Chennai Jan 28 PTI The AIADMK on Friday relieved its Rajya Sabha member A Navaneethakrishnan of the post of secretary of the partys advocates wing Navaneethakrishnan is relieved of the post effective January 28 top party leaders O Panneerselvam and K Palaniswami said in a party release The duo Coordinator and Joint Coordinator respectively did not assign any reason for the partys decision The Rajya Sabha MP could not be reached immediately for his reaction PTI VGN BN BN

Chennai Jan 22 PTI Tamil Nadu has rights both on legal and humanitarian grounds to implement the second phase of the Hogenakkal Drinking Water Project Water Resources Minister Duraimurugan said here on Saturday Responding to his Karnataka counterpart Govind Karjol Duraimurugan cited several aspects of the final award of the Cauvery Water Dispute Tribunal including clause-18 and consumptive use and the Supreme Court judgment of February 16 2018 to underscore that Tamil Nadu has rights to execute this project which is essential for drinking water needs Karnataka Water Resources Minister Govind Karjol had on Friday said the state government would oppose the proposed water project at Hogenakkal and that Tamil Nadu cannot take it up unilaterally In a statement Duraimurugan said Tamil Nadu has rights both on legal and humanitarian grounds to implement the Hogenakkal projects second phase The Cauvery-Hogenakkal projects second phase will be implemented for sure the Tamil Nadu Minister said hours after Karnataka Chief Minister Basavaraj Bommai announced an all-party meeting in February to discuss inter-state water disputes On January 20 Chief Minister M K Stalin had said that the Tamil Nadu government would prepare a detailed project report to implement the second phase of the Hogenakkal combined drinking water project for Dharmapuri and Krishnagiri districts at an estimated cost of Rs 4600 crore The first phase of the Hogenakkal project for drinking water supply and fluorosis mitigation was implemented during the 2006-11 DMK regime PTI VGN BN BN

Chennai Dec 29 PTI Chief Minister M K Stalin on Wednesday urged Prime Minister Narendra Modi to release Rs 623045 crore assistance to Tamil Nadu battered by recent heavy rains flood loss of lives and damage to crops and infrastructure further burdening the states financial position Unprecedented rains lashed Tamil Nadu during the northeast monsoon season October-December this year resulting in heavy flooding inundation of habitations and crops Stalin said The financial position of the state government has been under severe stress due to Covid-19 pandemic and the subsequent flood situation only accentuated it he said Also the Chief Minister drew the PMs attention to loss of life of humans and animals damage to standing crops and infrastructure The state government took expeditious relief operations and restored normalcy in the shortest possible time Stalin said in a letter to Modi The Central team visited Tamil Nadu on November 21 2021 for assessing the damage due to incessant rains We have submitted so far three memoranda seeking relief assistance from Government of India to the tune of Rs 151083 crore for temporary restoration and Rs 471962 crore for permanent restoration of damaged infrastructure like roads bridges and public buildings etc The memoranda were submitted to the Centre on November 16 25 and December 15 The State Disaster Response funds have also been fully utilised As you may agree the affected people need to be compensated at the earliest to enable them to get over the present impact of the floods and also to reconstruct the damaged infrastructure so that transport irrigation education etc are put back in track Stalin requested Modi to release the central assistance at the earliest PTI VGN BN BN

Chennai Dec 28 PTI For the differently abled women and men seated on specially designed wheelchairs that could be manoeuvred on sand it was a refreshing experience when waves of water rolled on to their feet at the Marina beach here with a whoosh on a pleasant evening A 200 metre long wooden ramp linking the Marina seashore here with the beach approach road was inaugurated on Tuesday and differently abled men and women all smiles visited the beach using the new facility Such arrangements are needed in all places to recognise the rights of the physically challenged a woman who operated a wheel chair on her own to visit the beach said Municipal Administration Minister K N Nehru Hindu Religious and Charitable Endowments Minister P K Sekar Babu and Chepakkam-Tiruvallikeni MLA Udhayanidhi Stalin inaugurated the temporary ramp an official release here said Five specially designed wheelchairs that can be used on beach sand has been arranged by the Greater Chennai Corporation and a shamiana pandal and amenities like drinking water and refreshments have been arranged for their use Amenities the ramp and the pandal for the exclusive use of the physically challenged people would be functional till January 3 2022 Nehru accepting the request of differently abled people and their relatives advised civic authorities to allow the use of ramp till January 16 2022 Chief Minister M K Stalin tweeted saying a temporary ramp has now been provided at the Marina beach and this facility would soon be made permanent This is only a small work But a beginning for a big change he said The harvest festival of Pongal falls on January 14 and people usually crowd beaches on Kaanum Pongal January 16 a day after the Pongal celebrations PTI VGN BN BN

