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CB-CID to investigate suspicious death of 11-yr-old girl inside school campus in Kodaikanal

Earlier last week, news of the death of a 5th grade student, Preethika, under mysterious circumstances, made rounds across news platforms. The girl, who was a student of the Panchayat Union Middle school in Pachalur, Kodaikanal, had died because of severe burns under suspicious circumstances and was found near the kitchen of her school,  on December 15th. Many villagers from the village and nearby towns came together and protested demanding a detailed probe into the child’s death.

Now, the CB-CID have take up a detailed investigation into the case, as they are enquiring students of the school. They have been investigating for the the third consecutive day today. The officials split themselves into 5 teams and enquired the students of the school. Sources also say that the child’s parents were taken to the CB-CID office for investigation.

The first round of investigation has revealed that the child was found after 2 hours of suffering from severe burns. Primary investigation by the Police, ruled out any signs of sexual abuse of the victim. Initially, some reports also said that an empty water can and a matchbox was found at the site.

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PM attends IIT Kanpur convocation ceremony, launches blockchain-based digital degrees

Prime Minister Narendra Modi attended the 54th Convocation Ceremony of IIT Kanpur today and issued digital degrees through in-house blockchain-driven technology.

Addressing the students and faculty of the Institute, the Prime Minister said today is a great day for Kanpur as the city is getting a Metro facility and also, in the form of the passing out students, Kanpur is giving the world a precious gift. Speaking on the journey of the students in the prestigious institution, the Prime Minister said, between the admission and passing out from  IIT Kanpur “you must be feeling a huge change in yourself. Before coming here there must have been a fear of Unknown or query of Unknown. Now there is no fear of the unknown, now you have the courage to explore the whole world. Now query of unknown is no longer there, Now it quests for the best and dream to dominate the whole world”, he said

Mentioning the historical and social legacy of Kanpur, the Prime Minister said, Kanpur is one of the few cities in India that is so diverse. “From Satti Chaura Ghat to Madari Pasi, From Nana Saheb to Batukeshwar Dutt, When we visit this city, it seems as if we are travelling to that glorious past and touching the glory of the sacrifices of the freedom struggle”, the Prime Minister reminisced.

The Prime Minister pointed out the importance of the current stage of the life of the passing students. He elaborated by taking the time period of the 1930s.  “Those who were young men of 20-25 years at that time must have had quite a journey till 1947, the achievement of independence. That was the golden phase of their lives. Today you are also stepping into the same kind of Golden Era. Just like this is the Amrit Kaal of the nation, in the same way, it is the Amrit Kaal of your life”, he said.

Remarking on the achievements of Kanpur IIT, the Prime Minister elaborated on the possibilities that the current technology scenario gives to the professionals today. Indicating the scope of the areas like AI, energy,, climate solutions, technology in health solutions and disaster management, the Prime Minister said “these are not just your responsibilities but are the dreams of many generations which you have the good fortune to fulfill. This time period is for deciding on ambitious goals and pushing with all your might to achieve them.”

The Prime Minister stressed that the 21st century is completely technology-driven. Even in this decade, technology is going to increase its dominance in different fields. Life without technology would now be incomplete in a way. He wished the students that they would definitely come out ahead in this age of competition of life and technology. The Prime Minister communicated his reading of the national mood to the students. He said “today, the thinking and attitude of the country is the same as yours. Earlier, if the thinking was that of perfunctory work, then today the thinking is action and result oriented. Earlier, if there was an attempt to get away from the problems, then today resolutions are taken to solve the problems.”

The Prime Minister lamented the lost time that should have been utilised for nation-building since the 25th anniversary of Independence. “When the country’s independence completed 25 years, by then we should have done a lot to stand on our feet. Since then it is too late, the country has lost a lot of time. In between, 2 generations have passed. so we don’t have to lose even 2 moments”, he said.

The Prime Minister said if he is sounding impatient, that is because he wants the passing out students “to become impatient for a self-reliant India in the same way. Self-reliant India is the basic form of complete freedom, where we will not depend on anyone.”  Swami Vivekananda had said – Every nation has a message to deliver, a mission to fulfill, a destiny to reach. If we will not be self-reliant, then how will our country fulfill its goals, how will it reach its destination, The Prime Minister quoted.

