The New Indian Express Vellore - December 18, 2024

In this issue

December 18, 2024

Do not make Aadhaar must for NREGS payment, says House panel

The Standing Committee on Rural Development and Panchayati Raj has recommended that the Rural Development Ministry's Aadhaar Based Payment Bridge System for making payments under MGNREGS should not be made compulsory.

1 min

'One poll' bill introduced in LS

Draws fierce protest from Oppn; govt ready to sent it to a joint parliamentary committee

2 mins

NTA to manage higher edu entrance tests alone

IN a significant shift from its role, the National Testing Agency (NTA) will now focus solely on conducting entrance exams for admissions to higher education institutions.

1 min

Unrest in Samsung again, workers plan 'canteen boycott'

UNREST is brewing among the Samsung India workers in Sriperumbudur again over alleged harassment of 35 workers, who were the face of the month-long protest in September, by supervisors and management of the company.

2 mins

CM ANNOUNCES 'HOME OF CHESS' TO NURTURE MORE GRANDMASTERS

CHIEF Minister MK Stalin on Tuesday announced the establishment of a chess academy, Home of Chess, under the Sports Development Authority of Tamil Nadu (SDAT).

1 min

'Savukku' arrested after court issues NBW for failing to appear before it

THE Principal Special Court for Narcotic Drugs and Psychotropic Substances (NDPS) Act Cases in Madurai issued a non-bailable warrant against YouTuber 'Savukku' Shankar for failing to appear before the court in a ganja case on Tuesday.

1 min

Special reservation under fine arts & culture for UG courses in IIT-Madras

IN a first, the IIT-Madras has introduced a 'Fine Arts and Culture Excellence' (FACE) admission quota for undergraduate programmes for the academic year 2025-26.

1 min

LIC agents stage demonstration in Vellore for fulfillment of 11 demands

THE Life Insurance Agents Federation of India staged a protest on Tuesday morning near Anna Auditorium in Vellore district, demanding the state government fulfill their set of 22 demands.

1 min

MLA urges TN to desilt and restore Veeranam Lake immediately

MLA M Sinthanai Selvan has urged the Tamil Nadu government to desilt and restore Veeranam Lake immediately and construct flood prevention walls along both sides of the Velliyankal Odai canal from Lalpet to Thirunaraiyur.

1 min

Misleading poll affidavit: Ex-minister appears before Tirupattur court

FORMER minister K C Veeramani appeared before the Tirupattur JM-1 court on Wednesday in connection with a case filed against him for allegedly providing false information during the 2021 Tamil Nadu Assembly elections.

1 min

Vellore BJP leader dies in accident, kin allege foul play

MITTAL Kumar (45), head of the BJP's spiritual wing in Vellore, died in an accident on Monday evening.

1 min

Revenue, rural dev dept officials stir against cops

EMPLOYEES of the revenue and rural development departments in Tiruvannamalai staged a protest on Tuesday accusing the police of disrupting their duties during the Karthigai Deepam festival last week.

1 min

18 fishers repatriated by Lanka reach Karaikal

ON the day when Sri Lankan President Anura Kumara Dissanayake, who is on his maiden Indian visit, met Prime Minister Narendra Modi, the island nation repatriated 18 Indian fishermen, arrested for allegedly crossing the IMBL this month.

1 min

Tribal hamlets in Kalvarayan Hills to get micro vans for taking kids to school

WORKING towards addressing the challenges faced by children from tribal areas in accessing formal education, the Tribal Welfare Department is planning to launch a pilot initiative to provide micro vans to four schools in Kalvarayan Hills of Kallakurichi district.

1 min

Basha laid to rest amid huge police deployment in Kovai

OVER 2,000 police personnel and 200 RAF personnel were deployed from Ukkadam to Flower Market area on Tuesday ahead of the funeral procession of SA Basha, the mastermind of the 1998 serial bomb blasts.

1 min

Cops yet to crack T'pur triple murder case, ask people to install CCTV cams

NEARLY three weeks have passed since three members of a family were beaten to death in a farm house near Avinashi-palayam, yet district police are unable to make a breakthrough in the investigation despite forming 14 special teams.

1 min

NGOs urge TN to hold rural local body elections

Citizen groups including Thannatchi, Arappor Iyakkam, Voice of People, Institute of Grassroots and Governance (IGG) and Thozhan have urged the TNSEC and the state to expedite and conduct rural local body elections in 28 districts.

1 min

Was eco study done before beach sand mining nod?

The Madras High Court on Tuesday questioned government authorities whether an environment impact assessment was carried out before allowing private firms to mine beach sand in Thoothukudi, Tirunelveli and Kanniyakumari districts.

1 min

Was eco study done before beach sand mining nod?

The Madras High Court on Tuesday questioned government authorities whether an environment impact assessment was carried out before allowing private firms to mine beach sand in Thoothukudi, Tirunelveli and Kanniyakumari districts.

