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Current Affairs (TAMIL NADU) May 2012

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Plan to put Pollachi on farm tourist map Taking a cue form its Punjab counterpart about successful “rice

tours”, the State Tourism Department plans to promote farm tourism in a big way in and around Pollachi and Thanjavur towns. Currently, the Tourism Department focuses on pilgrimage tourism, heritage tourism, eco-tourism, beach tourism, rural tourism, medical tourism, adventure tourism and cultural tourism, besides promoting hill stations. It also plans heli-tourism and cruises.

Tourism officials said that Thanjavur, the rice bowl of Tamil Nadu, has been on the radar of the State Tourism department for a long time through heritage tourism, Pollachi, a picture perfect location for films, is an unexplored region. Nestled in the middle of the Coimbatore, Udumalpet, Valparai and Palakkad belt, Pollachi provides an ideal resting place for tourists. “Pollachi and Thanjavur offer more scope for tourism. As more and more people are constructing farm houses, we plan to make use of these facilities to provide a different experience to tourists by acting as a facilitator. We will be initiating a dialogue with prominent persons and businessmen in the area to give wide publicity.”

According to industry sources, Pollachi has been gaining momentum in farm tourism as many plantation owners had started letting out their farm houses to domestic tourists, following a severe drop in the number of movies shot in that location. Besides, farm tourism fetched more income in addition to their agricultural activities. The officials said that “the mere presence of a sanctuary, reservoirs, water sports and boat riding in places such as Valparai, Aliyar Dam, Top Slip, Parambikulam Tiger Reserve and Amaravathy Dam can provide the much-needed entertainment and relaxation to tourists. The Thanjavur Brihadeswara Temple will provide an altogether different experience. Apart from watching farmers working in the lush green paddy fields, tourists can also get their feet muddy there”. Fees fixed by one-man panel set aside

The Madras High Court set aside the fees fixed by the School Fee Determination Committee, headed by Justice K. Raviraja Pandian, relating to nearly 300 writ petitions, and remitted the matter back to the panel for fresh consideration.

As the academic year 2012-13 had already started, many schools were said to be facing financial difficulties in view of the fee structure already fixed. As an interim arrangement, pending final orders of the panel, the writ petitioner schools, both minority and non-minority schools, would be entitled to collect 15 per cent over and above the fee fixed earlier by the committee. The court made it clear that the interim arrangement would be applicable only to schools which had filed writ petitions and not to other schools.


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Kavimani Statue at Suchindram Chief Minister Jayalalithaa told the Assembly that

the government will install a statue of late Tamil poet Kavimani Desikavinayagam Pillai at Suchindram in Kanyakumari district.

Suchindram, a temple town, is a few km away from the poet's native place Theroor. The title ‘Kavimani' was conferred on him in 1940 at the Pachaiyappa's College in Chennai by Tamil scholar Karanthai Umamaheswaranar. When his centenary was celebrated in 1976, Ms. Jayalalithaa, then a popular actor, had attended the government function in Nagercoil. In a suo motu

statement in the Assembly, Ms. Jayalalithaa described Kavimani's poems as the perfect amalgam of truth and beauty.

The Chief Minister said “Malarum Maalaiyum”, his poetry collection, revealed his patriotism, linguistic affinity, spiritualism and repudiation of casteism. His songs for children, lullabies and songs on birds are equally beautiful”.

He was born in 1876 and like all his contemporaries in Kanyakumari district, Desikavinayagam Pillai also studied Malayalam at school as the district was then part of the erstwhile Travancore. He, however, learnt Tamil from Santhalinga Thambiran, a pontiff attached to the Thiruvavaduthurai Mutt in Vananthittu near his village. Most of Kavimani's career as teacher was spent in Thiruvananthapuram, where he taught at the Maharaja's Women's College between 1905 and 1931.

Kavimani had written many articles in English and his mastery over Tamil, Malayalam, Sanskrit and Grantha script came in handy while copying the epigraphs. Marumakkal Vazhimanmiam is a brilliant satire on the life of Vellalas of Nanjil Naadu. When Prof Vaiyapuri Pillai edited the lexicon of the Madras University, Kavimani made a valuable contribution, sending words that were vogue in Kanyakumari district.

In 1940 the Tamil Sangam at its 7th annual conference held at Madras (now Chennai) honored Desigavinayagam Pillai with the title "Kavimani". On 21-October-2005, he was commemorated on Indian postage stamp.


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Registration revenue goes up Minister for Commercial Taxes and Registration Mr. C.Ve.

Shanmugam said that the government earned revenue of Rs 6,619.98 crore by registering 35.18 lakh documents and issuing 34.62 lakh encumbrance certificates last fiscal.

