Latest news with #ThangamThenarasu
Hindustan Times
30-06-2025
- Politics
- Hindustan Times
Tamil Nadu government urges Centre to release Keeladi report
The Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam (DMK) on Sunday cited the research findings by a university in England on Keeladi archaeological site and urged the BJP-led Union government to release the Keeladi research report. Liverpool John Moores University reconstructed the facial features of ancient people who lived around 2,500 years ago. (HT photo) UK-based Liverpool John Moores University studied the skulls excavated from Keeladi and reconstructed the facial features of ancient people who lived around 2,500 years ago. The images were generated last year after the Madurai Kamaraj University (MKU) sent them digital files related to skull samples from Kondagai, the burial site of Keeladi which is believed to have existed in 600BC. On the findings, finance minister Thangam Thenarasu, who holds the archaeology portfolio, said that the UK-based university has reconstructed facial features of ancient people who lived around 2,500 years ago highlighting the antiquity of Tamil culture and civilization to the world. 'Though the Union BJP government has deceitfully tried to suppress the history and heritage of Tamils, constructive scientific findings and historical evidence emerging from the Keezhadi excavations continue to defeat the Union government's unjust denials,' he posted on X. 'The way of life detailed in Sangam literature now stands scientifically validated through the findings at Keeladi,' chief minister MK Stalin said on X. Professor G Kumaresan, head of Ancient DNA Lab of MKU, said: 'We received the data and images last year. Across the world, such facial recognition is done and we also did it to help us have a visual connection.' The facial reconstruction images using DNA analysis showed proximity of the humans in the region to South Asian origin. The lab at MKU which primarily focuses on DNA analysis is working in four directions. 'We are looking at genomic reconstruction by extracting DNA from bones and sequencing them to compare it with that of modern people,' Kumaresan told HT. 'The challenge we face is that we get less DNA markers. We are getting only 4,000 markers per sample whereas you require 100,000 markers.' For the research, MKU has collaborated with David Reich Lab in Harvard University. The MKU lab is also studying animal bones extracted from Keeladi to identify their species, how they came to be domesticated and how these connect to present day animals such as a bull, Kumaresan said. They are also studying agricultural practices from rice and millet extracted from the sites and organic molecules extracted from offering pots in burial sites to understand the ancient civilization's food practices. Minister Thenarasu's statement came after the Archaeological Survey of India (ASI) in May asked its officer K Amarnath Ramakrishna to rework his voluminous report of the first two excavations at Keeladi challenging the dating and classification of key discoveries. Ramakrishna refused to and stood by his report, stating that by relying on AMS dating of 23 artefacts, a chronological sequence of Keeladi to be between the 8th century BCE to 3rd century CE has been established. ASI transferred him on June 17 days after MK Stalin on June 13 said that the truth from the findings in Keeladi does not serve the script of the BJP and RSS and so they are dismissing the rigorously proven antiquity of Tamil culture. The chief minister has framed these archaeological pursuits as part of a broader ideological battle. On June 11, Union minister of culture and tourism Gajendra Singh Shekhawat had alleged that the DMK government was refusing to cooperate with the central government on Keeladi research and politicising the findings. After the first two excavations, Tamil Nadu state department of Archaeology took over from ASI at Keeladi in 2017 and digging entered its 11th phase this year. In response to DMK's comments, the BJP said that the DMK should not politicise archaeology. 'ASI is one of the oldest institutions in the world. They have not rejected the Keeladi report but only asked for clarifications to prove to the world that we have an ancient civilisation,' BJP state leader Narayanan Thirupathy told HT. 'It is the duty of anyone to provide such clarifications by following standard practices. The DMK is unnecessarily mixing regional and linguistic politics with Keeladi,' he added.
