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The Hindu
08-08-2025
- Business
- The Hindu
Minister Geetha Jeevan inaugurates three-day industrial exhibition in Thoothukudi
: Social Welfare and Women Empowerment Minister P. Geetha Jeevan said that a conducive environment is being created in Tamil Nadu for the new entrepreneurs to start business, at the inauguration of the industrial exhibition of Thoothukudi District Tiny and Small Scale Industries Association (THUDITSSIA) here on Friday. The sixth edition of this exhibition is being organised at AVM Kamalavel Mahal in Thoothukudi and is to be conducted till Sunday. Highlighting target set by Chief Minister M.K. Stalin to achieve one trillion economy by 2030, Ms. Geetha Jeevan noted that Tamil Nadu is actively working towards it. She added that as part of ensuring inclusive growth across the state, industries are now being set up across all regions and Memoranda of Understandings (MoUs) have been signed for ₹10 lakh crore worth projects. 'A car manufacturing industry has been established in Thoothukudi, and related small micro industries are likely to develop alongside it,' she added. Pointing out the 11.19% economic growth rate of Tamil Nadu, the minister said that each one of the industries has contributed to it. She mentioned that the exhibition will help the entrepreneurs to gain new insights and strategies. The exhibition features around 210 shops, aiming to create new perspectives among the existing and budding entrepreneurs. P. Kathiresa Pandian, Executive Member of THUDITSSIA told The Hindu that the exhibition is being conducted once in every three years with the aim of creating more entrepreneurs. He added, ' This exhibition will help the existing entrepreneurs to connect and expand their knowledge in advancement in technologies. Meantime, students are also invited to see the exhibition, which might instill new entrepreneurial ideas in them.' Thoothukudi Collector K. Elambahavath, Corporation Mayor Jegan Periyasamy, Corporation Commissioner Banoth Mrugender Lal, SKSC N. Dharmaraj, President, THUDITSSIA and other officials and members of THUDITSSIA were present at the event.
Libya Review
14-07-2025
- Business
- Libya Review
Libya & China Discuss Housing & Energy Cooperation
0Belgassem Khalifa Haftar, Director General of Libya's Reconstruction and Development Fund, met with Mr. Liu Jian, Chargé d'Affaires of the Chinese Embassy, in the eastern city of Derna to discuss expanding bilateral cooperation between Libya and China in key development sectors. The meeting focused on strengthening the strategic partnership between the two countries, particularly in infrastructure, housing, energy, and public utilities. Both sides explored mechanisms to support the involvement of Chinese companies in reconstruction projects managed by the Fund across various Libyan regions. Haftar emphasized the importance of cooperating with Chinese companies, noting their extensive expertise in executing large-scale projects that meet international standards. He welcomed future coordination and the signing of Memoranda of Understanding (MoUs) that would lead to the actual implementation of vital infrastructure projects aimed at improving the lives of Libyan citizens. This visit is part of broader efforts to attract international support and technical capacity for Libya's post-conflict recovery, especially in cities like Derna that require significant rebuilding after years of conflict and instability. Tags: Belgassem HaftarChinaDernalibya
Indian Express
15-06-2025
- Entertainment
- Indian Express
ED questions actor Dino Morea: What is the alleged multi-crore Mithi river scam?
Bollywood actor Dino Morea appeared before the Enforcement Directorate (ED) on Thursday (June 12) as part of an ongoing investigation into the alleged Mithi river desilting scam. The agency also raided his Bandra residence last week. Probe agencies claim to have uncovered financial irregularities worth crores in the desilting of the Mithi river, indicating large-scale corruption in the functioning of Asia's biggest and most cash-rich municipal corporation, the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC). What are the allegations, and why was Morea questioned? Here is what to know. What work was the BMC engaging in? The Mithi river is one of the four rivers flowing through Mumbai, originating from Vihar Lake and Powai Lake and meeting the Arabian Sea (in Mahim). Nearly 18.64 km long, the seasonal river has both residential slum pockets and industrial areas along its banks. It acts as a natural stormwater drainage channel for Mumbai during the monsoons. However, over the years, the dumping of garbage, sewage, and industrial waste has hampered its flow. After the 2005 Mumbai floods, civic authorities began efforts to clean the riverbed. The BMC was tasked with cleaning an 11.84 km-long stretch, and the remaining area fell under the Mumbai Metropolitan Region Development Authority (MMRDA). In August 2024, the government announced in the State Legislative Council that a Special Investigation Team (SIT) of Mumbai police's Economic Offence Wing (EOW) would probe the desilting works, after BJP MLCs raised questions about it. The SIT started scrutinising the spending of around Rs 1,100 crore between 2005 and 2021. Dozens of contractors, middlemen and BMC officials were questioned, and the SIT on Tuesday registered the first FIR against 13 people accused of causing wrongful loss of over Rs 65.54 crore to the civic body. The probe team also carried out raids at seven locations. The SIT registered an FIR against the BMC Storm Water Drains (SWD) department's assistant engineer, Prashant Ramugade, two deputy chief engineers, people associated with Matprop Company and Virgo Specialities Pvt Ltd (both providing technical services), Vodar India LLP and a contractor. The directors of five contractor companies have also been booked. All are accused of financial irregularities related to desilting, transporting and dumping sludge between 2021 and 2023. How was the alleged fraud committed? The FIR states that the accused contractors, middlemen and BMC officials conspired to include favourable terms and conditions in the contracts. The accused companies submitted fake Memoranda of Understanding of dumping sites to the SWD division. The officials allegedly accepted the documents for the land where silt was supposed to be dumped without due verification. The SIT claims that the accused BMC officers aided the contractors, with the SWD department paying Rs 45.50 crore to the contractors between 2013 and 2021, falsely claiming that the sludge was removed. 