Chennai Dec 30 PTI The larger view of health experts in Tamil Nadu is that the Omicron variant of coronavirus has not led to loss of lives or severe lung infection but that none should lower their guard in following safety protocols while in public the state government said on Thursday Greater Chennai Corporation Commissioner Gagandeep Singh Bedi said the corporation has deployed enforcement teams to monitor whether there were any social gatherings in residential localities in view of new year celebrations and warned of penalising the organisers if such events were conducted Health department principal secretary J Radhakrishnan talking to reporters here along with Bedi saidthe larger opinion of health experts was that there have been no deaths due to Omicron nor cases of any people suffering from lung infection However the public should extend their cooperation by adhering to COVID-19 protocols and should not lower their guard he said The comments come in the backdrop of increased demand for oxygen from patients in the peak of the second wave in May when they experienced breathing difficulty after the virus affected their lungs Noting that RT-PCR tests have been increased in Tamil Nadu Radhakrishnan said the department has commenced focus testing of people in areas where they are likely to congregate in large numbers like vegetable markets hostels canteens coaching centres among others Asked whether there would be any ban on marriages or on social meetings where people tend to gather in large numbers he said Chief Minister M K Stalin was scheduled to hold a meeting with all officials of various government departments on Friday in this connection Gagandeep Singh Bedi said the Corporation has instructed colleges and schools to extend their co-operation by asking students not to have food in groups and maintain social distancing while doing so We have asked deans and principals to ensure that students wear a mask fully covering their nose and only then allow them to enter the premises Bedi also appealed to members of the public not to undertake unnecessary travel as many Covid-19 infections were reported from people who went on journeys In view of new year celebrations he said the GCC has deployed enforcement teams who would check whether people gather in large numbers If there is any social gathering we will take action he said and referred to the recent police department advisory on not conducting such events PTI VIJ APR APR

Chennai Dec 22 PTI As many as 104 people who arrived in Tamil Nadu from various countries have tested COVID-19 positive till date of whom 82 were detected with the S gene drop variant of coronavirus state Minister Ma Subramanian said on Wednesday The samples of the 82 passengers have been sent to the Institute for Stem Cell Science and Regenerative Medicine inStem Bengaluru for genomic sequencing analysis the Minister for Medical and Family Welfare said All the 82 passengers are fine he told reporters On test samples already sent to inStem Bengaluru last week he said the department has received the results of 13 people who were tested of which one was confirmed to have the Omicron variant of the coronavirus the delta variant in eight and four non-sequence On December 15 Tamil Nadu declared its first Omicron variant of coronavirus which was a 47 year-old passenger who arrived from Nigeria Meanwhile to step up surveillance at international airports the government has requested the Centre to allow the health department to conduct COVID-19 tests of all international passengers arriving to Tamil Nadu as against the current practice of testing those arriving from at risk countries the minister said On the vaccination front he said the 16th state-wide mega vaccination camp would be held on December 26 Sunday targeting 93 lakh people who are eligible to receive the second dose of vaccination Earlier in the day Subramanian declared open digital display boards at the Government Kilpauk Medical College premises following the announcement made in the state assembly In the first phase 25 government medical college hospitals would be equipped with such digital display boards totally costing Rs 125 crore which would inform patients about the services offered in the respective hospitals he said The information displayed on the boards would be in Tamil and English he said PTI VIJ APR APR

Chennai Dec 21 PTI Automaker Hyundai Motor India on Tuesday said it has inaugurated a new oxygen generation plant with a capacity to produce 50 litres per minute at the government hospital in Uthiramerur in neighbouring Kancheepuram district under its philanthropic division Hyundai Motor India Foundation Initiative The plant one of the three set up in Tamil Nadu would address the oxygen requirement of 13 Intensive Care Unit beds in the hospital and also COVID-19 patients a company statement said Similar facilities have been set up in Cuddalore and Chennai The ongoing pandemic has cast a spotlight on being prepared for any eventuality Under our global vision Progress for Humanity we have been supporting the medical fraternity and community to strengthen the health infrastructure Hyundai Motor India Foundation trustee Ganesh Mani S said Uthiramerur MLA K Sundar inaugurated the oxygen plant in the presence of company officials including Mani the statement said Hyundai Motor India Foundation was also in the process of setting up oxygen plants in Kurinjipadi and Tondiarpet both in Tamil Nadu the statement added PTI VIJ APR APR

