CM promises job to dependent of CRPF personnel killed in C’garh
Chennai: Chief Minister ‘Edappadi’ K Palaniswami on Thursday promised to consider providing a government job to the dependent of K Shankar, a CRPF personnel, who was killed in an ambush by Naxalites in Chattisgarh. “I inform that it will be considered to provide a government job to the dependent of K Shankar on compassionate grounds,” he told the Assembly while replying to a calling attention motion moved by K Ponmudi (DMK). He also noted that a financial aid of D20 lakh was offered to the bereaved family on March 12.
No retrenchment of Annamalai University employees, says minister
Chennai: None of the employees of Annamalai University will be retrenched, KP Anbazhagan, Minister for Higher Education, said on Thursday. Intervening in the debate on the budget, he said, “We have no plans to retrench any of the employees of Annamalai University.” However, he said, excess employees would be redeployed to government arts and science colleges. So far, 361 employees had been redeployed. Explaining the factors that led to the government to take over the premier institution, Anbazhagan said the varsity management needed only about 6,000 employees but had appointed 12,000 staff that too with very high salary. Denying charges of delay in paying salary to the employees, the minister said there was no due as of February. Raising the issue, DMK’s MRK Panneerselvam alleged that the employees were forced to resort to protests over delay in salary payment.
Plea for hiking MLAs’ salary
Chennai: Manithaneya Jananayaga Katchi (MJK) MLA M Thamimun Ansari urged the State government to consider increasing the salaries of MLAs and Ministers and pension for ex-MLAs. Participating in the debate on the budget, he said an MLA in Delhi was drawing D2.5 lakh per month and in neighbouring Puducherry, the legislators were paid D60,000. Cutting across party lines, all legislators supported his plea. The House plunged into laughter when the Speaker P Dhanapal, said MLAs were doing service for the public and not working for their own interests. The legislator, representing Nagapattinam, also sought increasing the funds sanctioned under the MLA Constituency Development Scheme from D2 crore to D6 crore.
Ruckus over free bicycles
Chennai: Tamil Nadu State Assembly on Thursday witnessed heated arguments between the Opposition and the Treasury Benches resulting in ruckus for a short while during the debate on the budget. The remarks made by DMK’s MRK Panneerselvam over the quality of bicycles distributed to school students under the free scheme drew a sharp reaction from Finance Minister D Jayakumar whose preference to a particular colloquial term resulted in ruckus. The DMK members and ministers wrangled over distribution of goats and sheep under the government’s free scheme as well.
Bill to amend Tamil Nadu Value Added Tax Act introduced
Chennai: The Minister for Commercial Taxes KC Veeramani introduced a Bill to amend certain sections of the Tamil Nadu Value Added Tax Act, 2006, in connection with the recent hike of VAT on petrol and diesel.
Final supplementary estimates
Chennai: The Finance Minister D Jayakumar presented the final supplementary estimates for 2016-17, seeking a sum of D4,796.58 crore, of which, D4,121.49 crore was in the revenue account and D675.09 was in the capital and loan accounts.