QChennai: Rajini Drops Snake From Logo; Dolphins Mourn
Here’s your roundup of news from Chennai.
1. Rajini Removes ‘Snake’ from Mandram Logo
Actor Rajinikanth has removed the image of the ‘snake’ from his Rajini Makkal Mandram’s logo owing to “religious reasons,” according to those close to him.
When the actor had initially interacted with his fans ahead of announcing his political plunge, his fans association logo comprised of a lotus, ‘Baba Mudra’ and the snake. However, he dropped the image of the lotus after critics said it indicated his proximity to the BJP.
Now the actor, who is already facing criticism from “secular” parties for mentioning that he would pursue “spiritual politics,” has chosen to forego the image of the snake as well.
(Source: The Hindu)
Also Watch: Rajinikanth’s Symbol: Rock, Pop, Yoga and Italian Voodoo!
2. Government Looks to Monetise STC Land
The state government is planning to allow State Transport Corporations (STCs) to run petrol bunks with the help of public sector oil companies.
This will be part of the plan of the government to monetise land owned by the STCs for widening the scope for revenue, according to a Transport Department senior official. The oil companies have responded “favourably” to the proposal for operating the bunks, but each company has come up with its own terms and conditions. “We are attempting to put everything on a level-playing platform. A scheme may be out in two-three weeks,” the official says.
(Source: The Hindu)
3. It’s Growth Oriented and Balanced, Says Edappadi
The Budget presented in Parliament on Thursday addressed the critical issues effectively and the Union Finance Minister Arun Jaitley had put his “best efforts to present a balanced and growth-oriented Budget”, Tamil Nadu Chief Minister Edappadi K Palaniswami said and expressed hope that it would bring fiscal stability to the country and accelerate the economic growth.
In his four-page statement on the Budget, Palaniswami commended Arun Jaitley for “fairly balanced, growth-oriented” Budget that focused on development of agriculture, rural development and health sectors.
(Source: The Hindu)
Also Read: A Look at All That’s Costlier & Cheaper From Jaitley’s Budget
4. No Big Bang; Only Defence Corridor Whimper for State
The possibility of getting a defence corridor is the only positive takeaway for Tamil Nadu from Prime Minister Narendra Modi-led government’s last Union budget presented on Thursday. There has been no major big-ticket announcement related to the State.
In his budget speech, while Finance Minister Arun Jaitley said the Centre would take measures to develop two defence industrial production corridors in the country, he stopped short of naming the locations. An official release said the announcement made by the Defence Ministry had paved the way for setting up the first defence corridor in Tamil Nadu.
(Source: The Hindu)
Also Watch: Tough to Implement Schemes in Last Leg: Raghav Bahl on Budget 2018
5. Dolphins Found ‘Mourning’ Death of Calf Off Neelankarai
Members of the Tree Foundation’s Sea Turtle Protection Force spotted a group of Indo-Pacific dolphins off the coast near Neelankarai Kuppam on Thursday morning.
TA Pugalarasan and Jayaseelan, both residents of Periya Neelankarai Kuppam, accompanied by Supraja Dharini, chairperson of the Tree Foundation, noticed the group of dolphins holding something above the water.
Dharini said the group of dolphins had been taking turns and supporting the body of a dolphin calf, keeping it afloat.
(Source: The Hindu)
6. Over 1.11 Lakh Engineering Seats Remain Unfilled
This academic year, over 1.11 lakh seats are vacant in engineering colleges in the State. The number is slightly lower than last year, when it was 1.26 lakh. A total of 1,52,704 students were admitted against a sanctioned intake of 2,64,651 seats in BE, B Tech and B Arch programmes this year.
The largest number of vacancies were in self-financing colleges and Anna University’s constituent colleges. The SF institutions managed to fill only 57 percent of the seats offered to them and in constituent colleges, of the 8,560 seats, only 6,763 were filled.
(Source: The Hindu)
7. Student, Housewife, Commit Suicide
In separate incidents, two women committed suicide by hanging at their houses in Chennai and Tiruvallur on Wednesday.
Aarthi, daughter of Harikrishnan, was pursuing her final-year UG course in a private college. On Wednesday, she went to the third floor of her house. When her relatives went to check on her around noon, they found her hanging from the ceiling.
In Tiruvallur, a 24-year-old woman ended her life by hanging, a day before her first wedding anniversary.
(Source: The Hindu)
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