1 min

Land use policy draft points to shift towards horticulture farming in TN

State plan panel submits draft Sustainable Land Use Policy, bats for holistic spatial land use

2 mins

Closely monitoring situation in Chennai plant: Samsung

CITU also said that they were yet to receive a written response to the charter of demands that the SIWU had placed before the company when they agreed to give up the protest in October. At the conciliatory talks at the end of the protest, it was agreed that Samsung would submit a written response to the demands before the conciliation officer. Talks were held between the two parties and labour department officials on Tuesday.

1 min

Prioritise 'fame over fortune': Prez Murmu to medical students

THE President of India, Droupadi Murmu, graced the first convocation of AIIMS Mangalagiri, Guntur District as a chief guest on Tuesday.

1 min

Can't seize PDS rice-carrying cargo ship over legal issues

Weeks after inspection by dy CM, Kakinada collector issues clarification

1 min

Cops file plaint against waste dumped by KL in Nellai villages after 37 days

NEARLY 37 days after complaints were filed against miscreants who dumped biomedical, food, plastic and other waste from Kerala in Kodaganallur and Palavoor villages, the Suthamalli police registered two cases on Thursday night.

1 min

First for K'taka, trans woman becomes guest faculty in Ballari varsity

FOR the first time in Karnataka, Sri Krishnadevaraya University of Ballari has appointed a transgender person as a guest lecturer.

1 min

Absconding docs: DMS initiates process to recover bond amount

DIRECTOR of Medical and Rural Health Services (DMS) Dr J Rajamoorthy has instructed joint directors of all districts to recover the security bond amount from 95 absconding doctors of DMS institutions who were dismissed by Director of Public Health and Preventive Medicine (DPH).

1 min

GROWING ENTERPRISES IN A TIME-TESTED INDIAN WAY

OME accomplished chief financial officers of established companies like Tata Consultancy, Tata Chemicals and KPMG set up a think tank as a body that would engage with relevant audiences—India Inc, regulators, administrators—to create and nurture better-governed enterprises.

3 mins

ONE ELECTION CAN BE FIRST OF MANY REFORMS

We should use the move for simultaneous elections to call for other political reforms, such as greater transparency in parties' internal affairs and mandatory reports on manifesto pledges

2 mins

Erratic rains, warm winter hit sugar production

With erratic monsoon rains and warmer winter temperatures negatively affecting sugar production, sugar prices are expected to rise in the coming months.

2 mins

Govt lacks 2/3rd majority to push bill, says Tharoor

AS the government tabled two Bills on 'One Nation One Election' on Tuesday, the Congress party has raised questions about whether the NDA government has the requisite numbers to pass them in Lok Sabha.

1 min

HC judge appears before SC collegium over remarks on UCC at VHP function

ALLAHABAD High Court judge Justice Shekhar Kumar Yadav, who stirred controversy with his statement at a Vishwa Hindu Parishad (VHP) event, appeared before the Supreme Court collegium on Tuesday to present his side of the issue.

1 min

OTTs glorifying drug use under govt lens

THE OTT (over-the-top) platforms are on the radar of the Ministry of Information and Broadcasting for streaming content that reportedly 'glamorises' and 'glorifies' the use of narcotic drugs and psychotropic substances.

1 min

Nadda accuses Cong of attempting to introduce religion-based quota

QUOTING BR Ambedkar, Leader of the House in Rajya Sabha JP Nadda on Tuesday accused the Congress of attempting to introduce religion-based reservations.

1 min

ED conducts raids at 21 locations in case on betting app owned by Pak nationals

Owners and handlers

1 min

Bhujbal ups ante, fires 'toy' salvo at Ajit Pawar for no cabinet position

SENIOR NCP leader and former deputy CM Chhagan Bhujbal on Tuesday upped the ante against his party leader Ajit Pawar for denying him a place in the Maha Yuti cabinet.

1 min

PM promises tap water to all homes

Modi lays foundation stone for much-awaited Eastern Rajasthan Canal Project in Jaipur

2 mins

Setback to PK as 2 ex-MPs quit Jan Suraj Party

IN a major setback for political strategist-turned activist Prashant Kishor's Jan Suraaj Party (JSP), two former MPs Devendra Prasad Yadav and Monizir Hasan resigned from the core committee of the party on Tuesday.

1 min

Over 8L ration cards cancelled, Cong says tribals worst affected

BETWEEN 2013 and 2024, a total of 815,734 ration cards were cancelled in Gujarat, the Centre on Tuesday told the Rajya Sabha.

1 min

Omar to meet Shah in Delhi today to discuss statehood restoration

NEARLY two months after the passage of a resolution in the Jammu and Kashmir cabinet on restoration of statehood, Chief Minister Omar Abdullah is likely to meet Home Minister Amit Shah in the national capital for the second time on Wednesday.

