Abdul Aziz (56), popularly known as the ‘Statue Man’, is a popular figure in Tamil Nadu. Standing stationary at the entrance of the VGP theme park, he has attracted the attention of lakhs of visitors over the past 35 years. He is one among many entertainers struggling without a regular income ever since the lockdown was imposed in March.
READ | After 37 years, pandemic may make Chennai’s famous ‘statue man’ move on
Having started his career as early as 1985 at the VGP Universal Kingdom Theme Park in Chennai, Aziz is now thinking of quitting and looking for other sources of income.
Also Read | About 40% school syllabus reduced in Tamil Nadu for 2020-21: Education Minister
The findings of a CB-CID probe into the PM Kisan scheme scam in Tamil Nadu suggest that fraudulent elements, most of them backed by local politicians, looted money from several other welfare schemes too.
READ | Tamil Nadu: Not just PM-Kisan, fraudsters may have targeted other schemes too
The investigators have also found that some listed beneficiaries, including poor farmers and farm labourers, did not receive any money and had not even heard about the scheme. The fraudsters, the probe found, collected documents from them to create bank accounts in their names without their knowledge.
The Greater Chennai Police has released a list of the names and contact numbers of officerswho will be carrying out night patrols in 12 districts in Chennai. The officers will carry out the patrols from 11 pm to 6 am and can be reached in case of any emergencies.
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A total of 3037 people have succumbed to COVID-19 in Chennai across all 15 zones of the city till date.
Here are the deaths in the top 10 zones in Chennai:
The DMK on Saturday announced a meeting of its allies in Chennai on September 21 to deliberate on the next course of action over farm bills that were adopted by the Lok Sabha, alleging these would lead to hoarding of agricultural produce by corporates. The bills would "lead to hoarding of farm produce by the corporates and adversely affect the support price," DMK chief M K Stalin alleged adding, farmers were protesting across the country since the move by the Centre was "against" them.
Stalin hit out at the AIADMK for supporting the Centre on the issue and mocked Chief Minister Edappadi K Palaniswami for claiming to be a farmer and yet backing the bills. The AIADMK regime's support "proved" that it was "subservient" to the Centre, Stalin alleged in a letter to party cadres.
The meeting of allies, scheduled to be held at "Anna Arivalayam" on Monday will be chaired by party president Stalin. The Congress, Viduthalai Chiruthaigal Katchi, the Indian Union Muslim League and the Left parties are among the allies of the DMK.
Stalin, accusing the AIADMK of "talking lies in a high pitch", said the ruling party's "drama" would end in about six months with the Assembly elections scheduled for next year (April-May), and exuded confidence of his party capturing power. Stalin had on Friday said the new bills would sound a "death knell" to farmers.
A total of 1,40,633 people have recovered from COVID-19 in Chennai till date. Recoveries have crossed 15,000 in two of the city's 15 zones. Anna Nagar (Zone 8) leads the tally with 15,851 recoveries followed by Kodambakkam (Zone 10) with 15,767 recoveries.
Here are the recoveries in the top 10 zones in Chennai:
Tamil Nadu Chief Minister K Palaniswami and Deputy Chief Minister O Panneerselvam have an excellent understanding similar to what was seen between Lord Rama and his brother Lakshmana, Revenue Minister R B Udhayakumar said here on Saturday.
The duo were leading the party with military-like discipline, he told reporters answering a question on Friday’s party meet vis-a-vis claims of differences on some issues between the top two leaders.
Both the leaders have about 1.5 crore cadres bound by love and they were taking along everybody with a motherly affection, he said.
Tamil Nadu Chief Minister K Palaniswami and Deputy Chief Minister O Panneerselvam have an excellent understanding similar to what was seen between Lord Rama and his brother Lakshmana, Revenue Minister R B Udhayakumar said here on Saturday.
The duo were leading the party with military-like discipline, he told reporters answering a question on Friday’s party meet vis-a-vis claims of differences on some issues between the top two leaders.
Both the leaders have about 1.5 crore cadres bound by love and they were taking along everybody with a motherly affection, he said.
