Latest news with #ThamizhachiThangapandian
Time of India
22-07-2025
- Business
- Time of India
Centre owes state 464cr under rural employment scheme
Chennai: Union govt owes TN 464crore in dues under Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Scheme (MGNREGS), Centre told Parliament. This comes as fund allocation and job generation saw a sharp decline over the years. Response to more than seven starred questions from MPs across states, including TN MPs Thamizhachi Thangapandian, TM Selvaganapathi, and Thangathamilselvan, came from ministers in Union rural development ministry. Union minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan said dues comprising wage and material costs were pending due to procedural requirements, fund utilisation pace, and existing liabilities. Centre, having issued new standard operating procedures, is pushing for Aadhaar-linked DBT payments, and is conducting regular reviews to clear backlogs, he added. The statement also revealed that TN's allocation under MGNREGS dropped from 9,743crore in 2022-23 to 7,585crore in 2024-25. The number of person-days generated fell from 3,346 lakh to 3,061 lakh, indicating fewer work opportunities for rural households. You Can Also Check: Chennai AQI | Weather in Chennai | Bank Holidays in Chennai | Public Holidays in Chennai Under the scheme, 100% of wage and administration expenditure is borne by Union govt, whereas it bears 75% of material expenditure and 25% is shared by the state. Union govt said about 2,884crore of wage dues to TN was released in April this year, and another 50% of material component dues of 858crore in March. Allocations under the Centre's housing scheme will be based on previous usage, pending houses, and current targets. To a query on rural roads, the ministry said 7,375 km of roads were relaid in TN and more have been sanctioned.
The Hindu
21-07-2025
- Politics
- The Hindu
Keeladi report under review, Union Ministry of Culture tells Lok Sabha
The Union Ministry of Culture on Monday informed the Lok Sabha that the report of the lead archaeologist who led the Archaeological Survey of India (ASI)'s excavation in Keeladi in Tamil Nadu was 'under review'. 'The comments of experts have been shared with the lead archaeologist, which are still to be finalised,' it said. In his reply to DMK MP Thamizhachi Thangapandian, Union Minister for Culture Gajendra Singh Shekhawat said excavations conducted by the ASI's archaeologists were done over a period of time during which more than one archaeologist could have led the excavations. She asked if the report submitted by archaeologist Amarnath Ramakrishna was officially reviewed by the government. 'The lead archaeologist submits a report of the excavation, which is vetted by the experts at ASI. After duly verifying and incorporating the conclusions of experts in concurrence with the lead excavation Archaeologist, ASI releases an official report,' the Minister said. To the DMK MP's query over the 'rationale behind repeated transfer of the lead archaeologist within nine months and its impact on excavation continuity', Mr. Shekhawat said: 'Allocation of works to archaeological officers is a routine administrative matter.' As for Ms. Thangapandian's query on whether the Centre was committed to restoring excavation autonomy and 'set a joint expert panel, including Tamil Nadu government appointees, in line with protecting Tamil heritage and Dravidian pride', the Minister said the excavations were conducted as per the provisions of the Ancient Monuments and Archaeological Sites and Remains Act 1958. 'ASI is fully committed to following the law and due scientific process for releasing accurate findings based on the excavation in Keeladi. Views of eminent experts will be considered and incorporated for scientifically authentic record,' he added. Mr. Singh further said experts had suggested that 'the nomenclatures of the three periods require change' and 'the time bracket of 8th Century BCE to 5th Century BCE given for Period 1 is not justified at all.' They said the other two periods should also be determined on the basis of scientific AMS dates and the material recovered in view of stratigraphical details. 'For the earliest period in the present state of our knowledge we can, at the maximum, suggest than it originates somewhere in pre-300 BCE.' The available scientific dates 'only depth from where the sample has been collected may not be enough but the layers should also be marked for comparative consistency analysis,' they have said, as per the information shared by the Minister in the Lok Sabha. The experts have registered their reservations over the following in the submitted report — village map must be redrawn, content/map, plate, drawing, plan, contour, cultural period to be reoriented as specified, stratigraphy, drawing and image-graffiti, among others.
