Murugan’s induction into Union ministry could energise TN BJP

Murugan’s induction into Union ministry could energise TN BJP

Formulated Big-Ticket Entries Ahead Of Elections

Jayaraj Sivan and Shanmughasundaram.J TNN

Chennai:08.07.2021

To strengthen the party in Tamil Nadu before the 2024 Lok Sabha elections, the BJP on Wednesday inducted party state president L Murugan into the Union ministry as a minister of state. He was given the portfolio of information and broadcasting, and fisheries, animal husbandry and dairy. Tamil Nadu had not had any representation in the Union ministry after minister of state for shipping Pon Radhakrishnan’s term ended in 2019. With Murugan’s shift to Delhi, the party central leadership will have to select a new chief for Tamil Nadu BJP. Probable candidates are former IPS officer K Annamalai and former minister and sitting MLA Nainar Nagendran.

Despite having one Lok Sabha member and five Rajya Sabha members from Tamil Nadu and one RS member from Puducherry, the AIADMK once again missed out on the opportunity to join the Union ministry owing to infighting in the party. AIADMK coordinator O Panneerselvam had tried hard to get a berth for his son O P Raveendranath Kumar, but his efforts have gone in vain owing to opposition from party joint coordinator Edappadi K Palaniswami.

Coming back to Murugan, he was the architect of some of the big-ticket entries into the BJP after he took over the reins of the state BJP in March last year. He made the entry a smooth affair, dispelling doubts about the entrylevel barrier, for many including V P Duraisamy, who was deputy general secretary in the DMK, R C Paul Kanagaraj, who merged his party Tamil Maanila Katchi with the BJP, DMK’s former MLA Ku Ka Selvam, former IPS officer K Annamalai, former IRS officer A Saravanakumaran and actress Khushbu Sundar.

Murugan’s electoral debut was in 2006 assembly elections in Sankari constituency. He contested unsuccessfully again from Rasipuram assembly segment in 2011. Before becoming the party state chief, Murugan was national SC/ST Commission vice chairman. Murugan’s roots are deep in the RSS. He joined the organisation during his school days itself. He joined the ABVP during his law college days in Chennai. He was the state coordinator of the struggle committee against the Ranganath Mishra Commission report. The BJP feared that the report, if implemented could eat into reservation for OBCs. The struggle committee’s national coordinator was President Ram Nath Kovind.

Murugan gave an aggressive face to the state BJP by training guns on the DMK. Sensing that Lord Ram and Ayodhya issues would not yield political dividends in Tamil Nadu, he took Lord Muruga’s vel into his hands to launch several state-wide campaigns like Vetrivel Yatra and Vel Pooja. The campaigns may have helped the party win four out of the 20 assembly seats (thereby ending a drought of 15 years without any representation in the assembly) it contested, but Murugan could not make it to the assembly from Dharapuram. He will now take the Rajya Sabha route to the Parliament.

SOARING UP: L Murugan has been given the portfolio of information and broadcasting, and fisheries, animal husbandry and dairy

NEWS DIGEST

08.07.2021

NEWS DIGEST

Man impregnates minor daughter of friend, arrested

A 49-year-old man who allegedly raped and impregnated his friend’s daughter in Tiruvallur district has been arrested under the Pocso Act. According to police, the accused, Saranraj, works as a driver in a private bus travel agency. His friend, a 40-yearold man, works in the same company in the district and lives with his wife and a 13-year-old daughter. Saranraj and his friend’s wife were in a relationship. She left the house along with her 13-year-old daughter to live alone when Saranraj raped the girl several times. Recently, the girl complained of stomach pain and was found to be pregnant. Police registered a case and arrested Saranraj, who was hiding in Tiruvannamalai, under the Pocso Act.

Man held for sending obscene messages to girl: A bus conductor who sent obscene SMSes and movie clips to a mobile phone number belonging to a Class VII student has been arrested from Chengalpet. The man who claimed to have helped her in her online classes, told her that he would send general knowledge questions and took her number. The girl who received the messages showed them to her parents who got him arrested. The accused, Sadam Hussai, 38, took the child's number three months ago and since then has been troubling her to read the SMSes and view the videos. Based on her parents' complaint, the Chengalpet police checked his phone and found him to have sent several messages to the girl. He has been booked and remanded in judicial custody.

FM’s gesture lauded on social media: Finance minister P Thiaga Rajan’s recent act of tending to an injured stray dog in the secretariat has attracted much praise from Twitter users. The minister who noticed the dog limping on three legs as he was leaving the secretariat on Saturday took it upon himself to get the dog treated. “She's very friendly with police on duty. They informed me that her right hind leg was injured in a car accident,” the minister had tweeted with a picture of the stray and said the dog will be taken for examination by a veterinarian. On Monday, he posted that he had ensured that the injured dog got the best treatment, which was praised widely.

Coimbatore: To get vaccination tokens people queue up a night in advance

Coimbatore: To get vaccination tokens people queue up a night in advance

Jul 04, 2021, 11:28AM ISTSource: TNN & Agencies

Desperate for vaccination people in Coimbatore queued up a night in advance for Covid vaccination tokens. Coimbatore is the worst-hit district in Tamil Nadu. People began queueing up from 9 pm on Friday to get a token for vaccination at Rakkipalayam panchayat union middle school. By 7.30 am on Saturday, the line had grown to about 800 to 1,000 people hoping to get their hands on 500 tokens. “The line was so long that only people who came before 4.30 am managed to get tokens,” said one of the people in line.

