L-G underlines the need to conserve heritage structures in Puducherry
Lieutenant Governor K. Kailashnathan has stressed on the need to preserve heritage structures in Puducherry.
Speaking at the inaugural of the restored century-old Calve College Government School on Mission Street, the Lt. Governor said it was important to maintain and preserve heritage structures in the region. He expressed happiness over the restoration project which helped in preserving the Franco-Tamil architecture.
Recalling the mid-day meal provided in the school during the French time, the Lt Governor said Puducherry has the distinction of introducing the mid-day meal scheme first in the country. He also announced the shifting of his office and residence to the new building at Old Distillery Complex in a few weeks to facilitate the restoration of Raj Nivas.
In his address, Chief Minister N. Rangasamy said the government had certain concerns in the beginning on taking up projects to restore heritage structures. The successful restoration of decades-old buildings, such as Calve College, Mairie Building and V.O.C School, has given the government confidence to take up work to protect heritage structures. The work to restore Raj Nivas would be taken up shortly and the government would continue to prioritise conservation of heritage buildings, he said.
Praising Subburaya Chettiar's family for donating the land to erstwhile French establishment for starting a school around 150 years ago, Minister for Public Works Department K. Lakshminarayanan said the family's gesture should be appreciated by everyone as the move to donate the land happened at a time when education was not accorded prime importance in this part of the world.
'The territory has progressed tremendously in the education sector. The allocation of 13% of the total Budget estimate shows the government's commitment towards school and higher education. The restoration of Calve College also points to the commitment towards attracting children to government schools. However, some politicians only want to present a negative picture of Puducherry by highlighting the liquor business in the Union Territory,' he said.
Education Minister A. Namassivayam said the administration was catering to all the needs of government schoolchildren. 'The government was giving books, bags, food, transportation and laptops free to the students. Several schemes that were pending have been restored in the recent times. With the assistance of the Central government, we will be able to ensure better development of the Union Territory in the days to come,' the Minister said.
Speaker R. Selvam, nominated legislator V. P. Ramalingam, Consul General of France in Puducherry and Chennai, Etienne Rolland–Piegue, secretaries P. Priyatarshny and P. T Rudra Goud were among those present at the inaugural.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Time of India
18 minutes ago
- Time of India
Trump's ambition collides with law on sending migrants to dangerous countries
As the Trump administration ships migrants to countries around the world, it is abandoning a long-standing US policy of not sending people to places where they would be at risk of torture and other persecution. The principle emerged in international human rights law after World War II and is also embedded in US domestic law. It is called "non-refoulement," derived from a French word for return. The issue came into sharp relief in the past month as the Trump administration has tried to deport migrants with criminal records to Libya and South Sudan, countries considered so dangerous that they are on the State Department 's "do not travel" list. by Taboola by Taboola Sponsored Links Sponsored Links Promoted Links Promoted Links You May Like Birla Evara 3 and 4 BHK from ₹ 1.68 Crore* Birla Estates Learn More Undo "What the US is doing runs afoul of the bedrock prohibition in US and international law of non-refoulement," said Robert K. Goldman, faculty director of the War Crimes Research Office at American University's law school. (Join our ETNRI WhatsApp channel for all the latest updates) In a recent affidavit, Secretary of State Marco Rubio described the Trump administration's efforts to send migrants to those two countries as part of a diplomatic push to improve relations. He acknowledged that the Libyan capital, Tripoli, was wracked by violence and instability. Live Events You Might Also Like: Trump administration proposes $1,000 fast-track fee for US tourist visas: memo To critics of the administration, the sworn statement shows that the United States is no longer considering whether a deportee is more likely than not to be at risk of abuse through repatriation or transfer to a third country. State Department employees were also recently told to stop noting in annual human rights reports whether a nation had violated its obligations not to send anyone "to a country where they would face torture or persecution." The State Department said in a statement that it dropped that requirement to focus the reports on "human rights issues themselves rather than a laundry list of politically biased demands and assertions." "Enforcing US immigration law, including removing those without a legal basis to remain in the United States, is critical to upholding the rule of law and protecting Americans," the statement said. You Might Also Like: Trump's ban on Harvard international students blocked by US judge A judge blocked the transfer of migrants to South Sudan, which is teetering on the brink of civil war, and the men were being held at a US military outpost in Djibouti pending more court action. The Trump administration is also in a showdown in another court over its transfer of Venezuelan deportees described as dangerous gang members to a notorious prison in El Salvador without due process. "If they were sending them to Sweden, that would be a different thing than sending them to South Sudan, which is one of the most dangerous places on the planet," said Michael H. Posner, director of the Center for Business and Human Rights at New York University's Stern School of Business. Posner, who was the assistant secretary of state for democracy, human rights and labor from 2009 to 2013, said the United States could send