents. The research paper, titled Paliyar Tribals in Kodaikanal and Theni Areas, was released by Aloysius Irudayam in the presence of LAAS Director A Sandhanam and Nattai Kappom Federation Founder CJ Rajan on Friday. Addressing media persons, Irudayam said the report focussed on the livelihood status of the community members dwelling in all 36 villages. Soon after the release of the film Jai Bhim, Chief Minister MK Stalin had passed a GO to ensure that the benefits of the governments welfare schemes reached all those regions inhabited by nomads, tribals and other marginalised groups. It directed the district collectors to take appropriate measures to collect data related to peoples livelihood through a Needs Assessment Form. The GO had also instructed to complete this evaluation work by November 25, 2021 and send the report to the state secretariat. However, no such action has been taken so far, said Irudayam. He stated that the chief ministers concern about tribals had inspired him to conduct the research. The research found that poverty and illiteracy have kept the community confined within forests and mountains. A majority of them do not even have access to welfare measures, as they do not possess community certificates, Aadhaar cards among others, Irudayam added.
Rahman show: Firm fined Rs 50k over ticket refund
KARUR: The District Consumer Disputes Redressal Forum here recently directed ACTC Studio Private Limited to pay Rs 50,000 in compensation to a resident of Karur over failure to refund the ticket cost collected for a live concert, Marakkuma Nenjam by music composer AR Rahman organised in Chennai last year. Despite the complainant cancelling the ticket well in advance and expressing his inability to attend the event, the organiser failed to fulfil its promises. The concert originally slated for August 12, 2023, was initially cancelled citing heavy rain in Chennai. Consequently, the event organiser, ACTC Studio, deferred the programme to September 10, 2023, at a private venue in Chennai. Against this backdrop, the complainant, S Ashwin Manikandan of Chinna Aandankoil in the district, purchased tickets worth Rs 12,000 to attend the concert. Learning of the concert being deferred, Ashwin cited his inability to attend it and requested reimbursement. ACTC Studio assured reimbursement but reneged on the promise. Following this the chairperson of the forum, N Pari, and member AS Rathinasamy on Friday ordered payment of the compensation to S Ashwin.
Tamil Nadu police arrest YouTuber Savukku Shankar over defamatory remarks against women cops The Economic Times
Self-financing colleges in Tamil Nadu to hold discussion with fee fixation committee on May 6
CHENNAI: The Consortium of Self-Financing Professional, Arts and Science Colleges is set to meet the committee on fixation of fees for self-financing professional colleges on May 6, to discuss its demand for revision of fees. The consortium claims that in the last seven years, there has been no fee hike due to which the majority of the private engineering colleges in the state have sustained severe losses and are struggling for survival. P Selvaraj, secretary of the consortium, said the Covid period was a tough time for engineering colleges. The colleges had to upgrade infrastructure and spend on installation of computers and software to make learning from homes a hassle-free affair for students. Adding to it, many colleges reported a drop in enrolment of students since Covid, due to which income of the institutions have been affected. After Covid, things are in bad shape with the engineering colleges. With low enrolment, no fee hike for years, the colleges are struggling to manage their expenses. We have appealed before the committee to allow us to hike fees in both management and government quota seats, said Selvaraj. The consortium is demanding a fee hike by 25%. We have already apprised the committee about our demand and the committee will meet us on May 6 to discuss the issue, he added. The Tamil Nadu government, based on the direction of the Supreme Court, has constituted the committee on fixation of fee in respect of self-financing professional colleges headed by Justice R Pongiappan. Even after Covid, the expenditure has increased significantly in comparison to our income, hence we urgently need to revise the fees. Autonomous colleges and universities are utilising the opportunity to lure students by promising better facilities as they have financial autonomy, principal of a private engineering college said.