T.N. implements new health insurance scheme for its staff

T.N. implements new health insurance scheme for its staff

It will cover 203 approved treatments and surgeries

02/07/2021

Special CorrespondentCHENNAI

The Tamil Nadu government has issued an order for implementing the New Health Insurance Scheme, 2021, for its employees and their family members.

United India Insurance Company Limited, Chennai, will execute the agreement with the government, as recommended by the tender scrutinising committee, the Government Order said. The scheme will cover 203 approved treatments and surgeries at 1,169 empanelled hospitals for workers of government departments, State public sector undertakings, statutory boards, local bodies, and government universities, among others.

“The annual premium payable by the government to United India Insurance Company, Chennai, shall be at the rate of ₹3,240 [plus GST as applicable from time to time] per employee per annum for a block period of four years from July 1, 2021 to June 30, 2025,” it said

Doctors’ Day: CM gives appreciation certificates

Doctors’ Day: CM gives appreciation certificates

Collector of the Nilgiris among the people felicitated

02/07/2021

Praise for effort: Chief Minister M.K. Stalin presenting a certificate to the Nilgiris Collector J. Innocent Divya.

Special Correspondent CHENNAI

Chief Minister M.K. Stalin on Thursday presented an appreciation certificate to the Nilgiris Collector J. Innocent Divya for achieving 100% vaccination of all eligible tribals and tea estate labourers in the district with the first dose of COVID-19 vaccines.

Taking part in Doctors’ Day celebrations at the Tamil Nadu Dr. MGR Medical University, he presented appreciation certificates for government doctors to the Directors of Medical Education, Medical and Rural Health Services, Public Health and Preventive Medicine, medical and rural health services of ESI and Indian system of medicine, and for private doctors to associations including the Indian Medical Association, according to a press release.

The Chief Minister said the government was not just for the welfare of the people but also for the welfare of doctors. He acknowledged the sacrifices of doctors and their continuing service.

He handed over 55,000 pulse oximeters for the use of healthcare staff to Director of Public Health T.S. Selvavinayagam. Vice-Chancellor of the Tamil Nadu Dr. MGR Medical University Sudha Seshayyan and the employees of the university donated a day’s salary to the Chief Minister’s Public Relief Fund. Dr. Seshayyan handed over a cheque for ₹7.75 lakh to Mr. Stalin.

Earlier, Mr. Stalin inaugurated the upgraded international vaccination centre on the King Institute of Preventive Medicine campus, where the administration of yellow fever vaccination to international travellers has been taken up. Funds to the tune of ₹50 lakh, allocated from the local area development fund of former MP T.K. Rangarajan, were spent on the facility. The centre administers yellow fever and polio vaccination to those travelling to African and South American countries, and issues a WHO-approved vaccination certificate.

Minister for Medical and Family Welfare Ma. Subramanian, Minister for Hindu Religious and Charitable Endowments P.K. Sekar Babu, MLA Thayagam Kavi, Health Secretary J. Radhakrishnan, and Principal Secretary/Officer on Special Duty P. Senthil Kumar were present.

17 Final Year Resident PG Doctors On COVID Duty Move Supreme Court Seeking Alternate Mode Of Assessment

17 Final Year Resident PG Doctors On COVID Duty Move Supreme Court Seeking Alternate Mode Of Assessment

Shrutika Pandey30 Jun 2021 7:26 PM

A group of 17 final year resident postgraduate doctors from various Universities have approached the Supreme Court seeking an alternative mode of assessment given that most of them are engaged in Covid duties.

A Division Bench of Justices Indira Banerjee and Ramasubramanian will hear the matter Tomorrow.

The services of these postgraduate students as residents were continued to be utilized until fresh batches of postgraduate students join as per a recent notice of the National Medical Commission and the Prime Minister's announcement regarding the postponement of NEET-PG until August 31, 2021.

The petitioners state that depending on the nature of their duty, they remain engaged from 8-12 hours to 24 hours a day. Amidst the raging pandemic, they were shocked and surprised to note that Universities have abruptly announced the timetable for Final Year Examination without sufficient notice to even prepare for the examination, the petition states. The resident doctors also state that it is unjust and manifestly arbitrary to expect a doctor on duty to sit for a theory examination without reasonable notice. They seek the Apex Court's intervention to ensure the protection of their fundamental rights enshrined under Article 14 and Article 21 of the Constitution of India.

The Petitioners submitted that "the abrupt announcement of the examination schedule is unreasonable, arbitrary and a mindless exercise as it fails to take into consideration the hardship which will be caused to thousands of resident doctors."

"This will not only be a life threat to the patient which the doctor is attending but at the same time will also expose them to the deadly virus. It is more dangerous because they will have to come back from the examination and attend to the Covid patients, who are most vulnerable to any kind of exposure", the petition adds.

The Petitioners have clarified that they are not seeking cancellation or postponement of the final year examination but an alternative mode of assessment, including practical examination and assessment based on the internal assessment as a one-time exception in the prevailing circumstances.

NEET panel: DK opposes BJP plea

NEET panel: DK opposes BJP plea

03/07/2021

Legal Correspondent CHENNAI

The Dravidar Kazhagam, represented by its president K. Veeramani, has filed an impleading petition in the Madras High Court in support of the Justice A.K. Rajan committee constituted by the government to study the impact of NEET on medical admissions in the State.

It opposed a writ petition filed by BJP State secretary K. Nagarajan against the constitution of the committee.

Senior counsel P. Wilson, too, filed an impleading petition on behalf of a student.

In an affidavit, Mr. Veeramani accused Mr. Nagarajan of having filed the writ petition against the Justice A.K. Rajan committee for gaining publicity and not in the public interest.