Tamil Nadu government to ban TikTok app

DECCAN CHRONICLE. | J.V. SIVA PRASANNA KUMAR

Published  Feb 13, 2019, 3:04 am IST

The minister was replying to a demand from the Manithaneya Jananayaga Katchi member Thamimun Ansari for a ban on the TikTok app.

Politicians and policemen have been targeted by the TikTok youth for mocking and trolling in recent months.

The youth in Tamil Nadu may soon lose their favourite app, TikTok, as the government seems determined to have it banned.

The Centre would be approached for a ban on TikTok, just like how the state government had taken effective steps when people were worried about the threat posed by the Blue Whale app, TN Information Technology Minister N. Manikandan told the Legislative Assembly on Tuesday.

The minister was replying to a demand from the Manithaneya Jananayaga Katchi member Thamimun Ansari for a ban on the TikTok app. The Nagapattinam MLA alleged that the app was being used for spreading obscenity and also to create law and order problems. "TikTok offended our culture", he said.

Conceding that the ban demand was justified, minister Manikandan said the government would urge the Centre to ban TikTok app, "just as we had taken steps against the Blue Whale app server functioning from Russia". The minister, however, did not specify any time frame for carrying out his promise.

While it is debatable if TikTok, which mostly seems a fun thing resorted to by the youth, can be bracketed with the fatal Blue Whale, opinion is divided if the hugely popular app - one estimate is that it has over 500 million users across Asia -should be, and could be, banned.

Created by ByteDance, a Chinese Internet technology company, TikTok is mostly used by the youth to upload and view lip-synced music, videos and such other performances - picking up funny scenes from popular movies. The app also has a variety of filters and edit features that make the sync-uploaded videos attractive for the viewers.

Politicians and policemen have been targeted by the TikTok youth for mocking and trolling in recent months. There have been some cases of young men being arrested in different parts of TN for posting videos poking fun at the police. And there have been some more serious cases of the app being abused for harming unsuspecting girl students and housewives - for instance, there was a recent case of the Chennai police busting a flesh trade racket that had used morphed pictures of women downloaded from TikTok to lure customers.

Last week, the Government Arts College at Salem suspended a few students for uploading a video that showed their Tamil lecturer like the Kollywood comedian Vadivelu. And recently, police in Salem issued advisories to schools and parents to guard against their wards logging on to TikTok after several complaints poured in that pictures of schoolgirls morphed with erotic content was posted on the app.

In one tragic case, a youth died recently trying to enact suicide by slitting throat for a TikTok video while another young man had killed himself last October by throwing himself before a train at Vyasarpadi, a Chennai suburb, after friends ridiculed him for his TikTok videos dressed like a woman.

Aadhaar mismatch leaves elderly without monthly pension in Karnataka
Many other elderly citizens in Raichur district are also being deprived of their pension for issues in their year of birth (YoB) at the time of enrolment for Aadhaar.

Published: 13th February 2019 02:47 AM 

By Shreyas Hs

Express News Service

RAICHUR: Shekh Mahimood and his wife Bibi have not been receiving their monthly pensions for several months because of a discrepancy in their Aadhaar cards. Many other elderly citizens in Raichur district are also being deprived of their pension for issues in their year of birth (YoB) at the time of enrolment for Aadhaar.


Mahimood (69) was drawing Rs 500 jointly from central and state schemes. However, the amount, which was paid through the postal department, stopped reaching him 11 months ago. He has now approached the district Aadhaar coordination office and submitted a request with the regional office of UIDAI to get his year of birth changed.

Mahimood’s Aadhaar card

District Aadhaar coordinator Basheer said five to six senior citizens have been coming every week since January with the same complaint. But as per the updated rules of UIDAI, if the mismatch is plus or minus three years, updation cannot be done at the district level, and the complainants have to visit the regional office. According to Mahimood’s Aadhaar card, his YoB is 1964, which makes him 55 years old.

However, the minimum age to avail benefits of the central scheme is 60 years, while for the state’s, he must be above 65. Mahimood has now obtained a certificate from the medical officer of the government Unani hospital, saying that he was born in 1950.

Mahimood told The New Indian Express, “I cannot even walk properly, how can I travel over 400 km to change the birth year?”Bibi said her year of birth is 1955, which is also stated in the voter ID card, but the Aadhaar card mentions it as 1966.