Moving the demands for grants for the department, the Minister said over 2.10 crore people visited 578 sub-registrar offices in the State generating Rs 6,619 crore, a 31.86 growth from the previous year. During the same period, the number of documents registered a growth rate of only 7.25 per cent. “Own-your house scheme”

Chief Minister Jayalalithaa told in the Assembly that a total of 36,000 residential quarters will be constructed for police personnel up to the rank of Dy Superintendent of Police, Fire and Rescue Service personnel up to the rank of divisional officer and personnel of the prison department.

Making a suo motu statement in the House, she said the houses would be constructed under “own-your house scheme.”

The Chief Minister said the objective of the project was to ensure a house for all retired police personnel who, she said, had dedicated their lives to protect the lives and properties of the people.

Ms Jayalalithaa said the government would allot 10 acres of land in each district, besides 100 acres in Melakottaiyur in Kancheepuram district for the project, which would begin this year. Depending on the applications received from the police and fire service personnel and their choice of location, the scheme would be expanded in a phased manner.

Though the Chief Minister first said the scheme would cover only police and fire service personnel, she agreed to include prison department following a request from the floor leaders of other parties in the Assembly.

Ms. Jayalalithaa said the Tamil Nadu Police Housing Corporation would take care of the construction of these multi-storeyed buildings and the personnel could either make a single payment or pay in installments.


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Solar park in south on the horizon Industries Minister P. Thangamani said that the State government

will develop a solar park in southern districts with an investment of Rs 1,000 crore for generation of 100 MW.

Replying to the debate on the demands for grants for the department, the Minister said the Chief Minister's Vision 2023 envisages generation of 5,000 MW from solar energy in the next 11 years based on which the Tamil Nadu Industrial Development Corporation (TIDCO) will set up solar parks to produce 1,000 MW through government and private companies in the next five years. In the first phase, Rs 1,000 crore will be spent on a 100-MW solar power scheme in southern districts.

Officials of the Industries Department say TIDCO is in the process of identifying land as it will require 500 acres of land for a 100-MW solar park and has zeroed in on large tracts of dryland in Ramanathapuram and Nagapattinam districts and officials are still scouting for locations in other districts. The technology can be either photovoltaic or solar thermal, they add. National Thermal Power Corporation has shown interest in a 100-MW solar plant and five private companies have come up with proposals ranging from 15 to 25 MW each.

It is estimated that Rs 10 crore will be required for producing 1 MW of solar power. While TIDCO will develop the land with all the infrastructural facilities, including evacuation, the companies will invest in the technology and equipment. Polymer manufacturing hub:-

Industries Minister said that the TIDCO, in partnership with private companies, will also set up a polymer manufacturing hub at a cost of Rs 160 crore in Vayalur village in Ponneri taluk of Tiruvallur district. Facilities will be provided for 100 units involved in manufacturing of plastic components required for ancillary parts for automobile industries. When this polymer hub becomes functional, it will provide employment to 25,000 persons. Truck terminal:-

A truck terminal will be built at SIPCOT's Oragadam industrial complex at a cost of Rs 10 crore for parking heavy vehicles to avoid congestion. Another Rs 20 crore will be spent on maintenance of any two industrial complexes every year. This year, Rs. 25 crore will be allocated for loans to small and medium enterprises at low interest rates to make them competitive.


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All persons with disability get profession tax exemption In a measure that is expected to bring relief to thousands of people

with various forms of disability, a bill that seeks to exempt people with disability from paying profession tax was introduced in the State Assembly. The bill seeks to amend existing municipal laws to enable all “differently-abled people” to avail of equal benefits.

A statement of objects and reasons accompanying the bill, introduced by Municipal Administration Minister K.P. Munusamy, stated that “in the absence of specific definition of disability in the Urban Local Bodies Acts, all people with disability are not in a position to avail the benefit. The government has, therefore, decided that all differently abled people shall be exempted from the payment of profession tax.”

To achieve this, the government has decided to amend the Urban Local Bodies Act to exempt the persons with disability as defined in the Persons with Disabilities (Equal Opportunities, Protection of Rights and Full participation) ACT, 1995 and also dumb persons from the tax on profession.

As of now, the Urban Local Bodies Acts only exempts people with total disability in one or both hands or legs, spastics, totally dumb or deaf persons or totally blind persons from the payment of profession tax. Rs. 100crore to upgrade infrastructure in colleges

Chief Minister Jayalalithaa announced a Rs 100-crore scheme to upgrade the infrastructure in 93 government arts and sciences colleges and constituent colleges of various universities. Making a suo motu statement in the Assembly, she said the objective of her government was not only to set up new colleges, but also to create an atmosphere in the existing colleges that would further the learning process of the students.