'Some contracts don't have proper signatures, some have bogus signatures, in some cases, signatures of owners of (sludge dumping) lands are missing, and in some cases, landowners don't know that their identities are being misused for bogus contracts. In one instance, they used the name of a landowner who died 20 years ago,' said SIT member EOW DCP Sangramsinh Nishandar. The SIT has also found that the accused BMC officers pushed to rent machines from a Kerala-based supplier in exchange for wrongful gains, and that the accused BMC officers told contractors to use machinery from certain middlemen. What irregularities did ED find? The ED's investigation is based on the predicate offence (the illegal act through which an unaccounted sum of money is generated) case filed by the EOW. Prima facie, the accused contractors, middlemen, desilting machine companies, and others colluded to form a cartel with the intent to manipulate BMC tenders. The said action effectively conferred a monopoly and caused payments at inflated rates for desilting works, resulting in undue gains and causing financial loss to the public exchequer. These gains were concealed through certain shell companies/firms. The amount of silt removal has been repeatedly increased annually, without any scientific investigation, ultimately benefiting the contractors, the EOW stated. It has also impacted the quality of work. Currently, only around 60% of the desilting has been done, with the number as low as 35-40% in some previous years. Two accused middlemen, Ketan Kadam, 50, of Vodar India LLP, and Jay Joshi, 49, of Virgo Specialities Pvt Ltd, were arrested last month. Police have also received notes of entries of money received from the contractors, indicating commissions. Morea is reportedly a close associate of Kadam. According to the probe agencies, Kadam allegedly acted as a middleman for Vodar India Ltd. and has been associated with the company for 25 years. EOW official sources said there are five to seven monetary transactions worth Rs 14 to 18 lakh between Morea and Kadam. Kadam's wife and Morea's brother are also directors in the same company. The SIT probe revolves around these transactions. Last month, the EOW also questioned Morea and his brother. Probe agencies are trying to ascertain if Morea was acting on any politician's instructions, but he has not been named as an accused in the case. He is also a close friend of Shiv Sena (UBT) leader Aditya Thackeray, whose party controlled the BMC for over two decades. His questioning also assumes significance as the alleged scam could become a big talking point during the upcoming civic polls, likely to be held in the next four months.
The Hindu
29-04-2025
- Business
- The Hindu
Tamil Film Producers Council moves Madras High Court against FEFSI
The Tamil Film Producers Council (TFPC) has filed a civil suit in the Madras High Court, accusing Film Employees Federation of South India (FEFSI) of having caused huge monetary losses by creating hurdles in the ongoing production of movies by members of the council. Justice K. Kumaresh Babu on Tuesday (April 29, 2025) ordered notice, returnable by May 7, to FEFSI and 23 associations affiliated to it, seeking their response to the plea for grant of an interim injunction restraining them from adhering to an alleged illegal call for non-cooperation. Advocate Krishna Ravindran, representing TFPC, told the court that the plaintiff council was registered in 1979 under the Tamil Nadu Societies Registration Act of 1975 and that it was a premier body established for the welfare of Tamil film producers. Similarly, FEFSI was a trade union registered under Trade Unions Act of 1926 and it comprises 23 different associations of film directors, cinematographers, writers, editors, make-up artists, lightmen, and so on involved in the pre-production, production, and post-production of movies. The TFPC and FEFSI regularly sign Memoranda of Understanding (MoU) with respect to fixation of wages and other issues related to the workers. The last of such MoU was signed by both the parties on March 10, 2022, and it was still in subsistence. However, in the recent past, FEFSI had begun to work with another body titled Tamil Film Active Producers Association (TFAPA) and issued a communication to all its 23 affiliated associations on April 2, 2025, asking them not to cooperate with the members of TFPC and stop all film production work for them, Mr. Ravindran said. In the communication, FEFSI had also accused TFPC of promoting a rival trade union named Tamil Nadu Thiraipada Thozhilalargal Sammelanam and warned that the latter could affect the livelihood of 25,000 film workers. Therefore, it had requested the workers not to work for TFPC members. Denying that TFPC had anything to do with the new trade union, Mr. Ravindran told the court that it had been started by some technicians who had a grouse with FEFSI. He also accused FEFSI of using the new trade union as an excuse to hold the members of TFPC to ransom by stopping their production work since April 8, 2025. He urged the court to declare FEFSI's April 2, 2025, communication as null and void and issue a consequent direction to FEFSI, as well as its 23 affiliated associations, to adhere to the terms of the 2022 MoU. He also sought an interim injunction restraining the film employees from adhering to the 'illegal' call for non-cooperation with TFPC members.