The Prime Minister said that with initiatives like Atal Innovation Mission, PM Research Fellowships and National Education Policy, a new temperament and new opportunities are being created. Results of improved ease of doing business and removal of policy blockages are visible clearly. The Prime Minister remarked that in this 75th year of independence India has more than 75 unicorns, more than 50,000 start-ups. Of these, 10,000 have come only in the last 6 months. Today India has emerged as the second-largest startup hub in the world. Many startups have been started by the youth from IITs. The Prime Minister conveyed his desire for the students to contribute to the global standing of the country. He said “which Indian would not want Indian companies and Indian products to become global. One who knows IITs, knows the talent here, knows the hard work of the professors here, believes this IIT’s youth will definitely do it.”

The Prime Minister advised the students not to choose comfort over challenge. Because, the Prime Minister said, “whether you want it or not, there are bound to be challenges in life. Those who run away from them become their victims.But if you are looking for challenges, you are the hunter and the challenge is the hunted.”

Striking a personal note, the Prime Minister advised the students to keep sensitivity, curiosity, imagination  and creativity alive in them and asked them to be sensitive to the non tech aspects of life. He said “when it comes to sharing of joy and kindness, do not keep any password and enjoy the life with an open heart”.

(Published from PIB)

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DMK Govt to start metering farm power connections, AIADMK calls out hypocrisy

The MK Stalin-led DMK government in Tamil Nadu is working to install electricity meters for agricultural power connections.

This has attracted criticism from the Opposition AIADMK which has asked the government to halt the move immediately.

AIADMK Coordinator O. Panneerselvam in a statement hit out at the ruling DMK for its ‘double standards’ on the issue of metering farm connections as the latter had opposed the very same move when it was in Opposition.

Referring to Stalin government rolling out the 1 lakh farm electricity connection scheme in September, Panneerselvam said that the Chief Minister did not mention anything about metering such connections.

There is an apprehension among farmers that the metering exercise is only to levy consumption charges in future, he said.

Hence, the government should stop installing meters and Stalin must take steps to halt the Centre’s move in respect of metering, the AIADMK leader added.

Panneerselvam, also former Chief Minister, slammed the DMK for shifting its stand on issues, based on whether it was in the opposition or on the ruling side.

The deputy leader of the opposition also said that when the AIADMK was in power in 2002, the DMK opposed a proposal for installation of meters for farm connections and had even staged protests against the move to ‘politicise’ the matter.

He also noted that such a stand was taken by the DMK despite the late Chief Minister J Jayalalithaa clarifying that free electricity would continue and the move to install meters was only to record consumption to enable the government to determine demand and supply requirements.

‘The DMK, which criticised it then, is now doing the same thing (metering),’ he said mocking at the ruling party.

Here is the full statement.

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Puthiya Tamizhagam chief Dr. Krishnaswamy submits petition to TN Governor against DMK govt’s usage of ‘Ondriya Arasu’

Dr. Krishnaswamy, chief of Puthiya Tamizhagam party, has submitted a petition to the Governor of Tamil Nadu, R N Ravi. The petition says, “Some political parties in Tamil Nadu are working towards tarnishing the image of the country and against the unity of the nation. The Chief Minister Stalin and his cabinet of ministers call it ‘Ondriya Arasu’ in an attempt to insult the Central Government.

In Tamil Nadu the word ‘Ondriyam’ is used to refer to the Panchayat. They deliberately distort the ‘Union of States’ mentioned in the Constitution and use the term ‘Ondriya Arasu’ (Union Government). The current Chief Minister, cabinet ministers and MLAs of the Tamil Nadu legislative assembly were sworn in with the pledge of, “We will abide by the unity and sovereignty of India.”

However, their actions are against the unity of our country. There is a danger that the word ‘Ondriyam’  will make an appearance in school textbooks as well. The terms ‘Ondriya Arasu’ was used deliberately during the budget session in Tamil Nadu; this time it should not be used.