There are 62 arts and science colleges, 24 constituent colleges and 7 teacher education colleges. It was only on April 19 that the Chief Minister announced her government's decision to set up two engineering colleges, seven polytechnics and 11 constituent colleges.

Ms. Jayalalithaa said the amount would be spent on buying new tables and chairs for teachers and students, modern black boards and purchase of computer tables and computer chairs for linguistic laboratories.

Computerisation of libraries, purchase of tables and chairs for libraries in various departments, book shelves and bureaus, creation of high-quality laboratories and water and gas lines and purchase of laboratory equipment and projector would also be done under the scheme.


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New industrial policy this year Confident of attracting investments to the tune of over Rs. 20,000

crore in the manufacturing sector in the next six months, the State government will unveil five policies, including a new industrial policy this year, said P. Thangamani, Minister for Industries.

Moving the demands for grants for the department in the Assembly, he said the government would introduce the new of policies and reforms to accelerate the pace of industrialisation. In 2012, the government would announce new policies for industry, biotechnology, aerospace industry, automobiles and auto components and land acquisition for industries.

As the State's Vision 2023 envisages GSDP at constant prices to grow at 11 per cent or more per annum over the next ten years, this meant that the manufacturing sector should grow by about 14 per cent per annum, the Minister said explaining the context behind the formulation of five new policies.

At present, companies like Yamaha, Danfoss, Hitachi, Enfield, Sundaram Clayton, TI Group, Amway, Saint Gobain, Sanmina-SCI, Phillips Carbon Black, Nokia, Harsha-PPG and Daimler have proposed to make large investments in the new/expansion projects in the State. “Apart from these, many other companies are in advanced stage of discussions with the government to finalise their investment plans,” Mr. Thangamani said. CM unveils Rs. 1560-cr project for delta districts

Chief Minister Jayalalithaa unveiled a Rs 1,560-crore project to refurbish old tail-end sluices and construct new ones in the Cauvery delta districts to conserve rainwater during the monsoon and take measures to prevent incursion of sea water into agriculture lands. “Of the total Rs. 1,560 crore, Asian Development Bank will give Rs 1,092 crore as loan and the rest will be contributed by the State government,” Ms. Jayalalithaa said in a suo motu statement in the Assembly. She said the project would benefit the whole of Tiruvarur and Nagapattinam districts and 4.50 lakh acres of land in one section of Thanjavur district irrigated by the Cauvery, Vennar and Grant Anicut irrigation canals.

The Chief Minister said the project envisaged the reconstruction of tail-end regulators and the infrastructure connected with them. Besides, more sluices would be constructed in tail-end areas to store the rainwater for irrigation. Explaining the rationale for conceiving such a mega project, Ms. Jayalalithaa said that in 40 years, the sea level was likely to rise and lead to salt water flowing into agriculture land. She said the level of the Cauvery Delta region was on a par with sea level for 25 km and heavy rains during the north-east monsoon tended to severely affect the drainage system.


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Taluks with over 4 lakh population to be bifurcated Besides announcing creation of nine new taluks, Chief Minister

Jayalalithaa told the Assembly that all revenue taluks with a population of four lakh and above would be bifurcated to ensure effective administration.

Making a suo motu statement in the House, she said a committee comprising Commissioner of Revenue Administration, Commissioner of Land Administration and Commissioner of Land Reforms would be constituted to make recommendation to the government on bifurcation of taluks, taking into consideration the population, area and revenue villages.

She said the committee would make its recommendation in two months and the government would take an appropriate decision. Explaining the rationale behind her government's decision to bifurcate the taluks, the Chief Minister said the 2011 census had indicated that the population in 62 revenue taluks had substantially increased and there was a need to create new taluk offices to avoid delay in attending to the day-to-day work of the people. She said the revenue department was the backbone of the administration and played a vital role in every aspect of people's life, distributing birth and death certificates and offering a helping hand during natural calamities. Ms. Jayalalithaa said the government had already decided to bifurcate.,

Tirupuvanam taluk (Sivaganga district) {carved out from Manamadurai taluk}

Kalasapakkam taluk (Tiruvannamalai district) {carved out from Polur taluk}

Alathur taluk (Perambalur district) {carved out from Kunnam taluk}

Kinathukadavu taluk (Coimbatore district) {carved out from Pollachi taluk}

Tiruporur taluk (Kancheepuram district) {carved out of Chengalpet taluk}

Annur taluk (Coimbatore district) Chinnasalem taluk (Villupuram district)

{by restructuring the Kallakurichi and Sankarapuram taluks} Anthiyur taluk (Erode district)

{by restructuring Bhavani and Gobichettipalayam taluks} Kolli Hills taluk / Kollimalai taluk (Namakkal district) {carved out of Namakkal and Rasipuram taluks.