As Aadhaar has been mandatory to avail benefits of all government schemes, the concerned department has to verify details, after which a revised list is generated. If a mismatch is found in the date of birth mentioned on the Aadhaar card and that stated during enrolment for the scheme, the beneficiary’s name is removed from the list.

Will consider allegations against Billroth hospital: CMDA
The Chennai Metropolitan Development Authority (CMDA) will consider a representation against the construction of a hospital in Shenoy Nagar.

Published: 13th February 2019 03:19 AM

CHENNAI: The Chennai Metropolitan Development Authority (CMDA) will consider a representation against the construction of a hospital in Shenoy Nagar. A submission to this effect was made by the counsel for the CMDA when a PIL petition from P Krishnan of Janakiraman Colony Extension came up before the first bench of the Madras High Court, on February 2.


“In view of the statement made by the counsel for the CMDA, no further orders are necessary. Hence, the petition is disposed of,” the bench comprising Chief Justice V K Tahilramani and Justice M Duraiswamy said.

According to the petitioner, the CMDA had granted approval to the management of Billroth Hospital for construction of basement plus three floors on a total area spread over 2,902 sq.ft. on Lakshmi Talkies Road in Shenoy Nagar on October 14, 2004. However, the hospital had constructed basement plus eight floors in total violation of the sanctioned plan. There was no ramp facility.

The Inspector of Lifts in Guindy had granted license to erect the lift on various conditions for only a year from April 16, 2012, that too up to the third floor. But the hospital used it up to the 8th floor and the Lift Inspector was renewing the license for reasons known only to him, the petitioner alleged. He had lodged a complaint on October 9, 2018, with the CMDA and the Chennai Corporation. But, there was no action. Hence, the present petition for a direction to the duo to consider the representation, he added.

Chennai Central station gets a facelift, to turn white for four days

After two years Southern Railways has begun the renovation of Central station. The exterior walls of the century-old main building is a combination of Gothic and Romanesque style architecture.

Published: 13th February 2019 03:10 AM |

The process is being done at a cost of `84 lakh  P Jawahar

By Express News Service

CHENNAI: After two years Southern Railways has begun the renovation of Central station. The exterior walls of the century-old main building is a combination of Gothic and Romanesque style architecture. The main building is being coated white after completing minor patch up works and chemical coating.

“The iconic structure will sport white colour for four days before getting coated with maroon colour. The building was last painted in January 2016,” said a senior railway official. The station which came into existence in 1873, in order to decongest the then Royapuram Harbour station, was designed by British architect George Harding. The 136-feet tall central clock tower is a key feature that exhibits the Romanesque style of the building.

The beautification of main building and suburban terminal is being carried out at a cost of `84 lakh.
As per the scheduled maintenance of heritage building, the exterior should be painted once in every two or three years. The Chennai Circle of Archaeological Survey of India will provide technical support to the Railways for maintenance.

Official sources said, Railways has decided to build a roof to provide weather shield, connecting suburban terminal and main building for passengers. Another roof connecting the main entrance of the station and the bus stop will also be built. “A roof will provide a cover for passengers who walk up to the bus stops in front of the clock tower in main building,” added official sources.


According to official records, about 65,000 passengers visit Central every day. While 57 Express, Superfast and Premier trains, about 110 train services operate from Chennai Central every day, 15 others pass through the station.

About 65,000 tickets are sold at Chennai Central including suburban services, every day, of which 10,500 are platform tickets. The station earns Rs 40 lakh a day.

Centre allows 56 med PG seats for TN

• The New Indian Express
• 12 Feb 2019
• @ Chennai

THE Union Health Ministry has so far, sanctioned additional 56 postgraduate medical seats to the State Health department for the 2019-2020 academic year.

 According to a health department official, “We had applied for approval of 157 seats, among them, 56 seats have been sanctioned so far. We have also asked for conversion of 393 diploma seats to PG seats this academic year and the approval is awaited for the same. We started receiving the seats from the last three months. Yesterday, we received four seats,” the official said on Monday. 

“The State is also awaiting sanction of additional 354 MBBS seats. We have asked for additional 150 MBBS seats for Karur Medical College, 95 seats for Madurai Medical College. With these figures, the MBBS seats will go up from 150 to 250. We have also asked for 100 seats for Tirunelveli Medical College,” the official added. The sanctioned 56 PG medical seats are: six seats in Community Medicine (MD) for Madras Medical College, Chennai, and four seats for Madurai Medical College. With this, seats in Community Medicine in Madras Medical College increased from four to ten.