The Hindu
05-06-2025
- Health
- The Hindu
T.N.'s non-communicable diseases screening programme for workplaces to now cover small enterprises and offices
Expanding the workplace-based, non-communicable diseases (NCDs) screening programme, the Health Department on Thursday rolled out the initiative to cover 7,750 small business enterprises and offices targeting nearly 6 lakh employees across the State. Health Minister Ma. Subramanian launched the initiative, which was one of the 118 announcements made in the Health Budget 2025-2026, at an establishment in Guindy Industrial Estate. He told reporters that the Thozhilalargal Thedi Maruthuvam, which was rolled out in January 2024 to cover nearly 8.35 lakh employees in 711 factories, has so far screened 3,90,111 people. Of them, 30,506 were newly diagnosed with diabetes, hypertension, or both. Apart from them, 12,468 people, who were already diagnosed with NCDs, continued to receive care under the initiative. The aim was to conduct camps at the workplaces to ensure that working men and women were screened for NCDs. In a bid to expand this programme, the department announced that employees of all small business enterprises will be screened for NCDs. In the first phase, the department aims to cover nearly 6 lakh employees in 7,750 small enterprises and offices that include the information technology sector and commercial establishments' employees, he added. Meanwhile, a total of 2,34,88,431 people have so far benefited under Makkalai Thedi Maruthuvam, the State government's flagship scheme to take healthcare to the doorsteps of people that was launched in 2021. In Chennai alone, 25,92,103 people have benefited under the scheme. MP (Chennai South) Thamizhachi Thangapandian, Director of Public Health and Preventive Medicine T.S. Selvavinayagam and officials of the Greater Chennai Corporation were present.
The Hindu
30-05-2025
- Health
- The Hindu
Access to dignified menstrual hygiene practices should be a right, says Thamizhachi
We are one-quarter of the way through the 21st century, yet menstrual health is still seen as a private matter, whispered about behind closed doors. However, experts argue that it is high time menstrual health be recognised as a public health issue affecting millions of women and adolescents worldwide. From the moment Sowmya Simhan, a disability activist, who spent over four decades of her early and professional life in a caliper or crutches, got ready to school or work, and returned home, there was no space to address the discomfort or the stigma that came with changing a sanitary napkin. At an event organised by Sanitation First, in collaboration with the office of the Lok Sabha MP Thamizhachi Thangapandian, to mark World Menstrual Health Day 2025, Ms. Simhan explained how she had to fit into a world not designed for her needs and faced long days in classrooms and offices without privacy or proper facilities to manage her menstrual health. According to T.S. Padmapriya, Chief Executive of Sanitation First, a study of 8000 women conducted by their organisation paints a stark picture. One in three women suffers from some form of menstrual disorder and one in four women and one in three adolescents experience heavy menstrual bleeding, a condition that, when untreated, can lead to moderate or severe anaemia. Thiripurasundari Thiyagarajan, a sexual and reproductive health expert, pointed out that women in unorganised sectors — such as domestic workers, sanitation workers, and agricultural labourers — are often the hardest hit. 'We need to demand dignified spaces, because menstrual health and safety are not just the responsibility of individual workers,' Dr. Thiyagarajan said. Panelists also discussed actionable policy opportunities, data-driven research, transgender inclusion, and implementation strategies for inclusive menstrual health. Ms. Thangapandian, who was part of a panel with experts including Georgina Harding, Chief Executive Officer, The Cycle, stressed the need for radical policy changes that treat menstrual health as a right, urging collaboration between Health, Labour, and Education departments to create inclusive solutions. She highlighted the importance of incorporating marginalised voices, especially women in rural areas, in decision-making and called for equal gender representation in policy-making panels to ensure more inclusive and sensitive approaches to menstrual health.
Time of India
26-05-2025
- Politics
- Time of India
Thamizhachi takes up Medavakkam woes with Chengalpet collector
Chennai: South Chennai MP Thamizhachi Thangapandian wrote to Chengalpattu district collector S Arunraj, urging immediate intervention to resolve a host of civic issues plaguing Medavakkam. In her letter dated May 21, she said the area, which falls under her constituency, was grappling with poor roads, sanitation issues, visual pollution, and severe traffic violations—conditions she said were steadily worsening residents' quality of life. "The condition of internal roads near Medavakkam Junction, especially those connecting Jalladinpet, St John's School, and Perumbakkam, are in a dilapidated state," she wrote, noting large potholes, uneven surfaces, and eroded edges posed serious threats to motorists and pedestrians. She flagged the stretch beneath the Medavakkam flyover as a major sanitation blackspot. "It has turned into an open dumping yard with mounds of garbage blocking the road, producing unbearable stench and obstructing movement," she said. The MP also pointed to heaps of illegally dumped construction materials and sand that were choking the road and footpaths, while metro-related dust and pollution were compounding health and visibility hazards. Sponsored Links Sponsored Links Promoted Links Promoted Links You May Like 5 Books Warren Buffett Wants You to Read In 2025 Blinkist: Warren Buffett's Reading List Undo Adding to residents' woes were traffic violations and lack of enforcement, she said. "Vehicles routinely drive on the wrong side and haphazardly park under the flyover, especially near commercial zones, creating gridlocks," she said. Thangapandian also criticized the unchecked defacement of public spaces with posters and banners, calling it a source of visual pollution.