The Hindu
05-06-2025
- The Hindu
Tamil Nadu notifies Greater Flamingo Sanctuary at Dhanushkodi
The Tamil Nadu government has officially declared a Greater Flamingo sanctuary at Dhanushkodi in Ramanathapuram district. Chief Minister M.K. Stalin inaugurated the sanctuary via video conferencing on the occasion of the World Environment Day event organised by the Departments of Environment, Climate Change and Forests in Chennai on Thursday (June 5, 2025). Thangam Thenarasu, holding additional charge as Minister for Environment, R.S. Rajakannapan, Minister for Forests, and Supriya Sahu, Additional Chief Secretary to Departments of Environment, Climate Change, and Forests, participated in the event. The move aims to preserve a critical stopover point along the Central Asian Flyway for thousands of migratory wetland birds. The sanctuary spans 524.7 hectares and encompasses both revenue and forest lands within Rameshwaram taluk. The designated area, part of the ecologically sensitive Gulf of Mannar Biosphere Reserve, is home to a variety of ecosystems, including mangroves, sand dunes, mudflats, and marshes. These unique features support a rich biodiversity, from migratory birds and marine life to nesting sea turtles. A Government Order (G.O.) issued on June 4, 2025, by Ms. Sahu, noted that according to the recent 2023-2024 wetland bird survey, the Dhanushkodi region recorded over 10,700 wetland birds, representing 128 species including herons, egrets, sandpipers, and both Greater and Lesser Flamingos. Mangrove species such as Avicennia and Rhizophora dominate the Dhanushkodi lagoon, providing essential breeding grounds and natural defenses against coastal erosion. The sanctuary status is expected to encourage responsible ecotourism, generate local employment, and raise public awareness about wetland conservation, the G.O. said. T.M. Anbarasan, Minister for Micro, Small and Medium Enterprises, Srinivas Reddy, Principal Chief Conservator of Forests (Head of Forest Force), Rakesh Kumar Dogra, Chief Wildlife Warden, also participated.
New Indian Express
11-05-2025
- Politics
- New Indian Express
Need collective resolve to back forces: Tamil Nadu Governor
CHENNAI: Governor RN Ravi on Saturday called for national unity and collective resolve to support the armed forces during an all-faith meeting held at the Bharathiyar Mandapam in Raj Bhavan. The event was attended by Environment Minister Thangam Thenarasu on behalf of the state government and leaders of various faiths. In his address, Ravi strongly condemned Pakistan's continued acts of aggression and terrorism, referring to it as a 'rogue, terrorist state.' He said India had shown restraint for years despite repeated terror attacks, but after the killing of 26 innocent tourists - including 25 Indians and one Nepali - in Pahalgam, India was compelled to respond. 'When they attacked in Pahalgam, we responded with strong actions. There has to be a price to pay for such acts,' he asserted. The governor warned that although a ceasefire was announced, it has not altered the ground reality. 'We are dealing with an unreliable adversary whose intent is to destabilise our country through misinformation and internal discord,' he said. The meeting was also attended by the Prince of Arcot, Nawab Mohammed Abdul Ali.
Reuters
14-03-2025
- Business
- Reuters
Indian state to subsidise e-scooter purchases by some gig workers
CHENNAI, March 14 (Reuters) - India's southern state of Tamil Nadu will offer a subsidy of 20,000 rupees ($230) to select gig workers to buy e-scooters, a minister said on Friday, as more young people sign up with online platforms to deliver food and groceries. Gig workers, or those outside traditional employer-employee relationships, are set to play a key role in the world's fifth-biggest economy, spurred partly by high unemployment after COVID-19 pandemic curbs fuelled growth in the sector. Tamil Nadu is also introducing an insurance scheme for nearly 150,000 gig workers to compensate for accidental deaths and disability, its finance minister, Thangam Thenarasu, said while unveiling the budget. "A new scheme will be launched .... to provide a subsidy of 20,000 rupees each to 2,000 internet-based service workers to buy a new e-scooter," the minister said, adding that workers registered with a state welfare body would be eligible. Further details of the scheme will be revealed later, Labour Secretary Veera Raghava Rao told Reuters. The prices of electric scooter maker Ola's products start at 79,999 rupees, while those of rival Ather sell from 99,999 rupees. The state will also set up lounges for the use of such workers in large cities, such as Chennai, its capital - where summer temperatures often exceed 40 degrees Celsius (104 degrees F) - and Coimbatore, a textile hub. The head of the Tamil Nadu Food and Allied Products Delivery Workers Union, K.C. Gopikumar, welcomed the subsidy and welfare efforts but urged the government to extend them to more workers as well as give them better conditions, such as paid leave. Swiggy and Zomato, two of India's biggest delivery providers, did not immediately respond to requests for comment.
