
Min assures security to ex-IAS officer
Mineral resources minister
S Regupathy
on Sunday said the govt will provide full security to the former IAS officer who investigated the
granite scam
."The govt will not allow anyone to intimidate the former IAS officer. It will always protect those who come forward to speak the truth," he told reporters in Pudukottai. He was responding to a question about former IAS officer
U Sagayam
citing security concerns to attend a hearing in the granite scam case, and a special court asking him to attend via video conference.Responding to a question about his new portfolio as mineral resources minister, Regupathy said a meeting was held on Saturday with all stakeholders.
"Recently, the land fee for mining minerals was increased on orders from the Union govt and the court. This is the reason for the rise in prices of construction materials.
While the prices of m-sand and b-sand had already gone up, they have now been reduced. The govt will further reduce prices of construction materials wherever feasible," he said. The minister dismissed as baseless theories of anti-incumbency against the govt, and asserted that DMK would return to power next year."Part 2 of the Dravidian model of governance will begin with the 2026 regime. In the 2021 elections, some claimed that the stage was not set for M K Stalin. But he proved them wrong and created his own stage," he said.
Get the latest lifestyle updates on Times of India, along with
Mother's Day wishes
,
messages
, and
quotes
!

Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles


Time of India
36 minutes ago
- Time of India
Dilip takes walk with ‘damru' to ‘awaken people'
Kolkata: Bengal BJP senior on Thursday morning walked the streets of Durgapur with a 'damru'. His action came hours before Samik Bhattacharya was elected president of the party's state unit in Kolkata, with all Bengal BJP netas in attendance, barring the former Midnapore MP. Tired of too many ads? go ad free now When asked about the 'damru', Ghosh said: "It's Shravan month... Lord Shiva beats the damru to awaken everybody. We too are trying to awaken people, given the current situation." He, however, did not elaborate on what he meant by "current situation". Reacting to Bhattacharya's election, he said: "The party appoints those it deems suitable. He is an educated person who speaks and debates well, and has held important posts in the party earlier." Ghosh, a former Bengal BJP chief, has largely remained absent from recent major party functions, including rallies by PM Narendra Modi and Union home minister Amit Shah.

The Hindu
38 minutes ago
- The Hindu
If govt. had acted on 24 extrajudicial killings, death of Ajith Kumar could have been avoided: CPI(M) State Secretary
If the DMK government had acted on the 24 deaths in custody recorded after the party came to power, the death of N. Ajith Kumar would not have occurred, Communist Party of India (Marxist) State Secretary P. Shanmugam said on Thursday. Mr. Shanmugam visited the family of the victim at their house in Madappuram here. If necessary actions had been taken against the police personnel responsible for the extrajudicial killings, the six policemen would not have killed Ajith Kumar fearing repercussions. 'If police act on their own and disrespect the law, then who is responsible to hold their reins. More than the crime and the accused, human rights and human life if more important,' he added. Since the police enjoyed impunity from both the law and government, they thought they were above the law. In addition to the six police personnel who were suspended and arrested, a senior IAS officer, who is said to have passed the orders, should be brought under the law. Stern actions were essential to prevent such incidents in the future, he further said.


Time of India
an hour ago
- Time of India
Mamata Banerjee flags rising cybercrime, urges Amit Shah to act
Mamata Banerjee alerted Amit Shah about social media's impact and cybercrime increase. She urged public awareness and digital literacy. Provocative content may incite violence and communal issues. West Bengal also addressed Odisha regarding migrant worker harassment. Migrants from West Bengal face targeting in Odisha. They are unjustly labeled as Bangladeshi. Identity documents are dismissed, causing distress. Tired of too many ads? Remove Ads Tired of too many ads? Remove Ads Tired of too many ads? Remove Ads Kolkata: West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee , in a letter to Union Home Minister Amit Shah on Thursday, expressed concern over rising impact of social media content and over the rising cases of cybercrimes. She appealed to Shah to promote public awareness programs digital literacy campaigns and community participation to deal with cyber said that provocative content on social media potentially incites violence, communal sentiments and crimes against women. Banerjee expressed "deep" concerns over the matter and said that 'the proliferation of provocative content' on some sections of social media platforms and the alarming rise in cybercrime are posing as serious challenges to public peace and the social fabric of the country.'In recent times, it has been observed that incendiary narratives, misleading stories and fake videos circulating on social media are contributing significantly to the aggravation of criminal tendencies among certain sections of society,' Banerjee said in her letter.'Such content not only spreads misinformation but also has the potential to inflame communal sentiments, incite violence, disrupt societal harmony and indulge in crime against women. The instantaneous and wide-reaching nature of misuse of digital platforms amplifies these effects manifold,' she pointed West Bengal chief minister's remarks come at a time in the backdrop of the recent incident of rape of a law student within the premises of South Calcutta Law College in Kolkata."Notably, both provocative social media posts and cybercrimes disproportionately affect the vulnerable sections of society—women, children, the elderly, and those from economically weaker backgrounds—who are often less equipped to identify, counter, or recover from such harm. This exacerbates existing social inequities and leaves large segments of our population exposed to profound psychological, financial and social distress," the CM said in her letter to stressed on the urgent need for stringent 'legal provisions' that can act effectively against the creation and circulation of provocative content, and "acts perpetrated with criminal intent in cyberspace.'It is important that sensitization programs, digital literacy campaigns and community engagement initiatives must be pursued vigorously to equip citizens with the tools to critically evaluate online information and to report suspicious activities promptly,' she urged in her also pointed out to issues like 'financial frauds and identity theft to online harassment and defamation, cybercrimes are exacting a severe toll on individuals and institutions alike.'West Bengal Chief Secretary, wrote a letter to his Odisha counterpart, Manoj Ahuja about her concern about the continuous 'harassment' faced by migrant labourers from West Bengal in Odisha.'I write to you with deep anguish and serious concern regarding the continuing harassment faced by people from West Bengal who have migrated to various parts of Odisha for livelihood. These individuals including daily wage earners, rickshaw pullers, domestic workers, and long-settled families-have contributed meaningfully to Odisha's workforce and socio-economic fabric,' Pant wrote in the said that it is 'deeply distressing' that many of migrant labourers are being 'targeted solely because they speak Bengali' and they are being 'unjustly labelled as Bangladeshi infiltrators.''This sweeping generalisation is not only unfair and discriminatory, but also deeply hurtful to citizens who have every right to dignity and protection under the law,' the letter read.'We are receiving disturbing reports of such individuals being detained without due legal process in regions around Paradip and across coastal districts such as Jagatsinghpur, Kendrapara, Bhadrak, Malkangiri, Balasore and Cuttack… when these persons produce valid identity documents including Aadhaar cards, ration cards, voter IDs, electricity bills, and PDS documents - their claims are being dismissed. In many instances, they are being asked to produce ancestral land records dating back several generations, an unreasonable and unjustifiable demand for migrant workers,' Banerjee said.