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Bill seeks to provide favourable climate for infrastructure projects In line with the State government's ‘Vision 2023', Finance Minister

O. Paneerselvam introduced a Bill in the Assembly to provide an enabling environment for infrastructure development in the State through private sector participation. Acknowledging that the government alone could not meet the total projected investment requirement of Rs.15 lakh crore, Chief Minister Jayalalithaa had said a major chunk of financing had to be mobilised through non-governmental sources, including the private sector, banks and Foreign Direct Investment.

To realise the objective, the Finance Minister moved the Tamil Nadu Industrial Infrastructure Development Bill, 2012 for financing, design, construction, maintenance and operation of infrastructure projects through private sector participation.

The Bill also aims to provide an institutional framework for identification, prioritisation and implementation of infrastructural projects. The first task will be to identify and remove the bottlenecks in development, prioritise critical infrastructural projects and work assiduously to place the State at the forefront of development, said Mr. Panneerselvam. For this purpose, the government will constitute a Tamil Nadu Infrastructure Development Board, under the chairmanship of Chief Minister, which will continuously identify project concepts, facilitate their execution after due evaluation and achieve financial closure either directly through government agencies or through public private partnership (PPP) mode depending on suitability, he said.

The proposed Act will apply to all projects worth over Rs.500 crore implemented by a public agency and the government by an order can apply the provisions of the Act to any PPP project with a value of less than Rs.500 crore.

The project will not apply to any Central or PSU project either independently or as a JV with the State government.

The Chief Minister will be the chairperson (ex-officio) of the TN Infrastructure Development Board and the Finance Minister its vice-chairman. The Chief Secretary and nine other secretaries, apart from its CEO, will be the other ex-officio members. The chairperson can allow any person as a special invitee.

The board will formulate policies related to 21 sectors to identify project risks and allocate them between the stakeholders; prepare feasibility reports, scrutinise, evaluate and prioritise projects and approve concession agreements for identified projects. It will designate the public agency which will implement a project through public sector mode or through PPP and evaluate, recommend financial support from the government.


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Tamil Nadu & Odisha:- Tamil Nadu Chief Minister Jayalalithaa said that a definite and

very high level of inter-dependence [among States] is emerging in a situation wherein they need to act together and prosper together by a “well understood system of bilateral relations under which the outcomes would lead to a larger collective benefit”.

Laying the foundation stone of the Odisha Bhavan [that will come up in Velachery, Chennai at a function in Chennai in the presence of Odisha Chief Minster Naveen Patnaik, Ms Jayalalithaa said that in the present system of multi-level governance, operating within a federal structure like that of India, harmonious relations with other States are indispensable. The function also marked the 76 anniversary of the foundation of the State of Odisha.

Indicating that the areas of inter-State cooperation would include

water, environment, transport, tourism, agriculture and law and order, the Chief Minister said “law and order, especially, becomes an important matter, in the wake of terrorist activities, drug trafficking and general maintenance of public order.” The regional inter-State co-operation had been the ‘touchstone' of development indices and the States were not isolated from each other's growth impulses.


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Announcing that the State government had given five grounds of land in Velachery for the project of Odisha Bhavan, Ms Jayalalithaa assured Mr Patnaik of her government's cooperation for the expeditious construction of the Bhavan. Tracing the ties between the States of Tamil Nadu and Odisha, she said the Cholas had left behind a lasting legacy in the two States and their patronisation of art, architecture and literature extended as far as Cambodia and Indonesia. “Odisha has maintained her political vigour with successive powerful ruling dynasties and achieved a distinction of her own, within the wider intricacies of Indian civilisation.” Receiving the first copy of a souvenir published by the Utkal Association of Madras from his Tamil Nadu counterpart, Mr Patnaik spoke of how the two States occupied places of pride in the country and referred to their glorious traditions in the fields of art, music and dance.

Quoting recent studies on the growth of his State, he said the high growth was not limited to coastal areas, which were comparatively better off, but also in other parts of the State. The increase in longevity of people was witnessed among tribals too, who accounted for a quarter of the State's population. He also said his State had the maximum number of tribes – 62 – in the country.

