Kamal will face the same fate as Sivaji in politics: Palaniswami

‘Actor started party as he had become old and film opportunities were on the wane’

13/11/2019, , VIGNESH VIJAYAKUMAR,SALEM

On the offensive: The CM took a dig at Kamal Haasan over his party’s performance in the Lok Sabha polls. File photo

Countering the criticisms levelled at him by actor-politician Kamal Haasan, Chief Minister Edappadi K. Palaniswami has said Mr. Haasan will face the same fate as thespian Sivaji Ganesan in politics.

“They say there is a [political] vacuum [in Tamil Nadu]. Why then did they not contest the Nanguneri and Vikravandi bypolls? Mr. Kamal Haasan is a ‘tall leader’. How many votes did he get in the Parliamentary election? He has launched a political party because he has become old, and opportunities for him in films have started to decline. That is his democratic right, and there is nothing wrong in it. But it is not okay to simply criticise others,” Mr. Palaniswami said.

Speaking about his political journey at a meeting of AIADMK workers on Tuesday, Mr. Palaniswami said he joined the party in 1974, and had been working for the welfare of the people for 45 years. He said he rose through the ranks by organising protests and working for the people’s welfare and winning their support. “What welfare measures have they [actors] implemented for the people? They continue to act in films and increase their income. They are trying to paint a picture of their having huge support among the public. Everyone is aware of what happened when Sivaji Ganesan started a political party and faced elections. He [Mr. Haasan] will face a similar fate. What does he know about politics? Does he have any idea how many panchayats, Municipalities and Corporations exist and what the needs are of the people residing there?” the Chief Minister asked.

When asked whether he thought actor and aspiring politician Rajinikanth will also face a similar fate, the CM said he was “not ready to answer based on assumptions”.

Regarding the National Highways Authority of India’s decision to scrap projects worth around ₹5,000 crore in Tamil Nadu, Mr. Palaniswami said the projects were scrapped owing to delays in the acquisition and handing over of land for their implementation as a result of litigations and opposition from the public. He added that the public and the media should support the government in implementing development projects. The CM said he will discuss this issue with Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Union Minister Nitin Gadkari on his next visit to New Delhi.

Residents protest against transfer of inspector
13/11/2019, SPECIAL CORRESPONDENT,CHENNAI

In an unusual gesture, women resorted to a spontaneous protest opposing the transfer of a police inspector from Kasimedu.

Inspector P.R. Chidambara Murugesan was recently transferred from Kasimedu and posted as Ambattur Inspector. However, women squatted on the road against this. A woman said, “We will not allow our inspector to be shifted. As long as he was here, there was no occurrence of crime and rowdies were controlled.”

Students should help improve country’s economy: Smriti Irani
1,701 graduands receive degrees at convocation held in VIT

13/11/2019, SPECIAL CORRESPONDENT,CHENNAI

From left, VIT chancellor G. Viswanathan, Union Minister Smriti Irani, Indian Bank MD Padmaja Chunduru and VIT vice-president G.V. Selvam at the convocation in Chennai.M. Karunakaran

Students should make the best use of the knowledge they acquire to improve the country’s economy, said Smriti Zubin Irani, Union Minister of Textiles and for Women and Child Development, during her convocation address at the Vellore Institute of Technology’s Chennai campus on Tuesday.

Ms. Irani, cited research studies by the students of the institute and said, “Artificial intelligence in healthcare is slated to grow by 40% and value of of AI in healthcare will reach US$6.6 billion in India in 2021.”

“The market for AI in agriculture will grow to $2.6 billion in the next two years. In education technology, it is set to grow to $252 billion,” she said. Earlier, she opened an auditorium on the premises.

Padmaja Chunduru, Managing Director, Indian Bank, said students had many options unlike in the past. She urged graduates to take a decision after weighing the pros and cons of their decision. The bank has been the pioneer in the self-help group movement with around six lakh SHGs comprising 42 lakh women, mostly in Tamil Nadu and the southern States, Ms. Chunduru said.

VIT chancellor G. Viswanathan said if the government wants to increase the gross enrolment ratio of higher education then it should invest at least 6% of the GDP in the sector.

Women empowerment

The concentration of women in the workforce has fallen. Representation of women in the country’s administrative sectors (currently 15%) and judiciary (11%), policy making (Assembly 9% and Parliament 11%) must be increased to enable women participate in economic development. For this to happen, the government should offer free higher education to women, as it was being done in over 30 countries, he said.

As many as 1,701 graduands received their degrees, including 64 Ph.D students.

A health centre at Medavakkam

13.11.2019

Residents of Medavakkam have got a reason to cheer as Dr Kamakshi Memorial Hospital has launched a multispeciality clinic there, which was inaugurated by Justice PT Asha, Additional Judge, High Court of Madras, on November 9. She was awarded the Outstanding Woman Lawyer award by the Women Lawyers Association, during the Sesquicentennial celebration of the High Court of Madras.

