TAMILNADU

In the past couple of years, the Union Government has been ushering in a change in the rules governing the working conditions of people. But the new labour codes, by amalgamating existing asymmetrical labour laws, not only weaken safeguards for and entitlements of the countrys vast workforce, but also strike at one of the basic structures of theConstitution Federalism.

Since labour falls under the concurrent list of the Constitution, Parliament and state legislatures can make laws on the subject. The government of India has shifted deadlines and not fixed a date to implement theWage Code(enacted in August 2019), the Industrial Relations Code, the Code on Social Security and Occupational Safety, Health and Working Conditions Code (enacted in September 2020). The draft rules (by the Centre) for all the codes have been notified. But major industrial states like Nadu, Maharashtra, Haryana andWest Bengalare yet to frame and notify them. The rules could make a big difference, especially inTamil Naduwhere the DMK government has all along emphasised federalism and social Justice.

The buzz around federalism has made a comeback with the DMK assuming office and with it the demand for state autonomy. This is apparent especially on subjects like Education (shift from the concurrent to state List); NEET, UDAY scheme, one nation-one ration card, smart city projects and the National Food Security Act, which are perceived to be a push towards homogenisation.

The State Government must be alert about the following provisions which obfuscate the line between the Centre and states. Under the Wage Code, the Union government enjoins upon itself the power to fix a floor wage. Once fixed the state governments cannot fix minimum wage less than the floor wage. With an already low floor wage, states, to attract capital, could fix a relatively low minimum wage. The Wage Code also dispenses with the scheduled EMPLOYMENT under the Minimum Wages Act that provides state governments with the power to add any employment to the schedule for which minimum wages should be fixed. The absence of categorisation of different classes of work within the same scheduled employment could lead to skilled and semiskilled workers being paid less than the wages they received under the earlier schedule.
The Social Security Code envisages discretionary powers with the Union and state governments, which were previously either mandatory or specific under the existing laws. This discretion may result in arbitrary restrictions of coverage of schemes on the grounds of public interest and boosting Growth. The code also provides for schemes to be notified both by the Centre and the state governments, leaving the workers confused about their registration with either or both the governments to avail of their benefits.

C Samayamoorthy participated in the third edition of PonManjal CII turmeric conclave 2021 that was organised online by the confederation of India (CII) Erode zone.

Stating that Tamil Nadu shared 14.04% of the total production of turmeric in India, he said, Erode district recorded the largest production of turmeric by contributing 24.14 % of the total area for cultivation and 33.37 % of the total production.”

He also said that the State Government created a trading center exclusively for turmeric which was integrated with the e-national Agriculture-notes-for-state-psc-exams”>Agriculture market. (E-NAM).

With schools reopened, the department will take up the exercise at a cost of Rs2 crore, minister for social welfare and Women Empowerment PGeetha Jeevansaid in the assembly on Wednesday, while replying to the debate on the demand for grants to her department.

Going by the 2011 census, the Population of senior citizens inTNis expected to touch 1.5 crore by 2030 and the department is coming up with an exclusive policy to safeguard their rights and wellbeing.

Nadu exports GI certified Madurai Malli and other flowers to the United States and Dubai.

Highlights:

The Madurai Malli, also known as Jasmine, is an important part of Tamil Nadu’s culture and economy.
The sacred flower has a connection to Madurai that dates back to 300 BCE.
Flowers have a special significance in Indian culture because they are integral to many rituals and customs.
Madurai Malli is well-known for its fragrance, which is in high demand among the Indian Diaspora in Malaysia, Singapore, Dubai, and Western Europe, particularly France.
In order to meet this demand, jasmine is grown on 1200 hectares of land in the Madurai district alone.
The sandy loam Soil in Madurai is moist and well-drained, making it ideal for jasmine cultivation.
Madurai jasmine is commonly used in weaving garlands, and its extract is used to make perfumes, soaps, and lotions.
It takes approximately one tonne of flower to extract one kilogramme of jasmine concentrate, which sells for around Rs one lakh.

A study by an Environment think tank headquartered in West Bengal and having operations inJharkhandhas painted a sorry picture about the depleting groundwater in this tribal dominated state. The study, titled Ground Water Depletion in Jharkhand, a copy of which was shared with TOI, was prepared in April by SwitchOn Foundation.

