Tamil Nadu Government

Multi hazard early warning centre based on WMO plane on the anvil: TN govt

As part of disaster prevention, mitigation and preparedness initiatives, networks including those for lightning and landslide detection and seismic observation would be established with real-time data acquisition platforms, the Tamil Nadu government said here on Friday. Unveiling its new TN State Disaster Management Policy-2023, the TN State Disaster Management Authority said the Chennai-based State Emergency Operation Centre would be upgraded into a state-of-the-art "Multi Hazard Early Warning Centre (MHEWC)" and relocated in a new green building. The MHEWC would be based on the WMO (World Meteorological Organisation) framework. The new policy for disaster management was released by Chief Minister M K Stalin. The centre would engage experts in the fields of meteorology, climate science, atmospheric science, hydrological modelling, emergency analysis, data science, information and communications technology, remote sensing and GIS and Web GIS development. The policy document said th

TN govt announces Rs 14,000 cr crop loans for farmers in Agri budget

The Tamil Nadu government will provide cooperative crop loans to the tune of Rs 14,000 crore to farmers in the State during 2023-24, Agriculture Minister M R K Panneerselvam said on Tuesday. During 2022-23, a total of 16.43 lakh farmers were provided crop loans for Rs 12,648 crore through the cooperative department. Also, interest-free cooperative loan of Rs 1,500 crore will be given to farmers for goat rearing, dairying, poultry and fisheries activities, he said while presenting the budget for agriculture department in the Assembly. About Rs 500 crore has been allocated to provide incentive to paddy growers at the rate of Rs 100 and Rs 75 per quintal, respectively, for fine and bold varieties, for the procurement period next year. Millet festivals would be held under the Tamil Nadu Millet Mission to create awareness among consumers and increase the millet consumption. "As the United Nations General Assembly has declared 2023 as the International Year of Millets, it is proposed to

Tamil Nadu revenue deficit down 52%, says budget hailing welfare measures

Financial Minister increases commitment to programmes for women, students and health insurance

Tamil Nadu annual revenue deficit down by Rs 3,000 cr: Finance Minister

The Tamil Nadu government has reduced the annual revenue deficit by about Rs 3,000 crore in the revised estimates of the current year, from about Rs 62,000 crore inherited when the DMK assumed office nearly two years ago, Finance Minister Palanivel Thiaga Rajan said on Monday. Presenting a tax-free budget for 2023-24 in the Assembly, he said the government's measures have helped to reduce the revenue deficit. "This was approximately Rs 5,000 crore lower than the level of the pre-COVID year of 2019-20," he said. "In accordance with the mandate of the Fiscal Responsibility Act of achieving zero-revenue deficit, the State will adopt a smooth glide path without compromising on our welfare initiatives and developmental priorities," he said. Fall in tax revenue in the previous years was the main reason for the fiscal stress faced by the government at the time of assuming office, he claimed. The State's own tax revenue (SOTR) is estimated to increase to Rs 1,51,870.61 crore in the revise

Tamil Nadu govt presents Budget, says revenue deficit on decline

The Tamil Nadu government on Monday presented its Budget 2023-24 in the Assembly and said reform initiatives have led to a reduction in revenue deficit from about Rs 62,000 crore to Rs 30,000 crore. Finance Minister Palanivel Thiaga Rajan, tabling the Budget said that owing to the unprecedented and difficult reforms undertaken, "we have reduced the annual revenue deficit of around Rs.62,000 crore which we inherited on assuming office (May 2021), to around Rs30,000 crore in the Revised Estimates of the current year." This is notwithstanding the several "massive welfare schemes" that are being implemented during the last two years, he said. Fare free travel for women in State-run buses, breakfast scheme for government school students are among the several schemes being implemented. Even as Rajan began his address, the principal opposition AIADMK attempted to raise issues which led to a din for a while. The Minister announced setting up of a hi-tech 'global sports city' in Chennai, R

No milk shortage in TN says govt, as dairy farmers protest for price rise

As a section of dairy farmers in Erode on Friday emptied containers of milk on the road in a dramatic gesture commencing agitations for a better procurement price, the Tamil Nadu government denied that the protests had caused a shortage of milk anywhere in the State. The dairy farmers are demanding a raise of Rs 7 per litre of milk. Their counterparts in Madurai and other parts of the state too brought along their cows and demonstrated similarly on the roads. Although the state government has denied that there is a shortage of milk, members of the Tamil Nadu Milk Producers' Welfare Association (TNMPWA) president V Rajendran said they would gradually withdraw their supplies to press for their demand to the State government. "The association has sought an increase of only Rs 7 per litre from Rs 35 per litre of cow milk and Rs 44 per litre of buffalo milk," he said. "We had already conveyed this through our memorandum submitted to the government. If it comes into effect, the new pric

Kamal Haasan to campaign for DMK front candidate in Erode on Feb 19

Actor-politician Kamal Haasan will join the Erode East bypoll campaign on Sunday, canvassing for ruling DMK-headed Secular Progressive Alliance candidate EVKS Elangovan. This will be the first time Haasan's Makkal Needhi Maiam (MNM) is backing another party in an electoral contest since it has faced all polls, including the 2021 Assembly elections by itself since its founding in 2018. Congress leader Elangovan is pitted against the AIADMK's K S Thennarasu while Seeman's Naam Tamizhar Katchi and actor Vijayakanth's DMDK candidates are also in the fray. According to the itinerary released by MNM here, Haasan will hold campaign meetings in five locations later on Sunday. The Congress candidate, father of Thirumahan Everaa whose death recently necessitated the bypoll, had earlier met Haasan and sought support following which MNM decided to back the former TNCC president. The bypoll result will be seen as an indicator of the DMK government's performance and the electoral battle is bein