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The findings of a CB-CID probe into the PM Kisan scheme scam in Tamil Nadu suggest that fraudulent elements, most of them backed by local politicians, looted money from several other welfare schemes too.
The investigators have also found that some listed beneficiaries, including poor farmers and farm labourers, did not receive any money and had not even heard about the scheme. The fraudsters, the probe found, collected documents from them to create bank accounts in their names without their knowledge.
During the lockdown, a senior officer investigating the case said, “loan fests” were organised by local leaders of political parties, including BJP and the ruling AIADMK. At these events, people were promised loans and financial benefits from the state and central governments.
Read more
Chennai Metro Rail Limited (CMRL) has introduced electric bikes at three stations in Chennai. The bikes will be available for passengers at Thirumangalam, Vadapalani and Alandur stations.
Passengers can use the 'Howdy Hire Bikes' app to reserve a scooter and select their pick-up and drop hubs. The hubs will be made available every 500 metres from the stations. A QR code of the bike needs to be scanned for locking, unlocking, starting and pausing the ride.
Passengers will be charged Rs. 3 per kilometre and 10 paise per minute. While the first ride will be free, the next five rides will be made available at a discount of 50 per cent.
Keeping in mind COVID-19 precautions, the bikes and helmets will be sanitised after every ride and are coated with an anti--microbial solution to provide protection against droplets.
Chennai has 9946 active cases as of Saturday. The city has less than 10he to,000 for the first time ever since the first pandemic broke out in Chennai.
Here are the active cases in the top 10 zones in Chennai:
Abdul Aziz (56), better known as the ‘Statue Man’, is a popular figure in Chennai. Standing stationary at the entrance of the city’s VGP Universal Kingdom Theme Park, he has attracted lakhs of visitors over the past more than three decades.
Having started his career at the park way back in 1985, Aziz is now thinking of quitting. Like many entertainers, Aziz is struggling to survive ever since the lockdown was imposed in March.
“Owing to the lockdown, the company is closed. I am still employed there, but I am not going to work since February. When I enquired with the management, they said they are likely to reopen the park from October 1. That is not confirmed, though. The last payment I received was in March. In April, I was given half the salary, but for the last five months, there has been no payment. I am forced to sell things to survive. None of the old staff working there have been paid in this lockdown period,” he said.
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The Madras High Court Friday declined to initiate contempt proceedings against actor Suriya for his comments on the Supreme Court’s decision to allow the National Eligibility cum Entrance Test (NEET) during the Covid-19 pandemic.
The principal bench observed that the actor’s remarks do not amount to contempt or a level of criminal contempt but termed them “absolutely unnecessary”.
“It would be prudent on the part of the individuals to carefully frame their minds and express themselves that may not cross the borders of any fair and just criticism. On the other hand, it is not the job of a constitutional Court to use a sledgehammer for avoidance of something which can be perceived to be not capable of even being propped up as a contempt, much less debated to the level of a criminal contempt. This matter, therefore, in our judicious discretion does not deserve to be pursued further and we entirely agree with opinions expressed by the Advocate General,” the court said.
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Tangedco has announced a powercut in parts of Chennai from 9 am to 2 pm today to carry out maintenance work.
Here are the affected areas:
About 40 per cent of the syllabus for school students in Tamil Nadu has been reduced for this academic year based an expert committee’s recommendation in the backdrop of COVID-19 pandemic, School Education Minister K A Sengottaiyan said on Friday.
The 18-member panel, set up to look into reducing the syllabus for the 2020-21 academic year in view of closure of schools due to COVID-19, submitted its report last month and based on this, 40 per cent of the syllabus had been cut, he said.
Speaking to reporters at Nambiyur in Gobichettipalayam after launching developmental projects for Rs 2.40 crore, Sengottaiyan said the revised State Board syllabus would help students to face any type of competitive examination conducted by the Central government.
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Officials at the Chennai International Airport announced on Friday that the e-pass system, which was available at the airport for passengers, has been withdrawn. Earlier, passengers travelling to Chennai could either obtain an e-pass on the Tamil Nadu E-pass Portal or at a counter at the airport.
From Friday, passengers travelling to Chennai will have to obtain the e-pass from the state portal.