Thanking Ms Jayalalithaa for the decision to give land for Odisha Bhavan, Mr Patnaik said the Bhavan would fulfil the long-felt desire of people of his State who were visiting Chennai for various purposes. Debendranath Sarangi, Tamil Nadu Chief Secretary, who hails from Odisha, said even now, the administrative set-up in the southern part of Odisha resembled the administrative hierarchy prevalent in Tamil Nadu. He recalled how Rajendra I, the great son of Rajaraja Chola, came to be known as “Gangaikonda Chola” or the Chola conqueror of the River Ganga after crossing Kalinga (corresponding to the modern Odisha) and Bengal and defeating two local kings.

The Eastern Ganga rulers strengthened their dynasty by marrying Chola princesses. Anantavarma Chodaganga Deva, the grandson of Vijarajendra Chola, began building the great Jagannath temple at Puri at the end of 11 Century. The term Chodaganga alluded to the dynasty's Ganga and Chola heritage, Mr Sarangi said.

Ms Jayalalithaa honoured Aruna Mohanty, renowned Odissi dancer, and Sudarshan Patnaik, sand sculpture specialist, while her Odisha counterpart felicitated Vani Jayaram, musician and Ilayaraja, film music director. Among those who spoke were Khirod Kumar Jena and N. R. Patnaik, president and secretary of the Utkal Association.


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State Resource Centre for the disabled Chief Minister Jayalalithaa said that the government will set up a

State Resource Centre in Chennai, the first of its kind in the country, for the benefit of parents of the differently-abled to help them understand the requirements of their children. She said that to encourage the reading habit among differently-abled children, a separate library will be created in the Coimbatore District Central Library at a cost of Rs. 50 lakh. Ms. Jayalalithaa said her government had been implementing various schemes for the welfare of differently-abled in the State and providing inclusive education to children affected by dyslexia, muscular dystrophy, cerebral palsy, Down Syndrome and autism, depending on the nature and degree of the problem. Exports from Tamil Nadu cross $33.50 billion

Exports from Tamil Nadu, during 2011-2012, crossed $33.50 billion, 26 per cent higher than the previous year's export, according to the Federation of Indian Export Organisations (FIEO). The State's share in 2011-2012 was 11 per cent of the country's exports whereas it was, during 2010-2011, nine per cent with the value of exports being $24.5 billion.

The growth rate registered by the State is higher than the national growth rate of 21 per cent, according to M. Rafeeque Ahmed, president of the FIEO. In a release, the FIEO described the power shortage in the State as a worrying factor. It also stated that as per the Vision 2023 document, investment to the tune of Rs.4.5 lakh crore was envisaged in the energy sector.

Mr. Ahmed expressed the hope that with Chief Minister Jayalalithaa's personal intervention in the energy issue, the sector will show improvement.


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Five MoUs attract Rs.5700 crore investments The State government signed five Memorandums of Understanding

(MoUs) on a single day attracting investments amounting to Rs 5,700 crore for projects that are expected to create 9,530 job opportunities in the manufacturing sector. Announcing this, Chief Minister Jayalalithaa told the Assembly that her government had signed MoUs with Daimler India Commercial Vehicles Private Limited, India Yamaha Motor Limited, Ashok Leyland-Nissan Motor Company Limited, Eicher Motors Limited and Phillips Carbon Black Limited.

Making a suo motu statement, she said Daimler India had signed an MoU during the previous government in 2008 promising Rs. 3,000 crore investment, but had reduced it to Rs 2,000 crore. After the efforts her government took, the company decided to double the investment to Rs 4,000 crore and signed an MoU, she said, emphasising that 3,000 persons would be directly employed at its factory.

India Yamaha Motors Limited has come forward to invest Rs.1,500 crore in a motorcycle factory on 125 acres in the Vallam-Vadagal SIPCOT industrial park in Kancheepuram district. This unit would also provide direct employment to 3,000 persons, and indirect employment to 20,000, Ms. Jayalalithaa said.

The Chief Minister said her government had revived the MoU with Ashok Leyland-Nissan Motor Company Limited, which had promised an investment of Rs 4,150 crore in 2008.

The previous government sanctioned the required land in February 2011, two-and-half years after the original MoU was signed. The project did not take off as the company's demands were not fully met. The project, spread over locations of Hosur, Pillaipakkam, Ennore, Vellivayalchavadi and Oragadam, would provide employment to 3,000 people.

The government has sanctioned 50 acres in the Oragadam SIPCOT industrial park to Eicher Motors Limited, which manufactures Royal Enfield motorcycles. It has committed an investment of Rs.350 crore investments in a factory by signing an MoU, she said.


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The government entered into an MoU with Phillips Carbon Black Limited to manufacture carbon black required for tyres at its proposed unit in Thervoikandigai SIPCOT industrial park. These two projects will create employment opportunities to 580 persons.

Many more proposals from big corporates were being scrutinised by the government, she said, promising more MoUs in the immediate future.