Chennai Nov 26 PTI Twenty one districts reported below 10 COVID-19 infections as Tamil Nadu logged 746 new infections on Friday pushing the caseload to 2723991 while 11 more deaths took the toll to 36443 Recoveries marginally eclipsed new cases with 759 people getting discharged in the last 24 hours aggregating to 2679130 leaving 8418 active infections a health department bulletin said Chennai and Coimbatore accounted for the majority of new infections with 103 and 113 cases respectively while the remaining was scattered across other districts As many as 21 districts reported below 10 COVID-19 cases while Perambalur and Ramanathapuram recorded zero new cases each the bulletin said A total of 103258 samples were tested in the last 24 hours pushing the cumulative number of specimens examined so far to 53867315 Meanwhile Minister for Medical and Family Welfare Ma Subramanian said the health department has inoculated 7702 per cent of the total population with a single dose of vaccine while 4160 per cent of people received the double dose till date Delivering his address at Connect 2021 the 20th edition of the event organised by Confederation of Indian Industry and Tamil Nadu and Electronics Corporation of Tamil Nadu ELCOT he said the government would roll out a new scheme under which anyone who sustained injuries in accidents would immediately be treated at a hospital at government cost The government has earmarked Rs 50 crore for this scheme in the first phase he said Subramanian said the health department was able to receive details of those who benefited from the scheme rolled out by it only through Information Technology and added that IT plays a significant role in the progress of a nation PTI VIJ APR APR

Chennai Nov 26 PTI Tamil Nadu aims to become the numero uno destination for data centres by catering to all the specific requirements and providing an attractive business environment to companies interested in setting up such centres the Data Centre policy released by the state government on Friday said Chief Minister M K Stalin unveiled the ambitious Data Centre policy after inaugurating the 20th edition of Connect 2021 here The Data Centre policy aims to promote Tamil Nadu as an ideal investment destination and the government would adhere to providing power land and connectivity infrastructure for data centres fiscal and non-fiscal incentives to Data Centre developers to boost investment it said The policy also promotes use of renewable energy in the data centres for day-to-day operations and appropriate institutional measures have been created along with a supportive technological framework Tamil Nadu is a leading hub for Data centres and is poised to become the Data Centre capital of the country According to the policy the domestic data centre market is expected to touch USD 15 billion by 2022 with a 114 per cent growth The focus on data centres was in the backdrop of the states prowess in manufacturing of electronics electrical equipment such as server systems mobile device handsets tablets and storage devices Through this the state provides a ready built and well-established supply chain for Data Centres to integrate with and scale within the State the policy said Tamil Nadu offers an inherent advantage for data centres with high submarine cable network connectivity extensive information technology and ITeS information technology enabled services infrastructure technically qualified workforce among others it said The Data Centre policy would specifically cover firms engaged in the business of developing and operating Data Centres -- either Greenfield Data Centre or Data Centre parks brownfield expansions of existing data centres units among others To keep pace with the evolution of technology there would be an annual review of policy measures and definitions by the IT department it said The Data Centre policy would be applicable for all Data Centres incorporated from April 1 2021 until March 31 2026 The operational guidelines required would be issued from time to time by information technology department Tamil Nadu would work to create a pool of skilled manpower in the Data Centre sector which would help attract investors in Tamil Nadu Electronic Corporations of Tamil Nadu ELCOT would be the nodal agency for the administration of the Data Centre policy and it would work with ICT Academy to design and conduct courses specific for data centre operations Upto 20 per cent of eligible fixed assets EFA would be allowed for fresh investments made in captive power plants it said PTI VIJ APR APR

Chennai Nov 24 PTI Tamil Nadu reported 744 new COVID-19 infections on Wednesday taking the tally to 2722506 while the toll rose to 36415 with 14 more deaths Recoveries marginally outnumbered new cases with 782 people getting discharged in the last 24 hours aggregating to 2677607 leaving 8484 active infections a health department bulletin said A total of 101624 samples were tested in the last 24 hours pushing the cumulative number of specimens examined so far to 53662064 Coimbatore and Chennai accounted for the majority of new infections with 117 and 115 cases respectively while the remaining were scattered across other districts As many as 24 districts reported below 10 COVID-19 infections while Theni had zero cases the bulletin said PTI VIJ APR APR