The Central government and the Panchayat Union cannot be compared with each other. Both have different meanings. Stalin and the members of the party are repeatedly using the term ‘Ondriya Arasu’ to sow their hatred towards Indian sovereignty amongst Tamil people.

No longer should the Tamil Nadu government be allowed to call the Central Government as ‘Ondriya Arasu’, under any circumstances. The public, parents and even students are welcoming the NEET examination. The resolution passed by the State government against the NEET examination should not be approved,” concluded Dr. Krishnaswamy.

(With inputs from Dinamalar)

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Hindu Munnani protests against attempts to convert residence into Prayer Hall in Kanyakumari

The Hindu Munnani has protested against a Christian Missionary group that has been trying to convert a  residential house into a Prayer Hall in Kanyakumari. In recent times, news of Christian Missionaries trying to convert people into Christianity, by even preaching the religion in public, is hitting headline very often. Earlier this week, a Christian Missionary group was trying to convert school students and General public by distributing the Bible at bus stops and schools, on the occasion of Christmas.

Now, the local residents of the Santhai area, Kanyakumari, have accused a Christian Missionary of trying to convert a residential house into a Church. Subsequently, the Hindu Munnani took this issue into their own hands. As the Hindu Munnani conducted protests against this conversion, the Tahsildar and DSP have said that no prayer meetings can happen in the location until the RDO completes his investigation.

A statement released by Hindu Munnani with regard to this issue said, “Attempt to illegally convert a residence into a Prayer Hall in Santhavilai-Kanyakumari area. After Hindu Munnani’s protest, the Tahsildar and the DSP conducted talks and has prohibited prayer meetings, until the completion of investigation by the  RDO.”

(With inputs from Kathir News)

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Sterlite Copper Inaugurates Logistics Skill Development Centre in Thoothukudi

  • Aims to benefit the youth of Tuticorin through Logistic Training Session under various batches which will generate employment.
  • India’s logistics sector employs over 22 million people directly. It is expected to grow at a CAGR of 10 per cent which will generate more jobs in the near future.

December 27, 2021, Thoothukudi: Tamira Muthukkal, one of the flagship project under the Muthucharam Initiative launched by Sterlite Copper aims to provide skill training modules on various courses to benefit the youths of Thoothukudi in order to seek gainful employment. Similarly, a new skill centre has been launched keeping logistic trade as the prime focus, aiming to target more than 400 youngsters in Tuticorin annually. The skill centre will focus on Inventory Clerk training which will help the youth to gain immense knowledge in same domain, thereby generating meaningful employment opportunities. India’s logistics sector employs over 22 million people directly. It is expected to grow at a CAGR of 10 per cent which will generate more jobs in the near future.

Earlier this year, Sterlite had already launched a skill centre which focused on 5 trades which have been identified as priority areas via the Skill Gap Assessment Report of the National Skill Development Corporation (NSDC). Similarly, keeping in mind the benefits to the youth, Sterlite Copper has launched a new Skill Development Centre, aimed at offering skill-based training modules to the youths in and around Thoothukudi.

The centre is supported by the Vedanta Foundation, which has been actively involved in making education and skill development available and accessible to all. The major thrust of its projects are focused on making people self-reliant by providing them opportunities related to livelihood and employment.

Since 1992, the Vedanta Foundation has been helping create livelihood opportunities through its skill development centres. So far, the organisation has trained over 12 lakh youths across 180 Vedanta Rojgaar centres spread across the country. It is now launching 101 new centres in 2021-22, with the very first one being inaugurated in Thoothukudi today in association with Sterlite Copper. The new centre will leverage the Foundation’s deep expertise in the domain of skill training and help unlock fresh opportunities for youths in Thoothukudi.

 

To begin with, training session on Inventory Clerk will be conducted over a period of 3 months and already 50 young minds have registered for the same. The training session will also touch upon the communication skills which will act as a catalyst and help the youth to have a more positive approach overall. They will be supported in getting appropriate job placements, with company committing to finding employment for at least 70% of the participants.

