Concerned about the high number of cases being reported under SC/ST (prevention of atrocities) Act, the Tamil Nadu government reconstituted a state-level vigilance and monitoring committee with chief minister M K Stalin as chairman.

It would include all 45 MLAs of reserved constituencies in the state, irrespective of party affiliations.

The panel will review the implementation of the provisions of the SC/ST Act, relief and rehabilitation of the victims, prosecution, role of officers/agencies, and various reports received by the .

Anna University in top 500 in QS world ranking

Anna Universityhas jumped more than 120 places compared to the previous year to break into the top 500 universities in the QS World University Ranking 2024 released on Tuesday. The technical university secured the 427th rank and found a place on the list of top 10 institutions in the country, mainly because of its improvement in the criteria of academic reputation and citation per faculty.

In the previous cycle, Anna University was ranked in the band of 551-560. Central institutions including seven IITs, IISc andUniversity of Delhifeatured above Anna University on the list. In the citation per faculty (CpF) criteria, the University got a score of 99.8, up from 85.2 it had secured last year.
On CpF, the university was ranked 12th in the world and second in the country afterIndian Institute of Science, Bengaluru which got a perfect 100. This criterion has a 20% weightage in the ranking.

Tamil Nadu among top five achievers: Education index

Nadu is among the top five achievers in the key parameters of Education such as access, Equity, Infrastructure and Governance processes, according to the the Union ministry of education’s Performance Grading Index (PGI) for 2019-20. The state has scored 906 points out of 1,000, an increase from 793 points in the previous year. However, the PGI district scorecard revealed that some districts have poor Learning outcomes. Chennai district was among the bottom 10 districts in learning outcomes with 395 points out of 600.

Dharmapuri and Villupuram districts have been deemed to have better learning outcomes compared to other districts, according to the new Performance Grade Index-District (PGI-D) 2019-20 report.

Surprisingly, Chennai with better infrastructure is among the bottom 10 districts with an overall score of 395 of 600. Of 290 points for learning outcome category, it scored 141, below the 50% mark. In fact, Tiruvallur and Kancheepuram districts, Chennai’s neighbouring districts, fared better compared to the state capital, registering overall scores of 420 and 419.

In the education index for 2019-20 released in 2021, Tamil Nadu had shown a big improvement as it was ranked among the top five achievers with 906 out of 1000 points with better performance in the key domains including access, infrastructure, equity and governance process over the previous year. However, the score for learning outcomes remained the same compared to previous year.

Tamil Nadu gets ready to emerge as aerospace and defence hub

Its been close to four years since the Centre announced its plan to establish DEFENCE corridors inUttar PradeshandTamil Naduwith an aim to become Atmanirbhar Bharat in manufacturing and service of aerospace and defence equipment.

The plan behind the defence industrial corridors is to catalyse indigenous production of defence and aerospace-related items and promote Growth of private domestic manufacturers, MSMEs and startups in the defence sector.

But progress of the project has been limited due to multiple reasons including the outbreak of the pandemic. Further, the is characterised by the long gestation needed for DECISION MAKING and implementation of projects, given the sensitive nature of the sectors. The low volumes on offer also make it tough for projects to evolve from concept to reality.
Tamil Nadu has been silently going about identifying its advantages and converting it as opportunities to emerge stronger in the aerospace and defence segments. The aim is for Tamil Nadu to emerge as the manufacturing and service hub for aerospace and defence industries in the country.

In Tamil Nadu, the defence corridor plan identified Chennai, Trichy, Salem, Hosur and Coimbatore as areas of focused development for the targeted sectors. The state also unveiled an exclusive Aerospace and Defence Industry Policy in 2019.

A defence park will come up in 400 acres at Sulur near Coimbatore, while more such exclusive facilities will be established at Ulundurpet, Salem and Trichy, besides the 250-acre aerospace park established near Chennai.

Voltas starts work on new TN factory, to invest Rs 500 crore

Voltashas laid the groundwork and performed BhoomiPujafor its new air conditioner factory at Madharapakkam in Thiruvallur district ofTamil Nadu. The Bhoomi Puja was performed by the Leadership team of the company earlier this week with Voltas chairman Noel Tata and MD & CEO of VoltasPradeepBakshi among others.

