In probably the first of its kind, a group of transgenders opened a restaurant in the RS Puram area near Coimbatore in Tamil Nadu. The ‘Covai Trans Kitchen’ is run by a group of 10 transgenders and can seat 32 people at once.
Speaking to Indianexpress.com, Coimbatore District Transgender Association president Sangeetha said many of their community members had lost jobs due to Covid-19 and this pushed them to start something of their own.
READ | ‘Trans-kitchen’ in Coimbatore woos diners with biryani and more
The restaurant staff had even undergone training in catering service at CSI Bishop Appasamy College of Arts and Science.
The Tamil Nadu government has discovered a scam amounting to over Rs 110 crore in the PM-Kisan Scheme, with money withdrawn fraudulently online with the help of government officials and local-level politicians. Initial estimates show nearly five-and-a-half lakh people may have benefited as advantage was taken of clearance norms being relaxed after the Covid-19 lockdown began.
READ | PM-Kisan norms eased for Covid, TN probes Rs 110 crore fraud, 18 held
Principal Secretary Gagandeep Singh Bedi said they first noticed the unusually high number of beneficiaries being added to the scheme in August, especially from 13 districts. While 18 people, all ‘agents’ or ‘brokers’, have been arrested, 80-odd officials associated with agricultural schemes have been dismissed and 34 officials suspended, Bedi said. The suspended officials include three assistant directors of the Agriculture Department.
The Tamil Nadu government is against the National Eligibility-cum- EntranceTest (NEET) and has been urging the Centre to exempt the state from the test, School Education Minister K A Sengottiyan said on Saturday. The Minister's statement comes on a day when a 19-year-old girl died by alleged suicide in Madurai, apparently 'apprehensive' over NEET.
Speaking to reporters at Gobichettipalayam, the Minister said Chief Minister Edappadi K Palaniswami has requested the central government to exempt students from the state from writing the exam.
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Despite the opposition from the government, NEET will be conducted on September 13 in 238 centres and 1,17,990 candidates are appearing for the test, he said.
A 19 year-old medical aspirant died of alleged suicide in Madurai on Saturday, apparently 'apprehensive' over the National Entrance cum Eligibility Test (NEET), police said. The victim, identified as Jothisri Durga, was found hanging at her residence and a purported suicide note left behind by her said she was 'apprehensive' though others had high 'hopes' on her, they said.
PMK MP Dr Anbumani Ramadoss, whose party is NDA constituent, condoled the student's death and expressed his sympathies with her family. "#SayNoToNEET #BanNEET," the PMK Youth Wing leader tweeted. His father and party founder Dr S Ramadoss also called for scrapping the exam.
MDMK founder and Rajya Sabha MP Vaiko slammed the BJP-led Centre, saying suicides of students in the state was happening due to the "imposition" of NEET on them. Recalling various instances of suicides by students in Tamil Nadu, including that of Anita which had sparked an outrage in the state, Vaiko alleged that despite their high class XII scores, students from the poorer sections were 'filtered' in NEET and their medical dreams 'destroyed.'
Amma Makkal Munnetra Kazhagam leader and independent legislator, TTV Dhinakaran expressed anguish over Durga's death.
A 19 year-old medical aspirant died of alleged suicide in Madurai on Saturday, apparently 'apprehensive' over the National Entrance cum Eligibility Test (NEET), police said. The victim, identified as Jothisri Durga, was found hanging at her residence and a purported suicide note left behind by her said she was 'apprehensive' though others had high 'hopes' on her, they said.
The death, which comes days after another medical aspirant in Ariyalur in the state allegedly committed suicide, drew sharp responses from Tamil Nadu political parties opposed to NEET, even as Deputy Chief Minister O Panneerselvam of the ruling AIADMK expressed shock over the incident.
In a tweet, Panneerselvam expressed grief over such incidents concerning the students, who are the "pillars of future." "Students should learn to face any situation with guts and parents should aid them in this," he tweeted.
DMK chief Stalin expressed shock over the suicide but said killing oneself was not the solution. "We can realise from the death of Anitha (a medical aspirant who died of suicide in 2017) to Jothisri Durga that NEET is severely affecting students," he said in a tweet. "I repeat, suicide is not a solution; NEET is not an exam at all. #BanNeet_SaveTNStudents," he added.
The lockdown forced people to largely remain within the confines of their homes, but it was life as usual for birds and a good number of them were sighted by bird watchers in Chennai and in other parts of Tamil Nadu. At least 80 bird species in June and about 83 in July were spotted in the Pallikaranai Marsh, the last remaining wetland in the city, which also attracts migratory birds, according to the Tamil Nadu Forest department.
Apart from breeding residents, the biodiversity rich area attracts a good number of winter visitors. The migratory bird season at Pallikaranai usually begins with the onset of the North East monsoon in October. Some of the resident bird species include Purple Swamphen, Common Moorhen, Pheasant-tailed Jacana, Purple Heron, Black-Winged Stilt, Common Coot, Indian Spot-Billed Duck, Spot-Billed Pelican and Pied Kingfisher.
