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New Indian Express
3 days ago
- New Indian Express
Computer equipment stolen from Annamalai University recovered after a month
CUDDALORE: Computer equipment stolen from the Faculty of Engineering and Technology at Annamalai University has been recovered by Annamalai Nagar police, a month after a complaint was lodged by university authorities. The equipment, procured under the Tamil Nadu government's 'Naan Mudhalvan' scheme, had been stored in the Information Technology department's computer laboratory when it went missing. K Selvakumar, Head of the Department of Information Technology and the scheme's coordinator at the university, filed a formal complaint at the Annamalai Nagar police station following the incident. Acting on the complaint, Inspector K Ambedkar registered a case and initiated an investigation under the supervision of Cuddalore District Superintendent of Police S Jeyakumar and Chidambaram Sub-Division Deputy Superintendent of Police T Augustin Joshua Lamech. During the course of the probe, police arrested J Livin Ajay (18), a first-year student of the Diploma in Mining programme at the same faculty. He hails from Arasakuzhi near Virudhachalam. According to police, computer parts valued at Rs 5 lakh — including 15 CPUs and nine monitors — were recovered from the accused. Investigations revealed that Ajay had made failed attempts to sell the stolen items on OLX and to private individuals. Eventually, he concealed the equipment in bushes behind the university premises. Based on his confession, police traced and retrieved the items. The accused was produced before a magistrate and remanded in judicial custody on Wednesday evening.
Yahoo
07-06-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
Moore administration touts nearly $400 million in savings
State officials announced they found nearly $400 million in potential savings, much of which would come from moving state employees out of state-owned and maintained buildings like the decaying State Center complex in Baltimore. (File photo by Danielle J. Brown/Maryland Matters.) State officials Friday announced a series of budget cuts they said could reduce spending by nearly $400 million in coming years. Included in the reductions are $50 million in cuts that are part of the fiscal 2026 budget. The bulk of the savings — $326 million — would come over as many as 25 years as part of an effort to shift employees out of state-owned buildings and into commercial office space. 'While the federal government recklessly slashes budgets and lays off public servants, we are using data to save taxpayers money and modernize government in a targeted way,' Gov. Wes Moore Moore (D) said in a statement. 'This announcement is only the beginning of our efforts. Together, we will continue to prioritize fiscal discipline and ensure we deliver essential services to all Marylanders, efficiently and effectively.' Moore, in announcing his proposed 2026 budget in January, promised to find $50 million in savings. The effort was a small part of attacking what was then a projected $3.3 billion structural budget deficit. Moore set up a work group to look for savings within state agencies. The group was tasked with looking for efficiencies in procurement, real estate and fleet management. Officials who briefed reporters Friday said they hit their target. The largest portion of the savings — about $30 million — for the fiscal year that starts July 1 will come from changes in state technology. Officials said underutilized mobile and land phone lines will be eliminated. The state will also standardize laptop purchases and keep equipment longer before buying replacements. Ferguson: Maryland would lose $430 million in Trump 'skinny budget' proposal Another $14 million of the proposed savings will come from standardizing shipping and delivery options. Officials said the savings will come from ensuring state employees are aware of and use contracts that offer the best rates. The final $6 million comes from consolidation of the state's vehicle fleet. Departments will purchase fewer vehicles and spend less on fuel and maintenance. All that is in addition to $16 million the state Department of Information Technology had planned on saving from centralizing the programs it uses for employee access to computer systems as well as cybersecurity tools. 'Our data-driven approach to modernizing state government operations is saving taxpayer dollars,' Chief Performance Officer Asma Mirza said in a statement. The bulk of the savings — $326 million — is expected to come from moving state employees out of nine buildings in Baltimore City that are owned and maintained by the state. Those employees will move to commercial space in the city's central business district. The total amount of savings would come over a 20- to 25-year period, officials said. One state official told reporters that the state hopes to take advantage of the large amount of available commercial office space and negotiate 'very aggressive lease rates.' The state was already moving out of the decaying State Center property. At one point, the plan was to partner with the private sector to redevelop the 25-acre state office complex, which sits on a Metro stop and is adjacent to the light rail. CONTACT US The plan, which was approved in 2009, fell apart, and then-Gov. Larry Hogan (R) filed a lawsuit to terminate the $1.5 billion project. The developer countersued. The Board of Public Works, led by Moore, voted unanimously in November to settle with developer State Center LLC for $58.5 million. At the time of that settlement, there were fewer than 5,000 employees from seven state agencies at the center. The state plans to move all remaining employees to other locations by the end of 2026. A final plan for the property has yet to be determined. It is unclear if the property will be taken over by the city or sold to a developer. The state also plans on moving employees out of two other buildings — the William Donald Schaefer Tower on St. Paul Street and the Nancy Grasmick building at 200 W. Baltimore Street. Officials told reporters that relocating those employees could take up to three years. The goal, they said, was to open the properties up for redevelopment and put them back on city tax rolls.