someone from Cuba or Venezuela to another country if it had been determined at a hearing that the place was safe. "We should not be deporting people to third countries where they have no connections and where their lives will be in serious jeopardy," he said. You Might Also Like: Trump travel ban: Why is Trump banning millions from entering the US again? The White House likens its crackdown on illegal migration to combating a national security threat from a hostile enemy. It has pressed military troops into service at the southwestern border and at a small detention operation for migrants at Guantánamo Bay. But even after the 9/11 terrorist attacks, the United States abided by its non-refoulement obligation for prisoners it was holding at Guantánamo Bay, during a period when it flouted international law by torturing other detainees in secret overseas prisons called black sites. In 2004, Secretary of State Colin Powell concluded that the United States would not repatriate Chinese citizens from the Uyghur Muslim minority who had been rounded up in the war against terrorism in 2001 and held at the military base at Guantánamo. The United States believed that the men would be at risk if they were sent to China. Eventually, in 2013, the State Department found other countries to take in all of the Uyghurs. In the past, State Department officials have essentially asked two questions to determine where a detainee could be sent: Would the destination be safe for the individual? Would the United States and its allies be safe if the person was sent there? US officials had to assess whether the receiving country could monitor the activities of the detainees to prevent them from endangering the United States or an ally. Officials were also required to assess whether a deportee would be subjected to torture or other inhumane treatment. The United States adopted the same approach to its efforts to send home Islamic State group members or their relatives who were being housed in camps in northern Syria. "Consistent with both long-standing policy and its legal obligations, the US government cannot send people to a country where there are substantial grounds to believe that they will be mistreated," said Ian Moss, a lawyer and a former senior counterterrorism official at the State Department. In his affidavit, Rubio accused the courts that were reviewing deportation challenges of undermining US foreign policy. He also said that plans to announce "expanded activities of a US energy company in Libya" had been postponed. Rubio did not mention whether any diplomatic agreements surrounding the proposed resettlement included guarantees about how the migrants would be treated. "If these individuals are as dangerous as the administration represents them to be," Moss said, "sending them to a conflict area or country where there is a lack of capacity to manage them undermines the national security justification," Moss said. The State Department statement referred questions about "the removals process, including screening for credible or reasonable fear," to the Department of Homeland Security . The eight men who were to be sent to South Sudan were at a holding site in Texas when they were informed of their destination. An immigration division official, Garrett J. Ripa, said in a sworn statement May 23 that none of the men declared himself afraid to go. Court records showed that an immigration officer gave the men a form that listed their intended place of deportation. None signed the document. "By not signing, people are protesting being sent to a third country in the only way they know how," said Trina Realmuto, a lawyer for the migrants in the case. Administration officials had previously planned to deport one of the men to Libya, which has been so unstable that Congress has since 2015 not allowed detainees who are cleared for release from Guantánamo Bay to be sent there.
Time of India
19 minutes ago
- Time of India
Lebanon Threatens To Exit Ceasefire Talks After Israel Strikes Beirut On Eid Eve
/ Jun 07, 2025, 10:48AM IST Lebanon's army has threatened to withdraw from the ceasefire monitoring body following Israeli airstrikes on Hezbollah targets in Beirut's southern suburbs. The army said the strikes, which occurred just before the Islamic holiday of Eid al-Adha, have undermined its role in maintaining the fragile truce. Although Israel issued evacuation warnings, the timing of the attacks provoked strong local outrage. Lebanese officials warned that future strikes could end their cooperation in monitoring and search efforts. They accused Israel of violating the ceasefire and bypassing official communication channels. France condemned the attacks, calling them a threat to regional stability. In a statement, French authorities urged Israel to withdraw from Lebanese territory and called on all parties to honour the ceasefire signed in November.#lebanon #israel #hezbollah #MiddleEastTensions #CeasefireViolation #BeirutStrikes #EidAlAdha #LebaneseArmy #IsraelAirstrike #FranceCondemns #BlueLineCrisis #unpeacekeepers #middleeastconflict #CeasefireCrisis #RegionalSecurity
United News of India
an hour ago
- United News of India
Center group of forces destroyed over 455 Ukrainian servicemen: Russian Defence Ministry
Moscow, June 7 (UNI) The Russian Defence Ministry's Center group of forces continued to advance deep into the enemy's defences, and the Ukrainian Armed Forces lost more than 455 servicemen in its area of responsibility, the group's spokesman, Alexander Savchuk, said. "The Center group of forces continues to carry out combat missions in the area of the special military operation. The group's units continued to advance deep into the enemy's defences, inflicted losses on units of three mechanized, motorized infantry, jaeger, two airborne assault brigades, two brigades of the Ukrainian Armed Forces' marines and a brigade of the National Guard of Ukraine," Savchuk said. He said the defeat was inflicted in the areas of Koptevo, Dimitrov, Krasnoarmeisk, Sergeyevka, Udachny and Alekseyevka. "The enemy's losses were over 455 servicemen, eight combat armored vehicles, including a French-made VAB armored personnel carrier, seven pickups and three field artillery guns," Savchuk said. UNI SPUTNIK ARN