Members of the Salem Ornithological Foundation (SOF) have recorded 81 endemic bird species in the city in western Tamil Nadu during the COVID-19 lockdown. Asian Koel, Cattle Egret, Red-vented Bulbul, common Myna and Yellow billed Babbler were among the birds spotted in Salem.
A businessman in Tamil Nadu installed a life-size statue of his wife who died recently and the images of the sculpture are being widely shared on social media.
Sethuraman, a businessman from Madurai, had to deal with the death of his wife Pitchaimaniammal recently. But just a month after her demise, the septuagenarian unveiled the statute which he reportedly got made to fill the void in his life. The statue of his wife sitting on a chair was brought to the house just in time for the rituals that were to be conducted after her demise.
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Top leaders of DMK and PMK, MK Stalin and S Ramadoss, on Saturday condoled the death of social activist Swami Agnivesh. The 80 year-old activist, suffering from liver cirrhosis for a long time had died of multi-organ failure at a Delhi hospital on Friday.
Heaping praises on the deceased activist, DMK chief M K Stalin described him as social reformer who struggled against issues like bonded labour and female infanticide. "Despite being attacked by communal forces many times, he remained steadfast on his policies," Stalin said in a statement. He recalled Swami Agnivesh meeting him in Chennai in December 2018 and said his demise was a "big loss" to the country and condoled the latter's death.
PMK founder S Ramadoss mourned the death of his 'friend', Swami Agnivesh and said he was supportive of the party's stand against alcohol and smoking. He had joined the PMK's protests on these issues in Delhi and Tamil Nadu, Ramadoss said in a statement. His demise was a "great loss", he added.
DK leader K Veeramani also condoled Swami Agnivesh's death.
Chennai has 10,879 active cases of COVID-19 across all 15 zones in the city as of Saturday.
Here are the active cases in the top 10 zones in Chennai:
The ‘Plastic Wall’ project in Tamil Nadu’s Nilgiris district will soon be turned into a solid wall using a Gabion mesh, as per a new experiment by the municipality. The Plastic Wall – a project which was kick-started on June 5, 2020, on the occasion of ‘World Environment Day’ – is now 26.75 meters with at least 12000 kg plastic waste (non-saleable and non-recyclable).
The Coonoor municipality is now planning to cover it with a Gabion mesh so that it is fire and waterproof and can help in preventing landslides that are frequent in the area.
Talking about the Plastic Wall, PM Malamurugan, sanitary Inspector at the Coonoor municipality, said, “Normally, we build walls with bricks, but these are built by soiled and other non-recyclable waste particles. Our Municipal Health Officer J Ragunathan suggested this idea. Plastics take approximately 120 years to decompose, so we thought why shouldn’t we experiment with this.” “There are a few areas we need to work, if we can get all things right, this can be a long term solution,” he added.
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Over one crore people have travelled in city buses since the Tamil Nadu government resumed public transport services from September 1, the Metropolitan Transport Corporation (MTC) said on Friday.
The MTC said a revenue of over Rs. 10 crore has been collected in the last 10 days by operating more than 2,400 buses daily. According to a release from the MTC, about 1.01 crore commuters have travelled in its operated buses since September 1.
About six lakh people had travelled on day one of service and gradually the numbers increased. Owing to the increase in patronage, the corporation enhanced its services covering the areas catered by the suburban train service which has been temporarily suspended to prevent the spread of COVID-19.
The MTC has been operating more long-distance bus services from Chengalpet, Guduvanchery, Tambaram, Minjur, Ambattur and Avadi.
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AIADMK founder and former Chief Minister M G Ramachandran’s nephew M C Chandran, who was undergoing treatment for coronavirus died Friday, said the AIADMK. The 75-year-old, who was the son of MGR’s elder brother M G Chakrapani was being treated at Rajiv Gandhi Government General hospital in Chennai for COVID-19.
“We were grieved to learn that he has passed away not responding to the treatment,” Tamil Nadu Chief Minister Edappadi K Palaniswami and Deputy Chief Minister O Panneerselvam said in a party release. Extending condolences to the bereaved family, the top party leaders said they prayed to the Almighty to rest his soul in peace and give the family the strength to bear the loss and grief.
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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:
A total of 113 flights will be operated between Chennai and major cities today, with 57 arrivals and 56 departures scheduled at the Chennai International Airport.
As many as 24,354 passengers travelled via metro in Chennai since services resumed on September 7, said a statement from CMRL. More than 24,000 passengers used the Metro train services as of Wednesday since operations resumed on September 7. On the opening day, 5,033 passengers used the metro services.
A total of 18,769 passengers travelled using Smart Card ticketing system and 637 utilised the QR code ticketing system till September 9, a CMRL release on Thursday said.