The new manufacturing facility is spread over 150 acres. The company has planned to invest over 500 crore in this factory for room air conditioners (RACs) manufacturing, over the next couple of years. This facility will ensure that all the products manufactured here are competitive on a global scale, said the company in a statement. This facility will initially manufacture RAC and is an extension to the existing RAC facility in Pantnagar.

Tamil Nadu govt to celebrate centenary year of Vaikom Satyagraha

Naduchief minister M K Stalin said his government will celebrate the centenary year of theVaikom Satyagraha(Vaikom struggle) to honour the memory of social reformist Periyar, who fought across the borders for the people and succeeded in making such revolutions in HISTORY, and to propagate the principles of social Justice.

Making a suo motu statement under Rule 110, the chief minister said the State Government would commence the centenary year celebrations on March 30. Various initiatives will be taken up for the public and students to know the history, purpose and victory of the struggle.

Government introduces six bills

The introduced six Bills, including one to amendTamil Nadu Business Facilitation Act, to enable new industrial units, including MSMEs to establish and operate based on self-certification without inspections and obtaining clearances under various state laws for the initial three years.

ABillwas introduced by finance ministerPalanivel Thiaga Rajanto amend Transparency in Tenders Act, to encourage and incentivise the participation of MSMEs owned by persons belonging to SC/STs in public procurement. The other Bills to amend the existing laws include, extension of the term of the special officer in respect of Kadambur Town panchayat in Tuticorin upto December, inclusion of finance secretary as member in the syndicate of ten Universities, to omit the clause of disqualification if a member of any of the authorities of the Universities becomes of deaf-mute or suffers from leprosy.

Tamil Nadu to seek payment banking licence, could be first state to get it

TheTamil Nadugovernment is planning to seek a payment bank licence soon from theReserve Bank of Indiato help it efficiently manage its funds and effectively monitor its disbursal, while implementing welfare measures for the needy.

The finance minister had stressed on the need, while presenting the revised budget on August 13 this year, for linking the 250-odd sub-treasuries for effective monitoring of disbursal and .

In order to prevent recurrence of such instances of idle non-utilisation of funds in the future, direct disbursal of funds from the government treasury to the ultimate beneficiaries will be soon done through anIntegrated Financial andHuman Resources Management System (IFHRMS).

Tamil Nadus borrowing cost rises marginally

Nadus borrowing cost went up marginally by 4-6 basis points in this weeks bond auction, when compared to last week.

The State raised 3,000 crore through the issue of long tenure Bonds of 30 years and 25 years respectively with an interest of 7.03% each. In the previous week, it had raised 3,000 crore through the issue of bonds with tenures of 20 and 25 years with interests of 6.99% and 6.97% respectively, according to data from the Reserve Bank Of India.

The weighted Average cost of borrowing for State governments across States and tenures was 6.86%, 12 basis points higher than last week, the ratings firm CARE Ratings said.

Push for organic farming welcomed

The Agrofood Chamber of Commerce and and theTamil Nadu Foodgrains Merchants Association Limitedhave welcomed the push for organic cultivation, oil seeds and millet cultivation, use of drones for digitisation of farming and modernising farm practices and water Irrigation techniques at 44,000 crore.

They said that the announcement to prepare DPR for the five river linkage projects including theKrishna Pennar and Pennar Cauvery projects will not only improve irrigation facilities and resolve the drinking water problem inTamil Nadubut will also pave way for creation of waterways transport, which would be cheaper than other modes. The foodgrains merchant body said that no announcement on the Cauvery – Thamirabarani river linking project was a disappointment.

The chamber stated that promoting millet consumption and branding is a shot in the arm for Tamil Nadu farmers. Promotion of chemical-free natural Organic Farming would increase the export opportunities of our farm products and processed food products, its presidentN Jegatheesansaid.

The chamber also expressed disappointment for not banning import of FMCG and not prohibiting domestic corporate giants from entering into retail trade.