1 min

A Punjab sad story written in Georgian ski resort

11 Indian nationals die of carbon monoxide poisoning

2 mins

UP presents its 2nd supplementary budget worth ₹17.8K cr in Assembly

THE Uttar Pradesh government on Tuesday presented its second supplementary budget of ₹17,865.72 crore, which includes new proposals worth ₹790.49 crore for 2024-25.

1 min

Rescue efforts on as 7.3 quake flattens buildings in Vanuatu

A powerful earthquake hit the Pacific nation of Vanuatu on Tuesday, smashing buildings in the capital Port Vila including one used by foreign embassies, with a witness saying bodies lying in the city.

1 min

Chinese leader convicted in graft case executed

CHINA on Tuesday executed Li Jianping, a former official in the north Inner Mongolia Autonomous Region, who was convicted in the largest-ever corruption case in the country totaling to over $421 million.

1 min

Was target of suicide attack during 2021 Iraq visit: Pope

Pope Francis turned 88 on Tuesday and marked the occasion with revelations that he almost didn't make it.

1 min

Russian Parliament approves bill that can lift Taliban terror tag

RUSSIA's parliament on Tuesday approved a bill that could pave the way for Moscow to lift its designation of the Taliban as a banned \"terrorist\" organisation.

1 min

Russian Gen heading N-arms vertical assassinated

Ukraine claims responsibility, accuses Igor Kirillov of using banned chemical weapons in ongoing war; Moscow treating it as terror attack

1 min

Israel to control Gaza even after war: def minister

ISRAEL's Defence Minister Israel Katz said on Tuesday that his country's forces would be free to act in Gaza Strip even after its war with Hamas ends.

1 min

Don Trump says believer in polio vaccine

IN a freewheeling press conference at his Mar-a-Lago club, President-elect Donald Trump said on Monday he would consider pardoning embattled New York Mayor Eric Adams, declared the country was \"not going to lose\" the polio vaccine and weighed in on the flurry of drone sightings over New Jersey.

1 min

ITC Hotel demerger from January 1, 2025

FMCG giant ITC Ltd has fixed January 1, 2025 as the effective date for the demerger of its hotel business after receiving an order from the National Company Law Tribunal (NCLT).

1 min

Slower Q2 GDP growth temporary blip, will see healthy growth in coming qtrs: FM

FINANCE Minister Nirmala Sitharaman has termed the second quarter GDP growth slowdown a temporary blip and expressed her confidence that the economy will see healthy growth in the coming quarters.

1 min

Bid in satellite spectrum not feasible: Scindia

A day after Congress leader Jairam Ramesh raised concerns over the government's decision to administratively allocate satellite spectrum in the country, communications minister Jyotiraditya Scindia on Tuesday defended the move, saying that satellite spectrum is neither suitable nor practical for auction.

1 min

Gold import up on tariff cut, UAE pact

331% rise in import of yellow metal to $15 bn in Nov resulted in trade deficit, pressure on rupee

2 mins

Adani group firm Ambuja merges Penna Cements, Sanghi Ind with itself

AMBUJA Cements, the cement and building material company of Adani Group, announced the merger of Sanghi Industries (SIL) and Penna Cement Industries with itself.

1 min

ED hands over ₹22,000 cr worth properties attached under PMLA to owners

THE Enforcement Directorate (ED) has handed over properties worth ₹22,280 crore attached under Prevention of Money Laundering Act (PMLA) to victims or their legitimate claimants, finance ministry has informed parliament.

1 min

Domestic market declines on trade deficit, weakening rupee

DOMESTIC equity market declined sharply on Tuesday with the benchmarks - BSE Sensex and NSE Nifty50 - cracking nearly 1.5% each.

1 min

Sebi may tighten SME listing norms, bring in transparency

THE Securities and Exchange Board's (Sebi) board meeting slated for Wednesday is likely to come up with a slew of measures to clean the SME IPOs space that has, of late, received regulatory attention.

1 min

Two World Champions, 31 GMs, Tamil Nadu is the best: Anand

OPEN rooftop car. Scores of people. Cavalcade of cars. It was another maddening but memorable day in the newly-crowned world champ, D Gukesh's, life.

2 mins

Chelsea's Mudryk fails drugs test: Club

CHELSEA forward Mykhailo Mudryk has failed a doping test, the Premier League club said on Tuesday, as reports stated the Ukraine international has been provisionally suspended.

1 min

RAHUL AND JADEJA BRING ORDER AS INDIA TAIL WAGS

SOMEWHERE in the middle of the first innings, Virat Kohli rushed out of the Gabba dressing room, called up Abhimanyu Easwaran, told him something in earnestness and sent him off the ground.

3 mins

Rana wouldn't have got into our playing XI: Gujarat coach Klinger

GUJARAT GIANTS, after finishing last in the back-to-back Women's Premier League points table, went into the mini-auction looking to make a few important changes.

2 mins

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