People need total decolonization of mind, says TN Governor R N Ravi

It is very pitiful and sad to see people who are in responsible positions still quoting that without the British government, there would not have been development in our country

CM Stalin to hold meeting to evaluate law and order situation in TN

Tamil Nadu Chief Minister M.K. Stalin will on Thursday hold a high-level meeting of officers to evaluate the law and order situation in the state

Sasikala urges DMK govt to buy sugarcane of all sizes for Pongal hampers

AIADMK former interim general secretary, V.K. Sasikala has urged the Tamil Nadu government to buy Sugarcane of all sizes for the Pongal gift hampers

TN civil supplies seized 1,991 quintals of smuggled PDS rice,200 arrested

The Civil supplies have also seized 146 litres of kerosene and 43 gas cylinders that were to be supplied to PDS ration shops in the state

Tamil Nadu to strengthen doorstep healthcare scheme to diagnose NCDs

The Tamil Nadu Health Department announced that it will strengthen the 'Makkalai Thedi Maruthuvum (healthcare to doorstep)' scheme in a bid to diagnose non-communicable diseases at an early stage

Tamil Nadu starts packages for green tech, rural impact, women-led startups

50% hike in grants for special-category startups; MentorTN portal to help budding startups reach out to established entrepreneurs, professionals and subject matter experts

Free trade with Australia kicks off; Tamil Nadu sees export gains

India gets preferential access to all products it exports to Australia

Let govt hospitals, labs do genomic sequencing of Covid samples: Tamil Nadu

The Tamil Nadu government on Monday directed private hospitals and labs across the State to send COVID-19-positive samples to government lab for whole genomic sequencing (WGS) to monitor existing variants and detect newer variants. With the spurt in cases in countries such as Japan, the United States of America, Korea, Brazil, and China, it is essential to gear up the WGS of positive samples to track the variants through the Indian SARS-CoV-2 Genomics Consortium (INSACOG) network, said the Director of Public Health and Preventive Medicine Dr T S Selvavinayagam. In his latest directive to the private hospitals and private labs approved for conducting COVID-19 RT-PCR test to send the samples to the government labs for WGS, he said, "Such an exercise will enable timely detection of newer variants, if any, circulating in the country and will facilitate undertaking of requisite public health measures for the same." With focus on 5-fold strategy of test, track, treat, vaccination and ...

Tamil Nadu CM's son Udhayanidhi Stalin sworn in as minister in cabinet

DMK legislator and the party's youth wing secretary Udhayanidhi Stalin was sworn in as Minister here on Wednesday by Tamil Nadu Governor R N Ravi. In the presence of Chief Minister M K Stalin and his Cabinet colleagues, Udhayanidhi was administered the oath of office and secrecy by Ravi in a simple ceremony held at the Raj Bhavan. Clad in his trademark white shirt, with a logo of DMK's youth wing embossed on it, Udhayanidhi took the oath in Tamil, in a style that was characteristic of his father, party chief M K Stalin. The swearing-in ceremony was over in 10 minutes. The 45-year old MLA was congratulated by State Ministers and senior party leaders.

Tamil Nadu to achieve carbon neutrality before India's 2070 target: Stalin

State govt has set up the Tamil Nadu Governing Council on Climate Change, the first such to be headed by a CM

SIPCOT to set up 11 new industrial parks in TN, to create over 2 lakh jobs

The State Industries Promotion Corporation of Tamil Nadu (SIPCOT) is in the process of establishing 11 new industrial parks in the state across sectors that would generate more than two lakh jobs in the region, a Confederation of Indian Industry and KPMG report said on Sunday. The move comes in the backdrop of Tamil Nadu leading across states in information and communication technology enabled governance with several e-governance projects successfully implemented across the state. Tamil Nadu was one of the first states in the country to formulate policies in the IT-ITeS sector in 1997. The industry has opened an opportunity for the promotion of software exports and services in the state. In the automobile industry, the state has attracted major projects from various companies including heavy commercial vehicle maker Ashok Leyland, automobile manufacturers Hyundai Motor India, BMW, Renault Nissan, among others. These major projects triggered a multiplier effect by attracting numerou

50% quota for in service doctors, fill seats in 2 weeks: SC directs TN govt

The Supreme Court on Friday permitted the Tamil Nadu government to allocate 50 per cent of super-speciality seats in government medical colleges to NEET-qualified in-service candidates for the current academic year. A bench of Justices B R Gavai and Vikram Nath directed the state government to fill the seats as per the Tamil Nadu government order dated November 7, 2020, within a period of 15 days. The state government had vehemently defended the government order (GO) of 2020 on the Super Specialty seats. "The state of Tamil Nadu has approached this court for clarification of an order dated March 16, 2022, that the said order is also applicable to all subsequent academic years till disposal of petitions. We have heard the counsels. The ASG submitted that last year a number of seats reserved for in-service candidates could not be filled up. She submitted that super speciality courses are valuable national assets and they cannot be permitted to go waste... "We appreciate the anxiety o

TN eyes key role in offshore wind energy, may mop up $30 bn investments

According to govt estimates, 14 locations have been identified in the state, with potential to generate 25 Gw of wind energy