After serving the community for nearly 15 years in Pallikaranai, the hospital is now looking to extend their services. It is believed that the institution has earned a good name in terms of medical services, infrastructure, expert doctors and facilities under the guidance of its founder chairman, Dr TG Govindarajan. This health centre is said to be equipped with necessary medical needs and their services are said to include healthcare for the entire family, encompassing child-care, women’s health, geriatrics, weight loss, bone and joint and much more. They also boast of facilities like laboratory, USG, echo and physiotherapy services.

In addition to this, the multispecialty clinic is also said to have a 24/7 pharmacy and a digital X-Ray department. A fully equipped ambulance whose availability is just a phone call away is another service the institution is said to have.

For further details call: 89395 88488

Justice PT Asha, Additional Judge, High Court of Madras, inaugurating the multispeciality clinic

Women tahsildars in Telangana, Hyd told to carry pepper sprays

Sushil.Rao@timesgroup.com

Hyderabad  13.11.2019

: Women tahsildars in Hyderabad and across Telangana have been asked to carry pepper sprays to defend themselves from possible attacks, officials said on Tuesday, a week after Vijaya Reddy, a mandal revenue officer, was burnt alive in her office in Hyderabad.

There are nearly 1,000 tahsildars in the state, including 400 women.

“While the attack on Vijaya was unexpected, the least women tahsildars can do now is to be on guard and take precautions. Since women are more vulnerable than men, we have advised them to be more vigilant and carry pepper sprays,” V Lachi Reddy, president of the deputy collectors’ association told TOI.

Vijaya was burnt alive by farmer Kura Suresh, and since then several other women tahsildars have faced similar threats by farmers. There have been some incidents of people walking into the offices carrying a bottle of petrol. In one instance, when the bottle was placed on the table, it was immediately removed by alert officials.

Full report on www.toi.in

‘A person on the verge of death can’t tell false tale’
K.Kaushik@timesgroup.com

Madurai:13.11.2019

Stating that no false story can be penned down or concocted by a person, when he/she is on the verge of death, the Madras high court has confirmed the conviction and life sentence awarded by a lower court to a person who murdered his wife by setting her on fire in Theni district.

According to the prosecution, the appellant Govindaraj assaulted his wife using a stick and set her on fire on July 20, 2010, after she kept insisting him to redeem her pledged jewellery. Though the woman was taken to the hospital, she died due to severe injuries. The Bodi Town police station registered a case and arrested Govindaraj. The Theni fast track mahila court on June 28, 2017, convicted and awarded life sentence to Govindaraj.

Govindaraj moved the high court Madurai bench in 2018 seeking to set aside the conviction and sentence.

The counsel appearing for Govindaraj said that his wife poured kerosene on herself in order to threaten her husband which eventually resulted in her death.

Move to regularise 4,000 guest lecturers sparks debate

Ragu.Raman@timesgroup.com

Chennai:13.11.2019

The state government’s move to regularise guest lecturers in government arts and science colleges has stirred a major debate as aspirants argued that it is against the rules of reservation and UGC regulations.

As many as 2,423 guest lecturers work in shift-1 and 1,661 in shift-2 in 114 government arts and science colleges across the state. They work for just ₹15,000 a month.

The directorate of collegiate education (DCE) asked the regional directorates to gather the details of qualified guest lecturers working in government colleges for more than five years. As per the direction, the guest lecturers with NET/SLET/SET or PhD qualification with five years experience may be regularised.

While the move raised the hope of guest lecturers in government colleges, professors and aspirants criticised it saying the appointment won’t be based on merit.

They pointed out that many colleges appointed guest lecturers without following the roster system or open advertisement. “Regularising them based on their experience would set a wrong precedent,” a professor said, adding it would facilitate corruption in appointment. Along with the guest lecturers in government colleges, lecturers in private colleges too work for a low salary, he added.

V Thangaraj, president of Tamil Nadu All Government Colleges UGC-qualified Guest Lecturers’ Association, said the guest lecturers have contributed immensely in the absence of regular teachers in government colleges. “The state government is not regularising all the guest lecturers. Of 4,000, only around 2,100 may have UGC qualification with five years’ experience,” he said. He also said the guest lecturers should be appointed through advertisements in newspapers.

A functionary from Tamil Nadu Government College Teachers’ Association said all aspirants should get equal opportunity for government jobs. “We are not against guest lecturers. But, they have to come through due process. Their experience in government arts and science colleges alone should not be the criterion,” the functionary said.

Tamil Nadu Government Colleges Guest Lecturers Welfare Association vice-president S Vasanthakumar said the state government is considering regularisation after continuous protests by the guest lecturers. “Some vested interests are opposing the move by the government and planting wrong information,” he alleged.

Officials from higher education department said the government is considering the demand and is yet to make a final decision.

“Many guest lecturers have been working for more than 12, 13 years in the government colleges. On humanitarian grounds, the state government is considering their demand. We will follow reservation and roster system if we regularise them,” officials said.