 

Thus, we remain dedicated towards building a positive growth of the local community and are committed to improve the livelihood of the people of Thoothukudi and transform their lives through our community initiatives, thereby maintaining a sustainable environment in and around Thoothukudi.

 

About Vedanta Limited

Vedanta Limited, a subsidiary of Vedanta Resources Limited, is one of the world’s leading Oil & Gas and Metals company with significant operations in Oil & Gas, Zinc, Lead, Silver, Copper, Iron Ore, Steel, and Aluminium & Power across India, South Africa and Namibia. For two decades, Vedanta has been contributing significantly to nation building. Governance and sustainable development are at the core of Vedanta’s strategy, with a strong focus on health, safety, and environment. Vedanta has put in place a comprehensive framework to be the ESG leader in the natural resources sector. Vedanta is committed to reducing carbon emissions to zero by 2050 or sooner and has pledged $5 billion over the next 10 years to accelerate the transition to net zero operations. Giving back is in the DNA of Vedanta, which is focused on enhancing the lives of local communities. The company’s flagship social impact program, Nand Ghars, have been set up as model anganwadis focused on eradicating child malnutrition, providing education, healthcare, and empowering women with skill development. Under the aegis of the Anil Agarwal Foundation, the umbrella entity for Vedanta’s social initiatives, the Vedanta group has pledged Rs 5000 crore over the next five years on social impact programmes with a thrust on nutrition, women & child development, healthcare, animal welfare, and grass-root level sports. Vedanta and the group companies company have been featured in Dow Jones Sustainability Index 2020, and was conferred Frost & Sullivan Sustainability Awards 2020, CII Environmental Best Practices Award 2020, CSR Health Impact Award 2020, CII National Award 2020 for Excellence in Water Management, CII Digital Transformation Award 2020, ICSI National Award 2020 for excellence in Corporate Governance, People First HR Excellence Award 2020, ‘Company with Great Managers 2020’ by People Business and certified as a Great Place to Work 2021. Vedanta’s flagship Nand Ghar Project was identified as best CSR project by Government of Rajasthan. Vedanta Limited is listed on the Bombay Stock Exchange and the National Stock Exchange. For more information, please visit www.vedantalimited.com

Disclaimer

This press release contains “forward-looking statements” – that is, statements related to future, not past, events. In this context, forward-looking statements often address our expected future business and financial performance, and often contain words such as “expects,” “anticipates,” “intends,” “plans,” “believes,” “seeks,” “should” or “will.” Forward–looking statements by their nature address matters that are, to different degrees, uncertain. For us, uncertainties arise from the behaviour of financial and metals markets including the London Metal Exchange, fluctuations in interest and or exchange rates and metal prices; from future integration of acquired businesses; and from numerous other matters of national, regional and global scale, including those of a political, economic, business, competitive or regulatory nature. These uncertainties may cause our actual future results to be materially different that those expressed in our forward looking statements. We do not undertake to update our forward-looking statements.

 

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Who is this ‘god woman’ trending in the Tamil internet world?

Tamil internet has been going gaga over a ‘god woman’ who has been carrying herself as an incarnation of a goddess.

Called as ‘Annapurani Arasu Amma’, videos of this female has suddenly appeared on social media pages and has been going viral.

Clad in shiny silk sarees with heavy make-up and lipstick, she goes around like the main lead of the yesteryear ‘Amman films’. A woman can be seen showering flowers as the ‘god woman’ walks. Another woman sprinkles rose water on her.

She walks in slow motion and sits on a ‘throne’ with a song in the background as the crowd accompanying her behave hysterically.

In one of the videos, a woman who can be seen along with her in many of the other videos, lies under the god woman keeping as she takes the latter’s feet and keeps on her head shouting ‘Amma, Amma, My Amma’. Her behaviour has uncanny resemblance to the crazy behaviour of people in a Christian missionary prayer meeting.

However, it has come to light that the lady had first appeared on television in a reality show titled ‘Solvethellam Unmai’ which is a cringe fest where private matters of a family are made public. She allegedly had an affair and lived together with another married man and a father of two named Arasu.

