Latest news with #N.Rangasamy
The Hindu
3 days ago
- Health
- The Hindu
Puducherry upgrades emergency medical services
Puducherry's emergency healthcare infrastructure has undergone a significant upgrade with the launch of a state-of-the-art 108 Command Centre that is expected to deliver quicker and more effective assistance for those in critical need. According to a press note, the crucial upgrade of the 108 Command Centre is the result of a collaborative initiative between the Directorate of Health and Family Welfare Services, Puducherry, JIPMER and ICMR through the INDIA-EMS study, which operates as an National Health Research Priority Project (NHRP) aimed at developing advanced emergency care systems nation-wide. The INDIA-EMS team along with State officials developed a Smart Ambulance Dispatch System. This unique, indigenously-developed application is specifically designed to improve both the quality of on-site care and en-route care (Pre-Hospital Care) for patients across Puducherry. The new system is expected to facilitate faster response times and more efficient management of emergency medical situations. Chief Minister N. Rangasamy, who also holds the Health portfolio, formally commissioned the upgraded facility and reaffirmed the government's commitment towards ensuring accessible and high-quality healthcare for all sections of the Puducherry population. He also distributed smartphones for drivers, tabs for technicians and raincoats for both personnel. Jayanta Kumar Ray, Health Secretary, emphasised the imperative of prehospital care and the importance of control room to ensure that the golden-hour criteria was achieved by advanced response systems and ambulance support. V. Ravichandran, Director of Health, underlined the critical role of a technologically-advanced command centre in saving lives and improving patient outcomes during emergencies. Vir Singh Negi, Jipmer Director, Mission Director (NHM) and Ragunathan, deputy director (IEC) participated. Meenakshi Sharma, Scientist-G from the Indian Council of Medical Research (ICMR), New Delhi, who joined the event in virtual mode, commended the Puducherry government and the INDIA-EMS team for the initiative, which represented 'a significant step towards utilising indigenous innovation to enhance emergency medical care delivery.'
The Hindu
5 days ago
- Business
- The Hindu
New liquor pricing regime takes effect in U.T., Puducherry government aims to net additional annual revenue of ₹185 crore
A new liquor pricing regime that took effect in the Union Territory will see tipplers shell out substantially more for their preferred alcohol, beer and wine brands. The new rates came into force following the Lieutenant Governor's assent for the decision taken at a Cabinet meeting chaired by Chief Minister N. Rangasamy in April to introduce steep hikes in excise duty, additional excise duty, special excise duty, and a doubling of licence fee to boost revenue. According to the hikes in excise duty and additional excise duty on IMFL, beer and wine notified by the Department of Revenue and Disaster Management (Excise), the excise duty on a 750 ml IMFL bottle will increase from ₹10 to ₹47, from ₹3 to ₹11 for 180 ml bottle, from ₹6 to ₹7 for 650 ml bottle of beer, and from ₹13 to ₹26 for a 750 ml bottle of wine. The Deputy Commissioner (Excise) said the duty increase was expected to generate an additional revenue of ₹185 crore per year for the government. According to the revised rates, the additional excise duty for ordinary IMFL brands (with a declared price below ₹600 per case) has been raised from ₹100 to ₹110 per proof litre and from ₹115 to ₹125 per proof litre for medium and premium brands (priced at ₹600 or above per case). Likewise, the duty on wine has been hiked from ₹25 to ₹30 per bulk litre, and from ₹10 to ₹12 per bulk litre for beer. Accordingly, the new rates for spirituous liquors, liquors whether Indian made, foreign manufactured or imported into the Union Territory, excluding beer, will range between ₹85 and ₹325 per proof litre, between ₹33 and ₹42 per bulk litre for beer and from ₹50 to ₹145 per bulk litre for wine. Officials reason that even after these hikes, the prices of popular spirits remain competitive in relation to adjacent markets. 