Chennai Mar 24 PTI Hyundai Motor India Foundation the philanthropic division of automobile major Hyundai Motor India on Thursday inaugurated a 550 litre per minute oxygen generation plant the largest facility set up by the foundation in the city The plant with a capacity to serve oxygen requirement of 150 beds would help meet the demand of oxygen for ailments such as COVID-19 tuberculosis chronic obstructive pulmonary disease respiratory failure among others The plant at the Communicable Diseases Hospital Tondiarpet is the largest in terms of capacity among the seven plants that have been set up by the foundation in the country The pandemic 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 said Availability of continuous supply of oxygen is essential for saving critical patients and hence we stepped forward to set up this facility and make it self sufficient to meet any future demand he said The foundation has set up seven oxygen plants in the country with three located in Tamil Nadu Minister for Hindu Religious and Charitable Endowments P K Sekar Babu formally inaugurated the plant in the presence of senior government officials and representatives of the Hyundai Motor India Foundation PTI VIJ VIJ HDA HDA

Chennai Jan 22 PTI There is no room at all for forcible conversions in Tamil Nadu Hindu Religious and Charitable Endowments Department Minister P K Sekar Babu said here on Saturday Taking potshots at the Tamil Nadu unit of the BJP Sekar Babu said ahead of the Thai Poosam festival last year the Saffron party had taken out Vel spear rallies in the state chanting slogans of Veera Vel and Vetri Vel He asked do you now see display of Vel by BJP people anywhere adding the BJP did not organise such events this year coinciding with the festival the Minister told reporters Unlike the BJP his party the DMK and Chief Minister M K Stalin regarded all religions equally Babu said Annaithu mathamum sammatham All religions are acceptable he said Against such a background there is no room at all for forcible conversions in Tamil Nadu the Minister asserted In connection with the death of a 17-year old girl student by suicide in Thanjavur district days ago the BJP had alleged coercion by the management of a school to convert her to Christianity The party had alleged that it was the reason that had led to her suicide an inmate of the school run hostel Months ahead of the April 2021 Assembly election in Tamil Nadu the BJP had held the Vetrivel yatra or Vel yatra campaign Though the state-wide BJP yatra was not allowed Nov- Dec 2020 by the then AIADMK government due to the pandemic the party had held public meetings at multiple locations and leaders had courted arrest In January 2021 now Union Minister and then BJP state unit chief L Murugan had said that it was his partys Vel yatra that had prompted DMK president Stalin to hold a Vel This year Thai Poosam was celebrated on January 18 Thai refers to Tamil month that commences every year in January and Poosam is a reference to star Public holiday was declared for the festival by the then AIADMK government in January 2021 According to Shaivite tradition Thai Poosam commemorates the presentation of a spear to Lord Muruga by his mother Goddess Parvathi with which he destroyed evil forces and the festival symbolised victory of good over evil PTI VGN SS SS

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 Sep 19 PTI The Tamil Nadu government will do away with the present system of distribution of food packets as part of the Annadanam scheme in temples to devotees and serve them in the shrines starting Monday the Hindu Religious and Charitable Endowment HRCE department saidThe day-long Annadanam scheme launched in Arulmigu Subramania Swamy temples in Tiruchendur and Tiruttani and the Samayapuram Arulmigu Mariyamman shrine last week has been well received HRCE Minister PK Sekar Babu saidDue to the Covid pandemic Annadanam in temples was implemented through food packets which will now be restricted only to Fridays Saturdays and Sundays the Ministers office said in a release on SundayFrom September 20 onwards Annadanam will be conducted in temples where it is being done already adhering to covid-19 protocols from Monday to Thursday and food will be served to the devotees the release said PTI SA ROH ROH

Chennai Chief Minister M K Stalin has said there was no violation in the appointment of people of all castes as archakas priests in the temples administered by the HR and CE departmentIntervening during the debate on the budget in the State Assembly he said it was late Chief Minister M Karunanidhi who had enacted a law to appoint people of all castes as archakasNow we have implemented it and appointment orders were issued he pointed outStalin said however some people who could not digest this were spreading baseless rumours in the social media to scuttle it appointing people of all castes as archakasAll the 58 persons appointed as archakas are duly qualified and there is no violation as alleged by some priests he said

Those who have been trained in Agama Shastras rules on worship and related aspects and below 35 years alone were appointed as archakas the minister addedRepresentational Image DCChennai The Tamil Nadu government on Tuesday said there has been no violation in the appointment of people of all castes as archakas priests to the temples being managed by the Hindu Religious and Charitable Endowments HR CE departmentHRCE Minister P K Sekar Babu also denied that Brahmin priests especially Archakars and Bhattacharyas were selectively targeted while making the appointment of the fresh batch of archakasHe claimed that the services of no Brahmin priests were terminated and assured the government would look into complaints if any that they were asked to leave the templesImplementing its electoral promise of appointing aspirants belonging to all castes as temple priests the DMK government had on August 14 appointed trained archakas of various communities as priests in shrines