It is this woman who has now propped up all of a sudden on social media.

Her YouTube channel named ‘Annapurani Arasu Amma’ though started in 2016 has been posting videos only in the past 3 weeks.

This sudden rise of this woman has led to speculation that she could be planted by propaganda machinery of the ruling regime in Tamil Nadu.

With Behindwoods, a prominent Tamil YouTube channel friendly to the DMK jumping to interview the lady, it has furthered suspicion that she could be part of a targeted attempt to malign the Hindu faith.

Netizens also allege that the god woman is being propped up in order deflect from the recent failures of the DMK government.

Earlier, the same Behindwoods had propped up the Narikorava lady around whom an entire propaganda was built for Chief Minister MK Stalin surrounding the release of ‘Jai Bhim’ movie portraying Stalin as a champion of the oppressed.

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Old houses in TN Slum Clearance Board collapses, no casualties reported

Around 24 apartments part of the tenements built by the Tamil Nadu Slum Clearance Board in All India Radio street, Ernavur, Chennai collapsed on Monday (December 28). On behalf of the board, a number of flats were constructed in Ernavur near Thiruvottriyur for the victims of the 2004 tsunami and those who lost their houses due to the Ennore expressway expansion. These flats are home to more than 4,000 fishermen and other poor people.

The perimeter wall of this apartment had cracked and remained broken in quite a few places. A few months back, one part of the wall collapsed entirely. The local residents and children have been walking through via the path with the collapsed wall while no efforts were taken to rebuild the same.

No casualties have been reported in the incident so far. People were evacuated from the building this morning as it had developed cracks. People from the adjacent building have also been evacuated as a precautionary measure.

The building was reportedly constructed in 1998.

Tamil Nadu Chief Minister MK Stalin expressed regret and announced financial assistance of one lakh rupees to each of the affected 24 families.

“I have instructed for collecting the details of such old buildings so that safety measures could be undertaken to avoid such incidents in the future,” he said in a statement published on social media.

(With inputs from Dinakaran)

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PM Modi lays foundation stone of hydropower projects worth over ₹11,000 crore in Himachal Pradesh

Prime Minister Narendra Modi presided over the second ground breaking ceremony of the Himachal Pradesh Global Investors’ Meet today in Mandi, Himachal Pradesh. The meet  is expected to give a boost to investment in the region through projects worth around ₹28,000 crore. He also inaugurated and laid the foundation stone of hydropower projects worth over ₹11,000 crore. Some of the hydropower projects are the Renukaji Dam project, Luhri Stage 1 Hydro Power Project and Dhaulasidh Hydro Power Project. He also inaugurated the Sawra-Kuddu Hydro Power Project. Governor Himachal Pradesh, Rajendra Vishwanath Arlekar, Chief Minister of Himachal Pradesh, Jai Ram Thakur, Union Minister Anurag Singh Thakur were among those present on the occasion.

Addressing the gathering, the Prime Minister recalled his emotional connection with Himachal Pradesh and said that the state and its mountains have played a big role in his life. He also congratulated the people of Himachal Pradesh for four years of the double engine government. In these four years, the Prime Minister said that the state faced the pandemic challenge and also scaled the heights of development. “Jai Ram ji and his diligent team has not left any stone unturned for fulfilling the dreams of the people of Himachal Pradesh”, the Prime Minister emphasized.

The Prime Minister said that ‘ease of living’ of the people of the country is one of the foremost priorities and electricity plays a huge role in this. Hydro-power projects launched today reflect India’s commitment to eco-friendly development. “When the Shree Renukaji Dam project on the Giri river is completed, a large area will be directly benefited by it. Whatever income will be generated from this project, a large part of it will also be spent on development here”, the Prime Minister remarked.

The Prime Minister reiterated the changed working style of the new India. He talked about the speed with which India is meeting its environment related goals. The Prime Minister mentioned that “ In 2016,India had set a target to meet 40 percent of its installed electricity capacity from non-fossil energy sources by 2030. Today every Indian will be proud that India has achieved this goal in November this year itself.” The Prime Minister continued “the whole world is praising India, for how our country is accelerating development while saving the environment. From solar power to hydro power, from wind power to green hydrogen, the country is working continuously to make full use of every resource of renewable energy”, the Prime Minister informed.