Tamil Nadu polices face recognition portal hacked; FIR, personal information up for sale
CHENNAI: The Tamil Nadu polices Facial Recognition Portal (frs.tnpolice.gov.in), a software used by the state police to track criminals and missing persons using facial recognition, has been compromised. The data samples have been made available for sale on the dark web and an analysis of the leaked samples indicate that 1.2 million lines of data including names of police officers, phone numbers, and FIR details have been accessed illegally. The data breach was brought to light by threat intelligence platform FalconFeeds.io. A group named Valerie, has claimed responsibility for the breach. A file comprising 55,000 lines of data regarding details of police officials, including IPS officers, a second file with 8.9 lakh lines of FIR data and another with 2,700 lines of data on police stations (mostly available in public domain) have been compromised. The FRS software was developed by CDAC (Centre for Development of Advanced Computing) Kolkata and the application is hosted on the server at TNSDC (ELCOT). Nandakishore Harikumar, founder of Technisanct, who also owns FalconFeeds.io told TNIE that the data can potentially be used for making scam phone calls and other illegal activities. Since details from FIRs including personal identification details (of accused and suspects) have been stolen, there is a possibility of scamming family members into making payments. For instance, calls claiming to be from a particular police station, along with personal identification details, may make family members believe in the genuineness of the call and may lead to transfer of payments to scamsters, Nandakishore said. The compromised FIR details includes FIR ID, number, police station, investigating officer, date of registration, status of case, names in the FIRs, age, gender, parentage and address. The data is available for sale in a hackers forum for $2 to $3. FalconFeeds.io stated that it is unclear whether the samples are part of a larger database or if the hacker has only accessed this specific set of information. We are analysing the full data set and will be providing more information soon, FalconFeeds said. Meanwhile, acknowledging the breach, a statement from the Office of the Director General of Police said, On preliminary enquiry, it is learnt that the password has been compromised in admin account. The admin account has limited rights like creation of id for users, queries search, and details of front end can only be viewed. The last security audit of the portal was carried out by TNeGA on March 13. As a preventive measure, the admin account has been deactivated. The unauthorised user can view only the front end data (creation of id for users, queries search) and hence the unauthorised user could not have accessed the backend data & main server data, the statement said. A complaint was lodged at Cyber Crime Police Station, Chennai, and information has been communicated to ELCOT, TNeGA, CDAC-Kolkata for necessary action, the statement said. The facial recognition system launched in 2021 was intended to be used by police officers on patrol or while inspecting vehicles to immediately retrieve the criminal antecedents of those being screened. The system had sparked concerns of privacy breach due to the alleged lack of transparency on nature of usage of data and storage and retention of photographs taken as part of the process.
Day of drama caps arrest of YouTuber and Tamil Nadu political critic Savukku Shankar The Indian Express
Tamil Nadu police investigate foul play in Congress leaders mysterious death on farm The Indian Express
Resume all daily flights from Tiruchy, Sri Lankan Airlines urged
TIRUCHY: Residents of the central region of the state having to fly to Sri Lanka and Gulf countries await SriLankan Airlines to resume its operations to pre-Covid-19 pandemic levels as they complain that a lone daily flight is forcing those left out to travel to Chennai or Bengaluru in order to catch one to Colombo. Until 2020, SriLankan Airlines operated two daily services between Colombo and Tiruchy. However, the spread of the Covid-19 virus and subsequent lockdowns brought international flight operations to a grinding halt. While international flights to eight destinations from Tiruchy have been restored since, the operations to Colombo havent as SriLankan Airlines is yet to reintroduce its second daily flight. While the airline handled 82,976 passengers in the Tiruchy-Colombo route in 2023-24, it was 1.83 lakh passengers during the pre-pandemic period (2019-20). With Colombo serving as a transit point for Gulf countries, there is growing demand among passengers from Tiruchy and surrounding districts for additional flights in the sector. S Usman, a resident of Kajamalai in Tiruchy, who was employed in Oman, said, Residents of the central region, including Tiruchy, used to fly to Gulf countries via Colombo when the airline operated two daily flights. With it reducing to one flight, frequent flyers are forced to travel via Chennai or Bengaluru to reach their destination in the Gulf. Travel tour operator A Nargis Beham said, The Tiruchy-Colombo sector still enjoys significant patronage. Due to internal economic crisis, the island nation has suspended the second daily flight to Tiruchy. Restoring the service would provide great relief to hundreds of passengers.
Incoming PM Wong to Foster Continued Growth in Singapore-India Relations: SICCI
Incoming PM Wong to Foster Continued Growth in Singapore-India Relations: SICCI Singapore's ties with India will continue to flourish under the leadership of the country's incoming Prime Minister Lawrence Wong who will be sworn in on May 15, the Singapore Indian Chamber of Commerce and Industry (SICCI) has said. ''As Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong prepares to hand over (leadership of the city-state) to his successor, Deputy Prime Minister Lawrence Wong, we are confident that Singapore-India ties will continue to flourish, said SICCI Chairman Neil Parekh on Saturday night at the centenary celebrations of the chambers. ''This is all the more so since DPM Lawrence Wong co-chaired the India-Singapore Ministerial Roundtable, which has set the stage and the tone for long-term ties between our two countries,'' he said at the SICCI centennial celebration gala dinner. Singapore President Tharman Shanmugaratnam was the guest of honour at the dinner attended by some 700 business and community leaders from the prosperous Asian financial centre. SICCI is also a vital partner of the Singapore government in developing bilateral ties with India and its leaders. SICCI's management gave inputs to fine-tuning the Comprehensive Economic Cooperation Agreement (CECA) before the two countries signed the pact in June 2005. Parekh elaborated, ''An important aspect of the work of the Singapore Indian Chamber of Commerce and Industry (SICCI) is to help Singapore businesses and fellow trade associations and chambers of commerce to deepen their ties with India, ever since the 'India fever' caught on during the tenure of then Prime Minister Goh Chok Tong. The chamber has organised numerous business missions in different states of India. We have strengthened our ties with the leading business associations in India like the Confederation of Indian Industries (CII), the Associated Chambers of Commerce and Industry of India (ASSOCHAM) and the Federation of Chambers of Commerce and Industry (FICCI), he said. In the past two years, the SICCI has been in the thick of jointly organising investment roadshows for the state governments of Tamil Nadu and Gujarat ahead of their Global Investment Summits, in which the chamber took part, Prekh added.