 The ministry sanctioned eight seats in General Medicine (MD) for Government Theni Medical College. Also Kanyakumari Medical College got four seats in Paediatric Medicine (MD). Madurai Medical College got approval for four seats in Respiratory Medicine (MD). Government Dharmapuri Medical College got eight seats in General Surgery (MS). Government Villupuram Medical College got eight seats in Anaesthesia (MD). Kilpauk Medical College got two seats in Dermatology, Venereology and Leprosy (MD DVL), two seats in Ophthalmology (MS) and two seats in Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation (MD). Also, Thoothukudi Medical College got approval for eight seats in Anaesthesia (MD), the official added. “We will get approval for MBBS seats and pending PG seats for this academic year. We are positive about it,” said an official from the Directorate of Medical Education.

The State is also awaiting sanction of additional 354 MBBS seats. We have asked for additional 150 MBBS seats for Karur Medical College, 95 seats for Madurai Medical College

A Health Department official

VC to demit office

SPECIAL CORRESPONDENT

TIRUNELVELI, FEBRUARY 13, 2019 00:00 IST

K. Baskar, Vice-Chancellor, Manonmaniam Sundaranar University, will demit office on Friday.

During his tenure, constituent colleges at Sankarankoil, Panagudi and Thisayanvilai got own buildings at a cost of Rs. 6.20 crore.

Other development works include installation of 1MW solar power plant, central instrumentation facility, online admissions and fee payments, launch of integrated courses and innovative PG programmes.

Career Advancements were given on time to teaching staff. Merit scholarships of Rs. 2,000 a month for 400 students and 81 research fellowships of Rs. 5,000 a month were given. Students’ strength also rose up to 2,500 from 970 and several MoUs with international institutions have fructified during his tenure.

His efforts ensured the transfer of patta for 221.36 hectare of land in the name of MSU after 27 years from Department of Animal Husbandry after paying Rs. 11 crore from the MSU funds.

When his appointment was challenged in a court, the petition was dismissed taking note of over 33 years of his teaching and research experience including seven years in international universities, 10 years of administrative experience and his research projects worth more than Rs. 10 crores.

AI Express to resume suspended Sharjah flights

SPECIAL CORRESPONDENT

TIRUCHI, FEBRUARY 13, 2019 00:00 IST

Federation of Consumer and Service Organisations had registered its grievance on govt. website

Days after Air India Express announced suspension of its services on Tiruchi-Sharjah sector on Sundays and Tuesdays with effect from February 17 to March 31, the airline has now stated that the curtailed operations will be reinstated from April 1.

The airline, which was operating daily service on the sector since September 2016, announced recently that the service from Sharjah would be suspended on Saturdays and Mondays from February 16 to March 30, and from Tiruchi on Sundays and Tuesdays from February 17 to March 31.

Shocked by the sudden announcement, Tiruchi-based Federation of Consumer and Service Organisations expressed its grievance over the suspension through Government of India’s Centralised Public Grievance Redress and Monitoring System — an online web-enabled system to enable submission of grievances by aggrieved citizens to Ministries/Departments/Organisations.

The grievance sent by federation president M. Sekaran on February 4 stated that the suspension would adversely affect a large number of labourers hailing from this part of the region working in the Middle-East.

It further said there was no reason for the cancellation except for some other reason and appealed for continuation of the service in the larger interest of passengers.

The grievance sent through the online system was received by the Ministry of Civil Aviation.

AI response

In an official reply sent to Mr. Sekaran on Monday, the airline said his grievance was referred to the officials concerned at Air India Express, who informed that flights between Tiruchi and Sharjah were curtailed temporarily in view of “aircraft constraints”.

The airline further said passengers were not inconvenienced as there were flights between Tiruchi and Dubai within a span of four hours.

“Traditionally, during this period our flights are not generally full. The few passengers, who had already booked, were given a choice to travel in the airline’s Dubai or the next Sharjah flight. Effective April 1, 2019, the curtailed operations would be reinstated with a daily flight between Tiruchi and Sharjah,,” the airline said in its response.