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The Southern Railway on Monday announced that two more special trains, Chennai Central – New Delhi – Chennai Central Superfast Express Special (Daily) and Chennai Central – Chhapra – Chennai Central Superfast Express Special (Bi-weekly) will resume operations from September 12.
Reservation of tickets for the two special trains began from September 10 at 8 am.
In a bid to minimise the spread of COVID-19 and encourage contactless ticketing, Chennai Metro Rail Limited (CMRL) has extended a 20 per cent discount on QR code ticketing for single journeys, return journeys, group and QR trips passes from Friday.
The discount aims to encourage QR code ticketing system among passengers and avoid queuing at metro ticket counters.
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Tamil Nadu recorded 5519 positive cases of COVID-19 on Friday, bringing the state tally to 4,91,571. The state recorded 77 deaths, putting the state toll at 8231.
As of Friday, the number of active COVID-19 cases in Tamil Nadu is 47,918. Till date, 2,96,478 males, 1,95,064 females and 29 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, 57,15,216 samples from the state have been sent for testing till date, with 84,893 samples having been sent today.
The state discharged 6006 patients following treatment today, putting the total number of recoveries at 4,35,422.
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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.
AIADMK founder and former Chief Minister M G Ramachandran's nephew M C Chandran, who was undergoing treatment for coronavirus succumbed to the illness on Friday, the party said. The AIADMK said 75-year old Chandran is the son of MGR's elder brother M G Chakrapani and was being treated at Rajiv Gandhi Government General hospital in Chennai for COVID-19.
"We were grieved to learn that he has passed away not responding to the treatment," AIADMK's coordinator and co-coordinator, O Panneerselvam and Edappadi K Palaniswami said in a party release.
Extending condolences to the bereaved family, the top party leaders said they prayed to the Almighty to rest his soul in peace and give the family the strength to bear the loss and grief.
Amma Makkal Munnetra Kazhagam chief TTV Dhinakaran was among others who condoled Chandran's death.
Singer-composer AR Rahman has been issued a notice by the Madra High Court in connection with a case filed against him by the Income Tax Department. Rahman, allegedly, routed an income of over Rs 3 crore through his charitable trust, AR Rahman Foundation, to evade tax.
According to T R Senthil Kumar, the senior standing counsel for the income tax department, the Oscar-winning music composer received an income of Rs 3.47 crore in the financial year 2011-12 for composing exclusive ringtones for a UK based telecom company. The contract lasted for three-years where Rahman asked the company to make the payment directly to his charitable trust, AR Rahman Foundation.
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In a sign of increasing patronage, as many as 24,354 passengers travelled in the Metrorail in Chennai since services resumed, authorities have said. More than 24,000 passengers used the Metro train services as of Wednesday since operations resumed on September 7. On the opening day, 5,033 passengers used the metro services.
A total of 18,769 passengers travelled using Smart Card ticketing system and 637 utilised the QR code ticketing system till September 9, a CMRL release on Thursday said.
"As part of encouraging contactless ticketing measure to minimise the spread of COVID-19, CMRL has decided to extend a 20 per cent discount on QR Code ticketing," for single, return, group and trip passes from Friday. This is to encourage passengers to avoid queuing up at stations and they could download the CMRL mobile app for using the QR code ticketing system. Travel card readers have been installed at all Metro Stations for passengers to avoid queuing in front of customer counters and ticket vending machines.
CMRL requested passengers to co-operate with its security, ticketing and other staffers for a safe and smooth travel in its efforts to prevent the spread of COVID-19 and maintain social distancing.
Chennai has 10,845 active cases across all 15 zones in the city.
Here are the active cases in the top 10 zones in Chennai:
SP Charan took to Instagram on Thursday to share an update about his father SP Balasubrahmanyam’s health. Charan said the singer-actor’s recovery continues to be slow and steady. The filmmaker added that his father is comfortable and not in sedation, though he is still on the ventilator.
“Everything is going smooth. We don’t expect any complications of infections or anything like that. So all seems well. Thanks to your prayers, your wishes. We are grateful for your concern and affection towards dad,” he said in the video posted on Instagram.
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A total of 108 flights will be operated between Chennai and major cities today, with 54 arrivals and 54 departures scheduled at the Chennai International Airport.
Tamil Nadu recorded 5528 positive cases of COVID-19 on Thursday, bringing the state tally to 4,86,052. Among these, Chennai reported 991 positive cases, bringing the city's total to 1,45,606.
Tamil Nadu recorded 64 deaths on Thursday, putting the state toll at 8154. 58 of them had succumbed due to comorbidities. The state discharged 6185 patients following treatment today, putting the total number of recoveries at 4,29,416.
As of Thursday, the number of active COVID-19 cases in Tamil Nadu is 48,482. Till date, 2,93,154 males, 1,92,869 females and 29 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, 56,30,323 samples from the state have been sent for testing till date, with 85,473 samples having been sent yesterday.
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.