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Tamil Nadu recorded 5,488 positive cases of COVID-19 on Friday, bringing the state tally to 5,30,908. Among these, Chennai reported 989 positive cases, bringing the city’s total to 1,53,616.
Besides Chennai, 265 cases were reported in Chengalpattu, 151 in Kancheepuram, 258 in Thiruvallur, 33 in Ariyalur, 543 in Coimbatore, 254 in Cuddalore, 106 in Dharmapuri, 88 in Dindigul, 118 in Erode, 91 in Kallakurichi, 115 in Kanyakumari, 68 in Karur, 50 in Krishnagiri, 82 in Madurai, 80 in Nagapattinam, 108 in Namakkal, 72 in Nilgiris, 11 in Perambalur, 123 in Pudukottai, 31 in Ramanathapuram, 53 in Ranipet, 288 in Salem, 38 in Sivagangai, 97 in Tenkasi, 162 in Thanjavur, 67 in Theni, 81 in Thirupathur, 148 in Thiruvannamalai, 101 in Thiruvarur, 90 in Thoothukudi, 104 in Tirunelveli, 187 in Tiruppur, 136 in Trichy, 118 in Vellore, 139 in Villupuram and 39 in Virudhunagar districts.
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Tamil Nadu recorded 5,488 positive cases of COVID-19 on Friday, bringing the state tally to 5,30,908. Among these, Chennai reported 989 positive cases, bringing the city’s total to 1,53,616.
Tamil Nadu recorded 67 deaths on Friday, putting the state toll at 8685. 60 of them had succumbed due to comorbidities. The state discharged 5525 patients following treatment yesterday, putting the total number of recoveries at 4,75,717.
As of Friday, the number of active COVID-19 cases in Tamil Nadu is 46,506. Till date, 3,19,939 males, 2,10,939 females and 30 transgenders have tested positive for the virus in the state.
According to a bulletin released by the Health and Family Welfare Department of Tamil Nadu, 63,03,466 samples from the state have been sent for testing till date, with 85,543 samples having been sent yesterday.
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Good morning!
Welcome to the live blog from Chennai where we bring to you the latest updates on COVID-19, lockdown in Tamil Nadu and more across Chennai and Tamil Nadu. Follow the blog to stay up to date with the state in real time.
Tamil Nadu Chief Minister Edappadi K Palaniswami on Friday asked the Centre to allot 10,000 seats under the 'India BPO Promotion Scheme' to the state, citing the success of the scheme. The scheme is synchronous with the state government's vision for creating employment in the rural areas, he said.
In a letter to Union IT Minister Ravi Shankar Prasad, Palaniswami said the scheme has been successful in Tamil Nadu, resulting in providing 7,705 seats in Software Technology Parks of India (STPI), Chennai jurisdiction (including 7,605 seats in Tamil Nadu and 100 seats in the Union Territory of Puducherry) to the BPO industry in the region.
"This has resulted in creating direct employment of 8,387 people and indirect jobs for 16,774. The success rate of the scheme in Tamil Nadu in terms of commencement of operation is more than 93 per cent," the Chief Minister said in the letter. The scheme led to the setting up of 51 India Business Process Outsourcing (BPO) Promotion Scheme (IBPS) units in 13 tier-II and tier-III cities of Tamil Nadu and is "synchronous with the government of Tamil Nadu vision for creating employment in the rural areas," he said.
"In view of the tremendous success of this scheme in Tamil Nadu, I request you to allot 10,000 seats under the India BPO Promotion Scheme to Tamil Nadu," Palaniswami said. The scheme has provided viability gap funding for setting up 48,300 seats with a total outlay of Rs 493 crore across the country, he added.
The Madras High Court Friday declined to initiate contempt proceedings against actor Suriya for his comments on the Supreme Court’s decision to allow the National Eligibility cum Entrance Test (NEET) during the Covid-19 pandemic.
The principal bench observed that the actor’s remarks do not amount to contempt or a level of criminal contempt but termed them “absolutely unnecessary”.