Chennai Nov 23 PTI Two and three wheeler tyre manufacturer TVS Eurogrip on Tuesday said it has associated with four time IPL winner Chennai Super Kings owned by The India Cements Ltd to be its principal sponsor for the next three years Chennai Super Kings and TVS Eurogrip would launch a series of initiatives to engage the large fan base of CSK across the country The partnership for the next three years 2022-2024 would also give TVS Eurogrip the visibility on the front of CSKs yellow jersey a company statement said TVS Eurogrip is delighted to associate with Chennai Super Kings The jersey branding and sponsorship will increase awareness and recognition for our Eurogrip brand name and visual identity TVS Srichakra Ltd executive-vice president sales and marketing P Madhavan said We look forward to co-creating exciting experiences for trade and our customers with this association We see great synergies between the brands and are confident that this partnership will benefit both CSK and TVS Eurogrip he added On the association with TVS Eurogrip Chennai Super Kings Cricket Ltd CEO K S Viswanathan said we are delighted to have TVS Eurogrip as our principal sponsor and we welcome them to the Super Kings family It is going to be an exciting phase for us We believe that this partnership will help us build on the long-lasting relationship with the fans Chennai Super Kings beat Kolkata Night Riders in the IPL 2021 final to register their fourth IPL title in October PTI VIJ APR APR

Chennai Nov 20 PTI The Tamil Nadu government on Saturday said people who are due for and those who were over due to receive the second COVID-19 vaccine dose were posing a risk not only to themselves but also to the community at large Health department Principal Secretary J Radhakrishnan urged those who were yet to receive the second dose to make use of the mass vaccination camps organised by the department to receive the vaccines Over 72 lakh persons are due and over due for second dose of vaccination and they should realize the opportunity to get vaccinated he said in a message Tamil Nadu decided on November 17 to hold two mega vaccination camps every week as against the once a week exercise to vaccinate those who are eligible to get the second jab but were yet to get it According to Radhakrishnan 75 per cent of the population in the state have received the first dose and 38 per cent the second shot Appealing to all eligible people above the age of 18 years to get vaccinated he said there are still about one crore persons in the 18-44 age group and about 50 lakh people above 45 years and mostly above 60 years who are yet to take the first dose of vaccines The unvaccinated and incompletely vaccinated groups continue to pose a risk not only to themselves but also to the community at large Those people who are yet to receive the second shot should consider receiving the jabs as their duty to ensure that the efforts to prevent any resurgence of COVID-19 is effective as vaccination he said Follow up of COVID-19 appropriate behaviour such as wearing masks and maintaining social distancing and following Standard Operating Procedures SOPs for permitted activities are the cornerstone of our fight against COVID-19 Radhakrishnan said In addition to the governments appeal people should come forward as a mission and ensure that their near and dear ones friends colleagues and relatives in this age group receive the first dose tomorrow Sunday he said The 10th edition of Mega Vaccination Camp is scheduled to be held across Tamil Nadu through 50000 camps on Sunday The ninth edition on November 18 saw 836 lakh people receive the jabs PTI VIJ APR APR

Chennai Nov 20 PTI Tamil Nadu logged 765 new COVID-19 infections on Saturday pushing the caseload to 2719515 while the toll rose to 36361 with 12 more deaths Recoveries outnumbered new infections with 879 people getting discharged in the last 24 hours aggregating to 2674327 leaving 8827 active infections a medical bulletin said A total of 100998 samples were tested in the last 24 hours pushing the cumulative number of specimens examined to 53257459 Coimbatore and Chennai accounted for the majority of new infections with 125 and 118 cases respectively while the remaining was scattered across other districts As many as 21 districts reported below 10 COVID-19 infections each while Theni recorded zero cases the bulletin said PTI VIJ APR APR

Chennai Nov 19 PTI Eminent farm scientist M S Swaminathan on Friday expressed happiness over the Centre announcing its decision to repeal the farm laws and said that the future of agriculture depends on the impact on production procurement and prices I am happy with the announcement today I emphasize that C250 per cent is the core of the reports of the National Commission on Farmers Swaminathan the father of green revolution in the country said The Comprehensive cost cost C2 includes imputed costs of family labour and rent of owned land as also the imputed interest on owned capital The National Commission on Farmers has recommended a 50 per cent margin over C2 which is also the demand of the farmers The future of agriculture depends on the impact we can make on production procurement and prices These should be attended to concurrently he said in a press release Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Friday while addressing the country announced the governments decision to repeal the three farm laws which were at the centre of protests by farmers for the last one year PTI VIJ APR APR