Here is a select list of stories to start the day
Lok Sabha 2024 LIVE updates: PM Modi to campaign in Ayodhya
PM Modi continues his election campaign in Uttar Pradesh
Govt hospitals now earmark beds for heat stroke cases
YouTuber Shankar held , hurt in accident
CPI opposes move to privatize waste management
DMK prioritises sale of liquor over drinking water: Edappadi
Edu dept cracks down on schools holding classes during summer break
Pillur dam gets water from Nilgiris
Ensure 12 hours power supply to save crops in delta: Anbumani
Modi is doing Pakistan politics: Selvaperunthagai
Finally, summer showers bring some relief - The Times of India
Finally, summer showers bring some relief The Times of India
Man dies in jail, family alleges custodial torture
Over 1.5lakh from TN to write NEET today
TN water shortage: TTV urges CM to act swiftly - The Times of India
TN water shortage: TTV urges CM to act swiftly The Times of India
Flights from the Middle East delayed
Corporation puts out advisory on dealing with heat cramps
GCC plans to enhance enrolment in its schools
City sets new peak power demand record
Vaccination can prevent pneumonia deaths in the elderly
Pink Jasmine best bet for Ooty feature - The Times of India
Pink Jasmine best bet for Ooty feature The Times of India
Residents flood chief secy with postcards to save lakes - The Times of India
Residents flood chief secy with postcards to save lakes The Times of India
Lecture on evolution of universe held in city
Woman, 45, dies on road due to scorching sun in Tiruttani
Startups multiplied four-fold in TN since 2021 - The Times of India
Startups multiplied four-fold in TN since 2021 The Times of India
97 kg of sea cucumbers recovered in Tamil Nadu - Malaysia Sun
97 kg of sea cucumbers recovered in Tamil Nadu Malaysia Sun
Participation of more MPs needed in discussions on key affairs in Parliament says Daggumalla
The former IRS officer says that he wants to be elected to the Parliament so that he could participate in key debates, and influence policies and help bring in legislations for a stronger India
Jacks-of-all-trades are the lifeblood of a community
Opposition should find issues against us that actually stick: Hardeep Singh Puri
The Enforcement Directorate (ED) has shared the facts of the excise policy case, in which the liquor vendors have themselves claimed a substantial increase in commission; voters are mature enough to decide for themselves, says former diplomat, senior BJP leader and Union Minister for Housing and Urban Affairs, and Petroleum and Natural Gas
Fake video of Shah: police add criminal conspiracy charge to FIR
Candidates at loggerheads over parties stand on Visakhapatnam Steel Plant
While the YSRCP nominee demands Prime Minister Narendra Modis clear statement at the May 6 election campaign in Anakapalli, the TDP candidate demands Chief Minister Y.S. Jagan Mohan Reddys position on it
Lovely jumps ship again, joins BJP; Congress calls him opportunist
Three ex-MLAs who quit Congress over tie-up with AAP also join BJP; Lovely says supporters urged him not to sit at home and go with stronger party
Punters make elections a high-stakes play in Andhra Pradesh
Realtors, aqua traders, NRIs, political analysts and businessmen bet crores of rupees on key constituencies
The Indian heritage of democracy
If modern India has been a successful democracy, it is because there is an ancient tradition of the idea. Participatory decision-making started in the ancient village councils or panchayatsa testimony to the grassroots democracy that thrived in ancient India. The Rigveda and Atharvaveda refer to the elections of king, prime minister and parliament by the people and some Brahmanas mention kings losing their positions. The people elected the best person as rajan . The king who failed to protect was deposed. The sabha , samiti and sansad were participatory institutions. The Ramayana and Mahabharata mention the involvement of people in decision-making. Indian texts say that the authority to govern is earned through merit and consensus, not heredity. There are several instances of elected rulers and their committees. India is a successful working democracy because the Indian people, since Vedic times, participated in governancefrom the village to the state. Governments in ancient and medieval India werecentralised under a king, but also de-centralised by devolving powers to local bodies and village panchayats in administrative areas in order to safeguard public welfare. Indian philosophy and polity are based on dharma which, along with artha (material wealth) and kama (desire), is essential for social welfare and happiness. Dharma means the law of righteousness, justice and morality, which sustains and ensures social welfare and progress. Kama and artha , that are contrary to dharma , must be rejected.Sovereignty rests in dharma and the maintenance of this dharma