According to the industries policy, the government plans to attract Rs. 20,000 crore of investment in six months. Sathyamangalam to house fourth tiger reserve

Sathyamangalam will be the State's fourth tiger reserve with the government promising to create a new reserve for the big cats spread over 1.40 lakh hectares from the present sanctuary limits.

Replying to the discussion on the demands for grants for the Forest Department, Minister K.T. Pachamal said that the government notified 1,41,161 hectares of reserve forests in Sathyamangalam as a wildlife sanctuary in August 2011.

To protect the sanctuary and the tiger habitat, it decided to create the fourth tiger reserve on 1,40,924 hectares through notification. The State has three tiger reserves in Mudumalai, Anaimalai and Kalakad-Mundanthurai. The tiger count in the State at present is 163 and the number is steadily going up in the Sathyamangalam reserve forests.

A forest research centre would be established at Vandalur Arignar Anna Zoological Park at a cost of Rs.34.24 crore with the State's own funds. This would be expanded with financial assistance from the Centre and upgraded to a Rs.74.37 crore research facility.

A butterfly park would be created near Srirangam at a cost of Rs.8.67 crore on a 10 hectares in the Upper Anicut reserve forest.

To prevent man-animal conflict, Rs.10 crore would be spent in seven districts this year from the allotted Rs.44.13 crore for four years beginning this fiscal. The Chief Minister had given consent for new legislation to prevent the felling of trees in non-forest areas, including government lands such as roadsides. A committee would be formed to ensure that ten trees were planted for every tree cut.


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Yamaha to set up plant near Chennai Two-wheeler manufacturer Yamaha, said that it would be setting

up a factory in Tamil Nadu at an investment of Rs.1,500 crore, which would be made over five years. It also announced that the Yamaha range of scooters would hit the roads this Diwali.

The proposed facility, at an industrial park on the outskirts of Chennai, would have an annual capacity of four lakh units at the start of operations in January 2014. The capacity would be increased in stages to 1.8 million units annually by 2018. The Chennai plant would initially produce scooters. The company, however, would be making a foray into the scooter market with the vehicle manufactured at its factory in Surajpur, Uttar Pradesh. The scooters would be targeted at young women. State to partly fund 500 Hindu pilgrims

Chief Minister Jayalalithaa said that the government will partially fund 500 Hindus from the State undertaking pilgrimage to Manasarovar in China and Muktinath in Nepal.

Making a suo motu statement in the Assembly, she said the government would pay a subsidy of Rs.40,000 each to 250 Hindus selected by the Ministry of External Affairs to visit Manasarovar and Rs.10,000 each to 250 Hindus visiting Muktinath. The journey to Manasarovar costs Rs.1 lakh for an individual and to Mutinath, Rs.25,000.

Ms. Jayalalithaa said she was fulfilling her pre-election promise that a government headed by her would help Christians undertaking pilgrimage to Jerusalem and Hindus going to Manasarovar and Muktinath.

The government had issued orders to aid 500 Christians for their pilgrimage to Jerusalem. Every spiritually-inclined Hindu's wish was to visit Manasarovar (for a view of Mount Kailash) and Muktinath in the Salagram ranges in Nepal.

Thousands undertook pilgrimage to these two holy places, but devotees from the economically weaker sections were finding it difficult to get funds, she said, explaining the reasons behind the government's decision to extend assistance.The Chief Minister said that this was her last announcement under the Assembly Rule 110 of the budget session.


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Committee formed to recruit forest personnel Chief Minister Jayalalithaa announced in the Assembly that a

committee has been formed to recruit forest personnel as and when vacancies arise for the posts of forester, forest guard and forest watcher. She said that it was essential to fill vacant posts at the field level in the Forest Department. Similar to the recruitment procedures followed by the Tamil Nadu Uniformed Services Recruitment Board to select personnel for police service, the Tamil Nadu Forest Uniformed Services Recruitment Committee would recruit forest personnel at the State level.

According to activists, a forest recruitment panel will bring in young blood to the department. At present, persons aged above 45 are being appointed as field-level staff and are unable to trek the tough terrain for conservation and anti-poaching activities. The move, they say, will also prevent corruption in the recruitment of forest staff.

She also said that the government will take up the plantation of teak on about 19,000 hectares at a cost of Rs.39.49 crore to meet the domestic need and to improve the government revenue. In 2003-04, during her previous rule, the government spent Rs.21.39 crore on teak plantation on 16,075 hectares in five districts. About Rs.3.60 crore would be spent on maintenance of these plantations.