'There is bound to be a calibration of a rate revision to balance the task of raising additional revenue for the government against maintaining the market edge', an official said. Meanwhile, it is also proposed to increase the licence fee for liquor factories, wholesale and retail sale of liquor, and the duty on export and import. However, unlike the excise duty hikes which were effected under the relevant sections of the Puducherry Excise Act, 1970, the licence fee revision needs to be passed through an amendment in Puducherry Excise (Amendment) Rules, 2025. Therefore, a draft notification has been published on the website of the Excise department and further consultations are likely before the revised rates get official sanction, the official added. These hikes in excise duty and licence fee can be seen as a corollary to the broader government decision to liberalise the liquor policy. The government had already sanctioned close to a 100 new resto bars and granted licences to new distillery units, and these were the moves that triggered the Opposition accusations of procedural irregularities, corruption and of placing profit over public good. However, from a revenue standpoint alone for a government seeking to shore up additional annual revenue in the range of about ₹350 crore, it should be hardly surprising that the government has turned to one of its most dependable cash cows. According to the Budget data for 2024-25, revenue proceeds from State Excise contributed to about 23% of the Union Territory's own annual revenue, third only to power sector (34.18%) and commercial tax (32.54%). The Budget Estimates for 2025-26 envisage raising revenue receipts from State Excise component to an estimated ₹1,800 crore, or 23.56% of estimated own revenue receipts of ₹7,641.40 crore. Already, since January 1, the Value Added Tax (VAT) on fuels have been raised by approximately 2.44% for petrol and 2.57% for diesel across the Union Territory. The government, meanwhile, has also proposed to substantially hike Guideline Land Register value, registration charges, including those of certain categories of vehicles, to generate more own revenue to the coffers.
The Hindu
26-05-2025
- General
- The Hindu
Thrust on modernising solid waste disposal and sanitary worker safety, says CM
The government is prioritising modernisation of solid waste disposal measures and improving the health safety of sanitary workers while maintaining a clean Puducherry, Chief Minister N. Rangasamy said on Monday. Inaugurating a skill development workshop for sanitation workers on preventing hazardous cleaning of sewers and septic tanks in urban local bodies under the joint auspices of the Oulgaret Municipality and Genrobotic Innovations firm, Mr. Rangasamy said identifying a landfill for accumulating solid waste collected from across the city had been a vexed issue as residents objected to dumping of garbage anywhere near their neighbourhoods. This had necessitated the advocacy of a zero-waste policy with an industry-scale and technology-driven approach to solid waste disposal and efforts were now aimed at the same-day disposal of collected and segregated waste at the Kurumbapet landfill. The workshop was held under the NAMASTE (National Action for Mechanized Sanitation Ecosystem) central sector scheme of the Ministry of Social Justice and Empowerment aimed at ensuring the dignity, safety, and social and economic empowerment of sanitation workers, specifically those engaged in cleaning sewers and septic tanks. Noting that many sanitation sector workers died young, the Chief Minister said in cognisance of the hazardous nature of their work, the government has been providing jobs to the next of kin on compassionate grounds of employees of municipalities and commune panchayats. Soon, jobs would be provided on compassionate grounds to the next of kin from around 200 families of the Pondicherry Municipality, he said. The Chief Minister said the underground sewerage network was being expanded and the process of treating-discharging sewage has reached more areas. An estimated 90% of the work is over. Work is also under way to repair blockages in the underground sewers in the city. When such blockages occur and are repaired, there is a risk of toxic gas attack on the sanitation workers. The administration was keen to adopt new innovations such as robotic machines to sewage extraction and removing blockages in underground sewers to reduce health risk to humans, he said. Mr. Rangasamy also called for adequate protective gear to be provided to sanitary workers who are engaged on a contractual basis. The municipal authorities need to ensure this, he said. K. Lakshminarayanan, Public Works Minister, AK Sai J. Saravanankumar, Adi Dravidar Welfare Minister, Prabhat Kumar Singh, Managing Director, National SafaiKaramchari Finance Development Corporation (NSKFDC), A. Suresh Raj, Oulgaret Commissioner, and Rashid K., Director of Genroboic Innovations, participated. Later, during the awareness sessions on the occupational hazards involved in cleaning sewage and septic tanks. a demonstration was given on engaging a robot for cleaning operations, the use of personal protective equipment (PPE) and the safe use of PPE equipment such as gloves, face mask and toxic gas leak detector.