is the work of the sabha (eminent senior citizens) and samiti (popular assembly). The janapadas were governed by the village headman, while the mahajanapadas were republics or monarchies. The 16 mahajanapadas were known for their rich cultural heritage, military and economic prosperity. Lichchhavi, capital of the Vajji mahajanapada, was ruled collectively by an elected ruler ( rajan ), deputy ruler ( uparajan ), general ( senapati ) and treasurer. The citizens had the right to vote, deliberate and contest for public office. Each post was elected either through consensus or through an election. The sabha would meet and discuss issues. An adult in each family was a member. The public could decide on issues of importance by majority. The final judgement for crime and punishment rested with the elected heads, and records were maintained. Women were equal partners in the labour force, army, agriculture and husbandry. A detailed description of the democratic system comes from Tamil Nadu. The king had two teams, aimperunkuzhu and enperayam , who were consulted on all matters relating to the state. The village assemblies had substantial powers to govern locally. The roots of the system went back to earlier times, when kingdoms were divided into smaller units. The village, being the smallest unit of administration, had its local self-government known as sabha or gana . The village assemblies were the sabha and the mahasabha , and its members were perumakkal . The members of the assembly looked after temple endowments, irrigation work, tank maintenance and justice. The variyams or sub-committees looked after rural administration, including construction and maintenance of tanks, irrigation channels, land endowments and roads. Particular works were entrusted to groups of committee members, identified with a prefix such eri-variyam , a committee in charge of water bodies. The 10 th century Uttiramerur inscription describes in detail the rules for contesting elections to the variyams . They were selected by lots ( kudavolai ). They held office for a fixed term and were not eligible for re-election. The sabha fixed the method of appointing members to its variyams . The village was divided into wards ( kudumbu ) and the members were nominated according to the rules and regulations of the sabha . The major criterions for contesting the election were age, education, conduct and the requirement that the aspirant should be a taxpayer. The tenure of a committee was for one year and a person who had served could not contest the election again for the next three years. The contestants had to own taxable land and a house. The names of all contestants from the wards were written on palm leaves and put inside a pot. The ballot pot was shown to the villagers, after which a young boy took a leaf out of the pot and the name was read out. By this process, committee members from all wards were chosen. The Manur inscription is also known for its description of local self-government. The committee members of the local bodies consisted of unpaid part-time workers, but there were paid officials who worked full-time. On important occasions, a royal official was present at the meetings of the assembly. Similarly, the tribes of India have an extremely democratic form of governance. The elders of the tribe form a committee to manage their affairs and choose their leader. The social structure of the tribes ensures equal access to and ownership of natural resources. Many tribes give women prominent and even superior positions. India also has a tradition of religious democracy or bhakti , which challenged the caste system and was led by saints who helped the masses comprehend philosophical teachings. This is a unique form of democracy by which spiritual development was attainable by common people. Each saint had a favourite god or preferred form of worship and the goal was to finally merge with the divinity. There are several ancient works of polity, including the Arthashastra and Nitisara , on the science of politics. The Indian Council of Historical Research has a publication, Mother of Democracy India , which is a mine of information on the countrys democratic traditions. It is election season and a time to remember our democratic past. (Views are personal) Nanditha Krishna Historian, environmentalist and writer based in Chennai
The Tamil Nadu government has taken steps to denotify the boundaries of the Pulicat bird sanctuary, which includes 13 revenue villages. This will exclude the villages and thereby reduce the sanctuarys eco-sensitive zone. A port expansion plan and an industrial park within the present default eco-sensitive zone threaten its future. Will these developments further affect the lake, the land, and the livelihood of locals, all of whom have been bearing the brunt of industrialisation in surrounding areas over the last few decades?