A new zoological park would be formed on about 22.5 hectares near the Udhayagiri Fort at Kalkulam in Kanyakumari district at a cost of Rs.15 crore. It would house 26 wildlife species. The government would construct the headquarters of the Tamil Nadu Biodiversity Conservation and Greening Project at Velachery at a cost of Rs.7 crore.

The Tamil Nadu Forest Plantation Corporation would spend Rs.9.33 crore to create pulp wood farms on about 4,500 hectares this year and cashew farms on 800 acres with an outlay of Rs.2.26 crore. The government would spend Rs.40 lakh this year on improving infrastructure facilities to provide basic amenities to plantation workers, mostly Sri Lankan repatriates, in TANTEA plantations.


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Singapore keen on tie-up with TN Government Enthused by the ‘Vision 2023' document of the State government,

Singapore and its investors are keen to identify opportunities to collaborate with Tamil Nadu and its private sector in implementing some of the mega projects. Singapore's Minister In the Prime Minister's Office and Second Minister for Trade and Industry as well as Home, S. Eswaran called on Finance Minister O. Paneerselvam and a team of State officials to discuss the scope and potential for investment in Tamil Nadu. To start with, Singapore is jointly developing a massive 1500-acre industrial township project in partnership with Japanese investors. Ascendas, a Singapore-based company, is involved in developing this $ 800 million project, which will result in job creation for about 2,00,000 people. In addition to industries and housing, the township will also provide for skills training.

Mr. Eswaran said in an interview that the township project also fitted into Tamil Nadu's Vision 2023, which envisaged the development of satellite towns and international cities. He said the document had tremendous potential for Singapore investors. In the course of the day, he met with a cross-section of industrialists in the State to hear from them the economic situation and potential in Tamil Nadu, as also the avenues and opportunities for collaboration with the City State. Infrastructure sector in general, with a focus on urban planning, power and water supply were areas in which Singapore was interested. U.S. committed to helping TN realise its goal: Powell

U.S. Ambassador to India Nancy J. Powell said that the United States is committed to helping Tamil Nadu realise its goal of achieving 11 per cent growth in its Gross State Domestic Product over the next 10 years to put the State on a par with upper middle income countries in South East Asia. She said that the United States was committed to working with progressive States such as Tamil Nadu, Karnataka, Haryana, Rajasthan and Gujarat, which presented an “incredible opportunity” for US businesses of every size to enter this market. She also said that Tamil Nadu is home to major American companies in almost every economic sector. These companies have created hundreds of thousands of direct and indirect jobs in the State. Moving forward, the U.S. is committed to working with progressive leaders to reduce barriers to trade and investment and strengthen mutually beneficial economic relationship between two countries.


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State to focus on palace and temple tours Tamil Nadu Tourism will focus on FAM (familiarisation), farm and

palace and temple (PAT) tours with the objective of attracting more tourists into the State and making them to stay longer.

Though Tamil Nadu has large number of tourist attractions spots like its southern counterparts, the tourists prefer well known destinations, while skipping lesser known places. Hence, the department is making a conscious attempt to spread the tourists to different location to reduce the burden on places such as Kodaikanal, Udhagamandalam, Rameswaram and Madurai.

Currently, the State ranks second in number of foreign tourists arrival into the State and third in domestic arrivals. New initiatives are planned to top the list by providing more facilities to the pilgrims. Last year, the State received 33.08 lakh foreign tourists against 28.04 lakh in the previous year.

With a view to popularising lesser known places, FAM tours would be conducted for travel writers and tour operators. Apart from availing the help of charter flight operators and cruise operators, the officials would take part in the World Travel Mart in London in November 2012 and International Tourism Bourse in March 2013.

Marketing meets are planned in Switzerland, Netherlands and France in co-ordination with Indian Tourism Development Corporation to highlight the State's potential through aggressive publicity and marketing campaigns.

As part of its strategy to attract more number of domestic tourists, the department has started focusing on the unexplored areas in and around Pollachi and Thanjavur, where a large number of private farm houses have come up over the years to attract members of film fraternity. The absence of polluting industries in Pollachi and Thanjavur is sufficient to attract tourists.

Last year, the State received 13.68 crore domestic tourists compared to 10.30 crore in the previous year. During this year, road shows will be held in Gujarat, Maharashtra, West Bengal, Rajasthan and Uttar Pradesh.


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Samsung will set its “Wheels of Hope” campaign rolling in TN Electronics major Samsung will roll out its ‘Wheels of Hope'

campaign to initiate underprivileged children into the digital experience across Tamil Nadu in July. The digital learning initiative will feature visits by a Samsung team in a mobile van to rural centres where children would get their first feel of new technology devices and the magic of the Internet by experiencing every gadget in the company's showcase — tablets, laptops and netbooks.

