CHENNAI: Thousands of pharmacies in Tamil Nadu will remained closed on Tuesday as part of the nationwide strike announced by the all-India association protesting against online pharmacies. However, much to the relief of the public who are sure to face difficulties, all 111 Amma Pharmacies and 197 cooperative society medical shops will remain open during the day, said Health Minister C Vijaya Basker. Also, the association has decided to wind up the protests by 4 pm instead of 6 pm as earlier announced, he added.
Over 35,000 shops will remain closed as part of the protest, said KK Selvan, general secretary of Tamil Nadu Chemists and Druggists Association, which is affiliated to All India Chemists and Druggists Association.
Pharmacies inside clinics and hospitals will remain open, while a small number of members will open shops at places like Chennai, Madurai and Karur, among other places, to ensure that the public don’t suffer.
Why the protest?
The protest is against online pharmacies, which, the association alleges, makes it easy to access drugs without following safety procedures
Want a bite? Sorry, hotels to be closed till 6 pm today
CHENNAI: Eating out may be a near impossibility today. With the Tamil Nadu Hotels and Restaurant Association calling for a dawn-to-dusk (6 am to 6 pm) strike against the Union government’s new GST tax regime, around 25 lakh eateries are expected remain closed today. The city’s huge bachelor community, which is mostly dependent on the eateries, would be the most affected and the roadside and other smaller eateries may turn into their only places of refuge.
According to the new regulations, government has proposed a levy between 5 and 18 per cent tax on different categories of restaurants under the State Value Added Tax Acts. The levy is as high as 28 per cent in restaurants that are part of hotels with room tariff above ` 5,000. “States like Tamil Nadu, Kerala and Puducherry have recognised the significance of this section and have extended concessions of as little as 2 per cent,” said the spokesperson of the association.
Rs 500 Crore is expected to be the loss because of the dawn to dusk protest
Show of solidarity
Even though the tax regime mostly affects the AC restaurants, most of the smaller non-AC eateries will join protest as show of solidarity
Packaged water units give a breather, call off strike
CHENNAI: Saving the city from a drinking water crisis, the indefinite strike called by packaged water units has been withdrawn. The decision was taken after office bearers of the Greater Tamil Nadu Packaged Drinking Water Manufacturer Association (GTPDWMA) met Chief Minister ‘Edappadi’ K Palaniswami, who gave an assurance that their demands would be considered.
The strike, which began on Sunday, was called by the association for two reasons: closure of several water units by local revenue officials and imposition of 18 per cent tax on water cans under the proposed GST regime. “We met the Chief Minister and Finance Minister today (Monday). They promised to consider our demands favourably. Following this assurance, we are withdrawing the strike,” said V Murali of the Association. He added that the Finance Minister D Jayakumar has called them for a detailed discussion on Tuesday.
7 Units in Chennai, Kancheepuram and Tiruvallur produce 7 lakh cans per year.
Prices doubled
Around 200 units took part in the strike, leading to prices of water cans being hiked to almost twice the usual rates in some parts of the city
When tales spike sales: Aavin milking concerns
COIMBATORE:Recent allegations of sale of milk with chemical adulterants by some private milk firms has helped Aavin; with its milk sales going up across the State. In Coimbatore alone, the sale has gone up by 4,000 litres a day.
Aavin milk sales across the State increased to around 20.50 lakh litres from 20 lakh litre in recent days. Officials with the Coimbatore District Milk Producers Cooperative Union say that the sale of Aavin milk has gone up by nearly 50,000 litres across TN. “Before the controversy, Aavin milk sales were around 1.42 lakh litres a day. Now, the sales have gone up to 1.47 lakh litres,” an Aavin official said.
Though officials say there might be many reasons for the hike in sales, the allegations about chemical usage in milk against some private firms may be one among them. “There is no chance of chemical usage for preservation of Aavin milk. Since there is a demand, we have decided to strengthen the distribution system,” he said.
Rain to the rescue
The summer showers have helped increase milk production. As per statistics, the production has reached 28.50 lakh litre a day in the state