The Hindu
26-05-2025
- Politics
- The Hindu
CM Rangasamy ‘betrayed' people of Puducherry by not attending NITI Aayog meeting: CPI
Communist Party of India (CPI) national secretary K. Narayana has accused Puducherry Chief Minister N. Rangasamy of 'betraying' the people of the Union Territory (UT) by not attending the recently held Governing Council meeting of the NITI Aayog in New Delhi. Addressing a press conference in the UT on Monday (May 26, 2025), the CPI leader said the NITI Aayog meeting was a platform for the Chief Minister to raise issues pertaining to the UT. 'The meeting was not a personal event of Prime Minister Narendra Modi for the Chief Minister to skip. The meeting was held by the Prime Minister of the country to discuss issues concerning the States and country at a large. Mr. Rangasamy, by deciding to abstain from the meeting, has betrayed the interests of the people of the UT. The Chief Minister is not serious about getting Statehood for Puducherry,' he said. Mr. Narayana also criticised the Prime Minister for keeping mum on United States President Donald Trump's statement that he had brokered the Indo-Pak truce after India launched Operation Sindoor. He also slammed the Central government for not accepting the offer made by Maoist leaders for talks and negotiations. He further informed that the CPI would be holding the Party Congress in September in Chandigarh.
The Hindu
25-05-2025
- Politics
- The Hindu
Puducherry CM should lead fight for Statehood against the Centre, says CPI
The CPI has demanded that Chief Minister N. Rangasamy come to the forefront in Puducherry's fight for Statehood, and be willing to sacrifice the alliance with the BJP for the cause if his avowed stand on the issue has sincerity of intent. In a resolution passed at a meeting of the party State committee, the CPI said while the demand for Statehood has been a long-held aspiration of the people and taken up by political parties across the spectrum, it is the respective Chief Ministers who had been in the forefront of the fight. If the Chief Minister is interested in securing Statehood, he should come to the forefront in the fight against the Centre by leaving the BJP alliance, which refuses to grant Statehood, the resolution said. The resolution pointed out that the Centre had, in a recent session of Parliament, clearly stated that it was not possible to grant Statehood for Puducherry, and also that no resolution passed by the Assembly in this regard had been brought to its attention. In March, Chief Minister N. Rangasamy had stated that after the Legislative Assembly in March adopted its 16th resolution seeking Statehood, he would lead an all-party delegation to Delhi to prevail upon the Centre. However, there has been no such visit, nor has the Mr. Rangasamy visited Delhi to insist on the demand. The resolution stated that continuing to ally with the BJP, which had clearly declined to grant Statehood, was tantamount to misleading the people. Other resolutions passed include seeking strengthening of anti-corruption units in government departments, given the spate of recent cases of graft where government officials were accused, the constitution of a Staff Selection Board to conduct recruitment tests to fill vacancies in government departments, and to ensure that reservation benefits are not snatched by candidates of privileged classes. Another resolution has asked the government to initiate action against private educational institutions that refuse to adhere to the free education scheme for Dalit and ST students. While the scheme, since 2020-21, benefiting SC/ST students in Puducherry, aimed to ensure that economically backward students and students pursuing higher education get quality education, some private educational institutions were refusing to accept it, the CPI said. The CPI has also reiterated its demand to establish a textile park on the land of defunct mills on a priority basis, given the huge potential for generating local jobs. Another resolution called for the withdrawal of the new norms of the Reserve Bank of India (RBI) on loans against pledged jewellery. K. Narayana, CPI national secretary, I. Dinesh Ponniah, National Council member, AM Saleem, State Secretary, K. Sethuselvam, assistant secretary, R. Viswanathan, former Minister, and leaders including V.S. Abishegam, Nara. Kalainathan, T. Geethanathan and participated.