Chennai Dec 28 PTI For the differently abled women and men seated on specially designed wheelchairs that could be manoeuvred on sand it was a refreshing experience when waves of water rolled on to their feet at the Marina beach here with a whoosh on a pleasant evening A 200 metre long wooden ramp linking the Marina seashore here with the beach approach road was inaugurated on Tuesday and differently abled men and women all smiles visited the beach using the new facility Such arrangements are needed in all places to recognise the rights of the physically challenged a woman who operated a wheel chair on her own to visit the beach said Municipal Administration Minister K N Nehru Hindu Religious and Charitable Endowments Minister P K Sekar Babu and Chepakkam-Tiruvallikeni MLA Udhayanidhi Stalin inaugurated the temporary ramp an official release here said Five specially designed wheelchairs that can be used on beach sand has been arranged by the Greater Chennai Corporation and a shamiana pandal and amenities like drinking water and refreshments have been arranged for their use Amenities the ramp and the pandal for the exclusive use of the physically challenged people would be functional till January 3 2022 Nehru accepting the request of differently abled people and their relatives advised civic authorities to allow the use of ramp till January 16 2022 It could not be immediately ascertained if there are proposals to consider making the wooden ramp a permanent feature at the Marina beach and whether such temporary arrangements are being contemplated in other popular beaches of Tamil Nadu The harvest festival of Pongal falls on January 14 and people usually crowd beaches on Kaanum Pongal January 16 a day after the Pongal celebrations PTI VGN BN BN

Chennai Dec 28 PTI Tamil Nadu Chief Minister M K Stalin on Tuesday ordered a 14 per cent increase in Dearness Allowance for government employees teachers pensioners and family pensioners with effect from January 1 2022 Also Stalin ordered harvest festival Pongal gift of Rs 3000 for C and D category employees Rs 1000 for those drawing salary in the special pay matrix and Rs 500 for pensioners which includes those receiving special pension Pongal festival falls on January 14 2022 The hike in DA from 17 to 31 per cent would entail an additional expenditure of about Rs 8724 crore and for festival cash gift approximately Rs 16956 crore an official release here said Despite the fiscal burden the Chief Minister directed the DA raise and festival gift considering the welfare of all government employees teachers and pensioners the government said On September 7 2021 Stalin had announced in the Assembly that enhanced Dearness Allowance to government employees and pensioners would be advanced by three months and it shall be implemented with effect from January 1 2022 However the government had not specified then the percentage of increase that was being contemplated Employees had demanded and expected a raise of 11 per cent The present DA hike would benefit about 16 lakh government employees and pensioners Previously in the revised budget 2021-22 the increase in DA for employees and pensioners was announced with effect from April 1 2022 which was advanced subsequently by three months PTI VGN BN BN

Chennai Dec 21 PTI State-wide protests would be held on January 7 2022 to press for implementation of labour welfare laws for the employees of Tamil Nadu government run liquor outlets a workers federation announced here on Tuesday The Tamil Nadu State Marketing Corporation Tasmac run liquor outlets are exempted from enactments like the TN Shops and Establishments Act and the one governing grant of holidays and workers are also out of the ambit of labour laws the Tasmac Uzhiyar Manila Sammelanam TUMS claimed Such exemptions have ushered in a modern bonded labour system the TUMS affiliated to the CITU alleged Referring to decisions taken at a state level meet the federation alleged that several legal rights have been denied to workers and the services of over 26000 workers have not yet been made regularisation permanent as per law The protest is to urge the government to withdraw the exemptions and implement the labour welfare laws the federation said in a press release The TN Industrial Establishments National Festival and Special Holidays Act 1958 deals with grant of holidays for employees in each calendar year Such holidays include the Republic Day Independence Day and Gandhi Jayanthi Industrial establishment covers establishments under the TN Shops and Establishments Act as well besides any factory or plantation PTI VGN BN BN

Chennai Nov 29 PTI DMK president and Chief Minister M K Stalin on Monday condemned the suspension of 12 opposition members in the Rajya Sabha and demanded that the Centre revoke the move The suspension of 12 Opposition MPs on the very first day of the winter session is highly condemnable Such acts diminish the democratic spirit of the Parliament I demand on behalf of the DMK to revoke the suspension immediately Stalin said on his twitter handle Twelve opposition members in Rajya Sabha including Congress MP Chhaya Verma were on Monday suspended for the remaining part of the winter session for their misconduct and unruly behaviour during the last session PTI VGN BN BN

Chennai Oct 28 PTI Superstar Rajinikanth is undergoing routine medical examination at a hospital here sources close to the top star said on Thursday It is a health check-up done routinely on a periodical basis He is now in a private hospital for the check-up the actors publicist Riaz K Ahmed told PTI The 70-year old actor was in Delhi days ago to receive the prestigious Dadasaheb Phalke Award and he had also visited President Ram Nath Kovind and Prime Minister Narendra Modi in the national capital PTI VGN BN BN

Chennai Oct 27 PTI Tamil Nadu Governor R N Ravi called on Union Ministers Amit Shah and Nirmala Sitharaman on Wednesday in Delhi Raj Bhavan said Ravis meeting with Home Minister Shah and Finance Minister Sitharaman follows his meeting with Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Defence Minister Rajnath Singh days ago On October 23 Ravi visited Modi in the national capital and discussed issues related to the development of the state and peoples welfare Raj Bhavan had said adding the Prime Minister assured all possible assistance for Tamil Nadu Ravi was sworn in as Governor of Tamil Nadu on September 18 PTI VGN BN BN