The report states, Due to the geographical setup, about 80% of the surface water and 74% of the ground water flow out of the state and cause 38% of the drought here. In Jharkhand, groundwater is found under semi-confined to confined aquifers in the fractures situated at a deeper level, it stated.

In the pre-monsoon season of 2021, the lowest water-table level reported was below 0.03 mt in Hazaribag district, and the deepest water-table level was found at 9.7mt in Koderma district. In the pre-monsoon season of 2022, the groundwater level of the state had declined by two metres. In the same year, themonsoonrainfall received was deficit by over 60%, and about 90% of reservoirs were only 40% full. Since the introduction of tube wells, the groundwater levels in the state have declined over the last two decades, stated the report.

With the exact impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on Nadus economy yet to be known this year, the State Government may have to increase its borrowings for managing its fiscal Health.

According to the 15th Finance Commissions recommendations, the Fiscal Deficit has to be within 4% of the Gross State Domestic Product (GSDP) for 2021-22. If the State government goes beyond its planned borrowings, the fiscal deficit is bound to go up, for which it has to seek the Centres approval. As per the Interim Budget presented by the previous AIADMK regime in February, the plan was to borrow 84,686.75 crore, by keeping the fiscal deficit at 3.94% of GSDP.

Under normal circumstances, there will be a certain amount of increase in revenue even in the absence of a hike in taxes or charges. But with the second wave of the pandemic, a fall in revenue looks imminent. For example, as per the Budget Estimates worked out by the government prior to the outbreak of the pandemic in March 2020, the SOTR for 2020-21 was expected to be about 1.34 lakh crore. [It was later revised to 1.09 lakh crore].

As per a provisional estimate, the revenue netted last year was about 1.06 lakh crore. This meant that the gap was about 28,000 crore. It remains to be seen whether the State would see a similar drop in revenue this year as well if the pandemic continues.

Two industrial parks for aerospace and DEFENCE sectors, and a common manufacturing facility will be set up in the district, special secretary and project director ofTamil NaduIndustrial Development Corporation Limited (TIDCO).

The proposed parks will come up at Varapatti and Sulur, the official said while addressing industrialists and participants from colleges at a seminar titled Accelerating Defence and Aerospace in TN Defence Corridor, coordinated by Kumaraguru Centre for Industrial Research and Innovation (KCIRI).

The Union Government has set a target of 1.25 lakh crore-worth of domestic manufacturing in the next three years.

Polling in 234 constituencies in Nadu went off peacefully barring minor scuffles among cadres and glitches in electronic voting machines in some parts of the state. The state recorded 71.79% voter turnout at the end of 12-hour polling amid the Covid pandemic. The voter turnout was 74.24% in the 2016 assembly election.

Kallakurichi district topped the list with a voter turnout of 78%, followed by Namakkal (77.91%) and Ariyalur (77.88%). Chennai trailed with 59.4% turnout.

Any doctor found engaged in conversion therapy a controversial gender and sexual reorientation practice often slammed as pseudoscience is liable to be prosecuted for professional misconduct, theNational Medical Commission(NMC) told the Madras .
The council made its stand clear while making a submission on a recommendation by a committee constituted to modify the MBBS syllabus so that medical students could be sensitised to the sexual orientations of people belonging to the LGBTQIA+ community.

Thestate medical council, wherever it is vested with the power of taking disciplinary action for professional misconduct, can take note of the recommendations of the expert committee and proceed with action against the medical professional concerned, it said.

The sixth edition of the Value Addition for Income Generation in Agriculture-notes-for-state-psc-exams”>Agriculture (VAIGA) expo is a crowd-puller for all the right reasons. With more than 240 stalls aimed at improving the Growth of the agricultural product , the expo at Putharikandam Maithanam is currently a hot spot for every kind of stakeholder from industry experts, product sellers, manufacturers, distributors, consumers, and to even organic-lifestyle enthusiasts.

The exhibition proves to be a major platform for small-scale food product startups to closely interact with potential distributors.Sunil Chandran(45) is one such startup owner who has travelled from Malappuram in spite of his condition of being confined to a wheelchair. He is at the expo with dreams to scale up his brand Moms Tesori which he started eight months ago.