New Indian Express
24-05-2025
- Business
- New Indian Express
TN floats tender to procure 10 lakh laptops for students
CHENNAI: In its effort to swiftly roll out the distribution of free laptops to eligible college students as promised in its 2025-26 budget, the Tamil Nadu government has floated a tender inviting bids for the procurement of 10 lakh laptops through international competitive bidding. The tender documents showed that the government intends to provide college students with laptops of fairly high specifications, including 8 GB RAM, 256 GB Solid State Drive, Integrated Graphics supporting 128 MB VRAM or higher, display of 14 or 15.6 inch and any processor equivalent to or above Intel i3 or AMD Ryzen3 with minimum of four cores, eight threads and hyperthreading feature, and launched between January 2022 and June 2024. Finance Minister Thangam Thennarasu had said that the government aimed to distribute 20 lakh laptops over a two-year period with an allocation of Rs 2,000 crore for 2025-26. While the government had earlier announced that the college students would be able to choose whether they wanted a laptop or tablet, the tender documents indicate that the government is planning to distribute only laptops at the moment. Electronics Corporation of Tamil Nadu, coming under the Department of Information Technology, which has floated the tender, said any interested bidder should be able to supply a minimum of one lakh laptops along with laptop bags. Sources said multiple vendors could be chosen to supply the 10 lakh laptops in a short period of time. With the 2026 Assembly election less than a year away, the government intends to roll out the distribution at the earliest. Deputy Chief Minister Udhayanidhi Stalin chaired a meeting in this regard on Monday.
Yahoo
08-05-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
State searching for new broadband office director after personnel shake-up
Yahoo is using AI to generate takeaways from this article. This means the info may not always match what's in the article. Reporting mistakes helps us improve the experience. Yahoo is using AI to generate takeaways from this article. This means the info may not always match what's in the article. Reporting mistakes helps us improve the experience. Yahoo is using AI to generate takeaways from this article. This means the info may not always match what's in the article. Reporting mistakes helps us improve the experience. Generate Key Takeaways May 7—SANTA FE — The acting director of New Mexico's central broadband office recently returned to his previous position with the agency after Gov. Michelle Lujan Grisham's office decided to go in a "different direction" in its search for a permanent director. A Lujan Grisham spokeswoman said Drew Lovelace had resumed his duties as operations manager with the Office of Broadband Access and Expansion. While a search for his successor is carried out, Department of Information Technology Secretary Manny Barreras is temporarily serving as the office's acting director, according to the Governor's Office. "It's an at-will position and the administration is going in a different direction," said Lujan Grisham spokeswoman Jodi McGinnis Porter, who did not provide any further explanation about the change. The shake-up comes after lawmakers did not grant the office's $70 million budget request during this year's 60-day legislative session for satellite technology to provide high-speed internet to about 95,000 New Mexico households that currently lack such service. Lovelace told members of a legislative panel in November that state-provided vouchers and subsidies for satellite high-speed internet services could specifically help households that aren't eligible for federal broadband programs. "With New Mexico coffers flush with record revenues, now is the time to invest in the broadband New Mexicans deserve and desperately need," he also said in a January letter to the Journal. But the only company likely able to provide such satellite internet services is Starlink, a subsidiary of SpaceX that is owned by Elon Musk, who has drawn both praise and criticism for his role in President Donald Trump's Department of Government Efficiency, or DOGE. New Mexico's Office of Broadband Access and Expansion was established in 2021 and is tasked with working with other state agencies to expand internet access across the state. Despite a recent infusion of state and federal funds, New Mexico still has slower average download speeds and more limited access to broadband than many others states, according to some national reviews. But the state broadband office has issued millions of dollars in grant funds in recent years in an attempt to improve access and reduce the estimated 15% of the state's population that does not have broadband internet. In addition, lawmakers did pass legislation during this year's session, making changes to how public school broadband projects can be funded.
Yahoo
14-03-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
North Carolina signs contract with Musk's SpaceX to buy Starlink products, fill internet gaps
Starlink is a satellite internet service company owned by SpaceX and Elon Musk. (/Kevin Dietsch) North Carolina has inked a deal with SpaceX, Elon Musk's aerospace technology company, to boost internet coverage and infrastructure. A spokesperson for the state's Department of Information Technology confirmed to NC Newsline on Friday that the department had signed a contract 'to purchase Starlink satellite connectivity products and services for state agencies.' Starlink is a satellite internet service company owned by SpaceX and Musk. The company sells mobile kits that connect to orbiting satellites; they were widely used in western North Carolina during the early days after Hurricane Helene. 'This will allow for resiliency and redundancy to network infrastructure in the event of an outage due to a natural disaster, such as Hurricane Helene,' communications director Nicole Meister said. 'In addition, it enables agencies to provide internet connectivity in areas where service options are either non-existent or too costly to implement.' The Department of IT will manage those state services 'to provide a secure network and protect data.' The department did not provide a copy of the contract or its total value. The deal marks a new plank of North Carolina's efforts to improve internet access across the state. Hundreds of millions in federal dollars have flowed into the state in recent years to expand broadband infrastructure. Service providers have applied for the state's program to expand access, led by former Gov. Roy Cooper's administration. Musk, who has 42% equity and majority voting control of SpaceX, has become a central figure in the second Trump administration. And while his other prominent company, Tesla, has seen its value jolted in recent weeks, SpaceX has remained comparatively stable. The private company hit a valuation of $350 billion at the end of 2024 after it bought back shares from employees. SpaceX did not immediately respond to an emailed request for comment Friday.