The Prime Minister came back to his theme of elimination of single use plastic. He said that the government is alert about the damage caused to the mountains due to plastic. Along with the nationwide campaign against single use plastic, the government is also working on plastic waste management. Touching upon the need for behaviour change, PM Modi said “tourists also have a huge responsibility in keeping Himachal clean, free of plastic and other waste. Plastic has spread everywhere, plastic going into rivers, we have to make efforts together to stop the damage it is causing to Himachal.”

The Prime Minister praised the growth of the pharmaceutical sector in Himachal Pradesh. He said “If India is called the pharmacy of the world today, then Himachal is the force behind it. Himachal Pradesh has helped not only other states but also other countries during the Corona global pandemic.”

Referring to the stellar performance of the state, the Prime Minister said “Himachal outshines the rest in providing the vaccine to its entire adult population. Those who are in the government here, are not immersed in political selfishness, but have devoted their full attention to how every citizen of Himachal gets the vaccine.”

The Prime Minister reiterated the government’s recent decision to change the marriage age of girls. “We have decided that the age of marriage of daughters should also be the same as the age at which sons are allowed to marry. The marriage age being raised to 21 years for daughters will give them full time to study and they will also be able to make their career”, said the Prime Minister.

The Prime Minister talked about the recent announcements about new vaccination categories. He said that the government is working with utmost sensitivity and caution, keeping in mind every need. Now the government has decided that even children between the ages of 15 and 18 will be vaccinated from January 3.

The Prime Minister said our health sector people, frontline workers, have remained the country’s strength in the fight against Corona for the last two years. The work of giving precaution dose to them will also start from January 10. Elders above 60 years who already have serious diseases have also been given the option of precaution dosage on the advice of doctors, the Prime Minister informed.

The Prime Minister mentioned that the government is committed to work with the mantra of Sabka Saath, Sabka Vikas, Sabka Vishwas, and Sabka Prayas.  “Every country has different ideologies, but today the people of our country are clearly seeing two ideologies. One ideology is of delay and the other of development. Those with the ideology of delay never cared about the people living on the hills”, he said. The Prime Minister said the delaying ideologies made the people of Himachal wait for decades. Because of this, there was a delay of many years in the work of the Atal Tunnel. The Renuka project also got delayed by three decades. He stressed that the commitment of the Government is only for development. He said the work of the Atal Tunnel was completed and also widened the road connecting Chandigarh to Manali and Shimla.

Himachal is home to a large number of defence personnels. The Prime Minister touched upon the steps taken by the government for the welfare of defence personnel and veterans.  “In every household in Himachal Pradesh, there are brave sons and daughters who protect the country. The work done by our government to increase the security of the country in the last seven years, the decisions taken for the soldiers, ex-servicemen, have also benefited people of Himachal immensely”, he concluded.

(Published from PIB)

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Dialogue targeting dynasty politics in ‘Maanaadu’ film gets muted on Sony Liv under DMK rule

Actor Simbu’s Maanaadu released in theatres in the last week of November and had a good run, giving him a grand success after quite sometime. The movie was recently released on the OTT platform Sony Liv.

The movie is based on a time-loop concept, set in a political background. Although the movie targets no party in particular, it has come to light that the OTT platform has muted one dialogue in the film, which takes a dig at dynasty politics. The dialogue which was not muted in the theatres, has been muted on Sony Liv as it has uncanny resemblance to the DMK’s dynasty politics.

The dialogue which comes during the climax of the movie has Y G Mahendran, one of the villains, point out how the Chief Minister’s son gets prominence while other leaders are always made to play second fiddle to only their family.  He tells the Chief Minister that it was really unfair of his son to be his successor and says that he and his family are subjected to be number two forever. This dialogue is important to the flow of the movie, and does not have anything vulgar. However, this was muted on Sony Liv, and the dialogue’s subtitles were also cut out.

Check out the scene here:

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