“It would be prudent on the part of the individuals to carefully frame their minds and express themselves that may not cross the borders of any fair and just criticism. On the other hand, it is not the job of a constitutional Court to use a sledgehammer for avoidance of something which can be perceived to be not capable of even being propped up as a contempt, much less debated to the level of a criminal contempt. This matter, therefore, in our judicious discretion does not deserve to be pursued further and we entirely agree with opinions expressed by the Advocate General,” the court said.
Read more
Abdul Aziz (56), popularly known as the ‘Statue Man’, is a popular figure in Tamil Nadu. Standing stationary at the entrance of the VGP theme park, he has attracted the attention of lakhs of visitors over the past 35 years. He is one among many entertainers struggling without a regular income ever since the lockdown was imposed in March.
Having started his career as early as 1985 at the VGP Universal Kingdom Theme Park in Chennai, Aziz is now thinking of quitting and looking for other sources of income,
“Owing to the lockdown, the company is closed. I am still employed there, but I am not going to work since February. When I enquired with the management, they said they are likely to reopen the park from October 1. That is not confirmed, though. The last payment I received was in March. In April, I was given half the salary, but for the last five months, there has been no payment. I am forced to sell things to survive. None of the old staff working there have been paid in this lockdown period,” he said.
Read more
The Tamil Nadu Uniformed Service Recruitment Board (TNUSRB) has released a recruitment notification inviting interested and eligible candidates to apply for the posts of constables, jail warden and firemen. There are over 10,000 (10,908) vacant posts, and the candidates can apply through the website- tnusrbonline.org.
The application process for the vacancies will be opened on September 26, and the candidates can apply through the website till October 26. The recruitment exam will be held on December 23.
Read more
The findings of a CB-CID probe into the PM Kisan scheme scam in Tamil Nadu suggest that fraudulent elements, most of them backed by local politicians, looted money from several other welfare schemes too.
The investigators have also found that some listed beneficiaries, including poor farmers and farm labourers, did not receive any money and had not even heard about the scheme. The fraudsters, the probe found, collected documents from them to create bank accounts in their names without their knowledge.
During the lockdown, a senior officer investigating the case said, “loan fests” were organised by local leaders of political parties, including BJP and the ruling AIADMK. At these events, people were promised loans and financial benefits from the state and central governments.
Read more
Top star Rajinikanth on Thursday wished a fan, who is being treated for COVID-19 and another ailment, a speedy recovery.
In an audio message to his fan, the ‘superstar’ said, “Murali. I am Rajinikanth speaking. Nothing will happen to you. Be bold. I am praying to God. You will recover soon and come back home. After you get well, please visit me with your family. Be courageous. I will pray for you. Live long!”
The actor’s message follows a post on a social media platform by the fan in which he expressed apprehensions about his recovery and a probability of not being able to work for the actor in the event of him launching a political party.
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A total of 124 flights will be operated between Chennai and major cities, with 62 arrivals and 62 departures scheduled at the Chennai International Airport.
Tangedco has announced a powercut in parts of Chennai today from 9 am to 2 pm to carry out maintenance work.
Here are the affected areas:
Tamil Nadu reported 5560 new Covid-19 cases on Thursday with 992 cases being reported from Chennai alone. The overall tally stood at 5,25,420.
On Thursday, apart from Chennai, 530 cases were reported in Coimbatore, 291 in Salem, 283 in Chengalpet and 239 in Thiruvallur. A total of 18 districts reported less than 1000 cases on Thursday.
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Tamil Nadu reported 5560 new Covid-19 cases on Thursday with 992 cases being reported from Chennai alone. The overall tally stood at 5,25,420.
With 59 deaths in the past 24 hours, the toll has reached 8,618. With as many as 5,524 persons having been discharged, the recoveries have now increased to 4,70,192.
According to the media bulletin by the Tamil Nadu Health and Family Welfare Department, 46,610 cases are active in the state. A total of 84,524 samples have been tested on Thursday and 62,17,923 samples have been tested till date.
So far 22,321 children below the age of 12 and 68418 above 60 years have tested positive for Covid-19 in Tamil Nadu.
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Good morning!
Welcome to the live blog from Chennai where we bring to you the latest updates on COVID-19, lockdown in Tamil Nadu and more across Chennai and Tamil Nadu. Follow the blog to stay up to date with the state in real time.