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New Indian Express
2 days ago
- Politics
- New Indian Express
Rebel with a cause: A long journey on right route to empowerment
MADURAI: In an age where transparency in governance often feels elusive, one man from Madurai district has quietly yet powerfully made the system more accountable—armed with nothing more than a pen and the Right to Information (RTI) Act. NG Mohan, the 73-year-old retired transport conductor from Mannadimangalam in Vadipatti Taluk, has spent the last 15 years exposing fraud, correcting administrative lapses, and empowering citizens through RTI. With over 1,200 RTI petitions to his name and more than 1,200 youngsters trained in using the Act, Mohan has become a formidable figure in Tamil Nadu's grassroots activism landscape. Reflecting on the inspiration behind his activism, Mohan gives credit to his father, N Gurusamy Pillai, a farmer who was deeply influenced by socialist and communist ideologies. 'During my school days, many top communist leaders, including P Ramamurthy stayed in our house during their political campaigns,' he recalled. This early exposure laid the foundation for his political and social consciousness. After schooling in Mannadimangalam, he pursued a BA in political science. However, Mohan's straightforward attitude often clashed with political realities. 'When the youths' voice and opinions are neglected, they feel marginalised and disengage from politics. That's what happened with me,' he said. Despite stepping away from active politics, his commitment to social welfare continued. In 1978, he joined the erstwhile Pallavan Transport Corporation (now TNSTC) as a conductor and became involved with the Labour Progressive Federation, which advocates for transport workers' rights.
The Hindu
02-05-2025
- Politics
- The Hindu
Tamil Nadu should have its own labour laws: LPF
M. Shanmugam, General Secretary of the Labour Progressive Federation (LPF), a workers' union affiliated to the DMK, has written to Chief Minister M.K. Stalin urging him to enact the State's own labour laws. In his letter, Mr. Shanmugam said the scope of the recently constituted High Level Committee on State Autonomy on Centre - State relations could be expanded to include the ongoing labour issues. The National Democratic Alliance (NDA) government has passed four labour codes — Code on Wages, Code on Occupational Safety, Health and Working Code on Social Security, and Code on Industrial relations. These codes have subsumed 29 labour laws including the Industrial Disputes Act, and Factories Act, among others, he pointed out in his letter dated April 30. Though the Union government has framed the Central rules for these codes, since 'labour' was a concurrent subject, the States also have to frame and notify the rules. Only then, these Codes could be implemented. Non-BJP ruled States have decided not to notify the rules, since the trade unions have opposed the Codes, as they were against the interests of the working class, Mr. Shanmugam added. To provide support to the workers and to fill the vacuum created due to the impasse of these Codes, Tamil Nadu should enact its own labour welfare laws, he demanded. It can enact separate labour welfare laws with respect to wages, industrial relations, occupational safety etc., Mr. Shanmugam said.
Time of India
01-05-2025
- Politics
- Time of India
NEP will increase school dropouts: Anbil
Trichy: The National Education Policy will only help increase the number of school dropouts by holding assessments for classes III, V and VIII, school education minister Anbil Mahesh Poyyamozhi has alleged. He was speaking to reporters after hoisting the flags of Labour Progressive Federation as part of May Day celebrations near Kalaignar Statue and TNSTC bus depot in Trichy. "Our state is without school dropouts. We are passing students up to Class VIII and starting paper evaluation only from Class IX, based on the RTE Act, to avoid instilling fear in young minds. However, by conducting assessments for classes III, V and 8, they (Union Govt) are going to increase the dropouts," he said in response to a question about finance minister Nirmala Sitharaman's criticism of Tamil Nadu's defiance of NEP. He claimed that NEP has features that could deceive both students and teachers. On school reopening, the minister said that a call would be taken later based on the impact of the heatwave, on the directions of the chief minister's office. The minister warned of strict action against private schools charging high fees for admissions.