DMK government did not buy new buses, failed to repair old ones: Palaniswami
DMK government did not buy new buses, failed to repair old ones: Palaniswami - The Hindu
DMK government did not buy new buses, failed to repair old ones: Palaniswami The Hindu
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Ferry services soon to resume between Nagapattinam and Kankesanthurai in Sri Lanka - The Hindu
Ferry services soon to resume between Nagapattinam and Kankesanthurai in Sri Lanka The Hindu
Tamil Nadus economy expected to grow at 8.08% to 10.69% in 2024-25, says study
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Technology is there to take care of human error: Umpire Madanagopal
CHENNAI: Former Tamil Nadu cricketer and noted umpire Jayaraman Madanagopal will be making his World Cup debut in the T20 World Cup to be played in the West Indies and USA from June 1. Nitin Menon is the other umpire on the panel from India. They are part of a panel of 20 umpires who will be officiating 55 matches across nine venues. Having made his debut in women's one-dayers back in 2013, Madanagopal stood as an umpire for the first time in a men's international during the 2021 India-New Zealand T20I at Ranchi. He has also officiated in an international match at his home ground, the MA Chidambaram Stadium. A smooth-stroking batter for Tamil Nadu, Madanagopal, has been a coach of TNPL teams and First Division teams in the TNCA league too. Since 2007, he has been on the BCCI panel of umpires and will be emulating the likes of S Venkataraghavan and S Ravi, the other umpires from Tamil Nadu, to officiate in a World Cup. Madanagopal is delighted to be part of the World Cup panel and spoke to this daily about pressure, DRS, fitness of umpires and more. Excerpts from the interview. Any pressure to be part of the WC panel? The job will be the same. I have been officiating International matches for the last three years. So the expectations and challenges remain the same. It won't be any different, but it's definitely a great opportunity (ICC T20 World Cup). On DRS and pressure With DRS everything is out in the open, almost black and white. So it is an instinct. Umpiring is always an instinct. You do your preparation, you study the angles and then, based on the evidence in front of you, make a decision. There's no pressure. The game is getting benefited. Right decisions are made. The game moves on in the right direction. It's absolutely fine. It's not about pressure. It's about getting the game in the right direction. So we are happy with DRS. An on-field umpire gives a decision not out, the fielding side opts for DRS and gets it reversed. Does he get upset or does the decision upset his concentration? No. It is part of the game. And what we need to see is the game remains unaffected because of a human error. That is the most important thing. The game has to flow in the right direction. And human judgment is corrected by technology, which is what the game requires. So that should be the mindset. It is not about an umpire making a mistake or umpire getting it correct. It is about the game. The game needs to go in the right direction. That is why technology is there to take care of any human error that may possibly be there. Another challenge for umpires today is intimidation from players in high-profile games? For us, our job is about making decisions and controlling the game. And that is why we are there, out in the middle. We are expected to handle some high-profile players and that is what we have to do. So this is where we prepare ourselves for that. There is no intimidation from big players. On fitness of umpires It (umpiring) is just basically an extension for me. Right from playing days, I have been used to this kind of lifestyle, travelling and staying. So it is a natural extension for me. Right from twelve years, I've been travelling and being in a team environment. So, okay, it is definitely not new for me. I've been doing this for the last 30, 35 years now. Noise is definitely a problem with large crowds out there. The hearing may not be, you know, like in a normal domestic game or something. But then you adapt to those situations. You adapt to the conditions, your awareness is so much heightened when you get into a situation like that. Yeah, there are other clues that you are trying to pick up and it kind of set into your system. You get adapted to the system. On improving his skills over the years The growth has been constant. I have been learning right through whatever and whenever I get an opportunity. Every game is a learning experience for me. Definitely, I've learned and am improving. And it's a continuous process. It doesn't stop,'' explained the genial umpire. Does he watch his own videos to study and improve? Nowadays, almost all the games are televised, so I get to watch and dissect decisions. Yes, there is some homework that I do. There is a process that I follow. I take some feedback. I work on my game (umpiring).
Graduation day held in Vellore
Graduation day held in Vellore - The Hindu
Graduation day held in Vellore The Hindu
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Construction of Vallalar International Centre at a cost of 99.99 crore hinges on cases filed against it in Madras High Court The Hindu
Over 1.5 lakh students from T.N. to take up NEET exam tomorrow - The Hindu
Over 1.5 lakh students from T.N. to take up NEET exam tomorrow The Hindu
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Can two languages walk the road together hold each others hands and grow? Can we begin with our schools?
Tamil Nadu Governor offers prayers at Ram Temple in Ayodhya
Tamil Nadu Governor offers prayers at Ram Temple in Ayodhya
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MVD officials seek standardised driving test ground with dedicated tracks
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