CHENNAI: Chief Minister MK Stalin on Tuesday handed over lifetime achievement awards to eight artisans and Poompuhar awards to 10 others at the secretariat to honour their achievements and dedication to handicrafts.
The lifetime achievement awards were handed over to N Balakrishnan of Kanchipuram, S Govindaraj and K P Umapathy of Thanjavur, S Rajagopal and Sulaikal Beevi of Tirunelveli, N Mani of Thiruvannamalai, C Muthuswami and S Thanga Jothi of Kanniyakumari. Poompuhar awardees are C Ravi, C Nagalakshmi, R Loganathan and M Murugesan of Thanjavur, M Rajappa of Pudukkottai, N Poovammal and S Lilly Mary of Kanniyakumari, P Varadhan and M Rajarathinam of Chengalpattu and R Sakthivel of Kallakuruchi.
Stalin also inaugurated new buildings for government arts and science, and polytechnic colleges, constructed at a total cost of Rs 52.75 crore. The new buildings were constructed at colleges in Pudukkottai, Tiruchy, and Namakkal districts and at the Government Polytechnic College for Women in Coimbatore.