Samsung will also leverage its partnership with NGOs — Smile Foundation and AID India — for the Project Hope that focusses on providing education to underprivileged children for expanding the scope of its reach. Project Hope, which was rolled out in 2009 for the Indian market, targets touching the lives of an estimated 40,000 children in 100 villages across Tamil Nadu this year.

Under the initiative, which seeks to move the access point for basic education right to the habitat of the learner, Samsung delivers the learning material and funds the costs while the NGOs arrange the tuition centre and the tutor. Students are split into batches of kindergarten, middle or senior school are taught mathematics, English and science. The programme also evaluates the extent to which the student has benefited at the end of each academic year. Dalits, major beneficiaries of free goats/sheep scheme

The implementation of schemes involving the distribution of goats/sheep and milch cows has thrown up several interesting social indicators to the pleasant surprise of authorities.

One of the flagship schemes of the present government is to provide goats/sheep and milch cows free to the rural poor. While the distribution of goats/sheep is being done in all districts barring Chennai, the scheme for the cows is implemented in 21 milk deficient districts.

Last year, one lakh women beneficiaries were covered under the goats/sheep scheme and 12,000 under the cows scheme. During 2012-2013, the respective figures are 1.5 lakh and 12,000.

Against the norm that 30 per cent of beneficiaries should belong to Scheduled Castes/Scheduled Tribes, the coverage has been around 41 per cent. Against the total target of one lakh beneficiaries for goats/sheep during 2011-2012, 41,902 beneficiaries were SC/STs, of whom SCs accounted for 39,841.

Similarly, in the case of milch cows, against the targeted 12,000 beneficiaries, 4,874 were SC/STs, of whom 4,756 were SCs, according to sources in the Animal Husbandry Department.

As for goats/sheep scheme, around 52 per cent of beneficiaries in Nagapattinam district are from SCs, while the district has nearly 30 per cent SC population as per the 2001 census.

Villupuram, another district having a high presence of the SC population (about 27 per cent), accounts for 37 per cent of beneficiaries.


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About one-third of beneficiaries in Dharmapuri, which has about 15 per cent SC population, is from the SCs. Against the SCs' share of one-fifth of the total Dindigul population, the community accounts for about 41 per cent of beneficiaries in the district.

In respect of STs, their share in the Villupuram population is about 2.1 per cent whereas 4.4 per cent of the beneficiaries is from the community. Likewise, in Namakkal having 3.4 per cent ST population, about 3.7 per cent of the beneficiaries belongs to the STs.

A similar trend can be seen in the case of distribution of milch cows too. For instance, 53.4 per cent of beneficiaries in Cuddalore is SCs against the community's share of 28 per cent in the overall district population.

In Namakkal, the community accounts for 72 per cent of the beneficiaries. About 46 per cent of the beneficiaries in Thanjavur belongs to the SCs, who constitute 18 per cent of the population in the district. Around one-third of the beneficiaries in Virudhunagar are from the community. A large number of widows and destitute women have also benefited. As many as 25,159 widows and destitute have been chosen under the scheme of goats/sheep distribution, representing about 25 per cent of the total number of beneficiaries. In the case of the milch cow scheme, this segment accounts for 2,056, about 17 per cent of the overall beneficiaries.

Similarly, 1,774 differently abled persons have been given goats/sheep and 181 such persons milch cows.

In respect of transgenders, 35 such persons have benefited under the goats/sheep scheme and four persons under the cows scheme.

An official says the department has put in a mechanism wherein all beneficiaries are monitored unobtrusively after being given the animals. At periodical intervals, de-worming and vaccination are being administered.

FREE DISTRIBUTION OF GOATS/SHEEPS AND MILCH COWS: SOCIAL INDICATORS OF BENEFICIARIES IN SELECT DISTRICT

Goats/Sheeps Milch Cows District SC ST Wid Dest DA SC ST Wid Dest DA Villupuram 2449 291 568 1046 45 490 13 125 152 12 Cuddalore 1815 43 642 126 408 481 2 79 26 88 Dindigul 1658 22 1103 220 42 59 13 44 15 2 Nagapattinam 1630 2 1506 142 141 339 --- 236 28 25 Thanjavur 1515 --- 1196 217 57 277 --- 95 9 3 Namakkal 1406 107 438 101 41 72 --- 14 4 4 Virudhunagar 1216 --- 464 67 19 176 --- 55 15 3 Dharmapuri 1064 102 582 192 --- 35 --- 18 6 --- Note: SC: Scheduled Castes, ST: Scheduled Tribes, Wid: Widows, Dest: Destitute, DA: Differently Abled


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