Latest news with #PostalDepartment
News18
7 days ago
- Business
- News18
PPF, Sukanya Accounts May Be Frozen After Maturity. Check What You Must Do In Time
Last Updated: Accounts that are not extended for reinvestment or closed within three years of maturity will be frozen, as per the advisory, restricting any further access or transactions The Postal Department has issued an important advisory for investors in popular small savings schemes like the Sukanya Samriddhi Yojana, Public Provident Fund (PPF), National Savings Scheme, and the Senior Citizen Savings Scheme. The department has warned that discrepancies or errors in managing these accounts could lead to them being frozen, restricting all withdrawals and transactions until the issues are resolved. The advisory highlights that accounts which have not been extended for reinvestment or closed within three years of maturity will be at risk. If three years have passed since the maturity date and no action has been taken, the department will freeze these accounts. Consequently, account holders will be unable to access their funds. This measure is designed to protect accounts from fraudulent activities. The Postal Department states that inactive accounts are vulnerable to scams, and freezing them is a preventive step to safeguard investors' money from illegal withdrawals. The department stated that this process will now be carried out twice a year to safeguard investors' hard-earned money. Investors in small savings schemes should note that within three years of maturity, they must either withdraw the funds or reinvest them to avoid complications. The accounts under scrutiny include PPF, Sukanya Yojana, NSC, RD, fixed deposits, monthly income schemes, Kisan Vikas Patra, and the Senior Citizen Savings Scheme. Once frozen, these accounts will be inaccessible for any transactions, including online transfers. How Can The Account Be Reactivated? For reactivating a frozen account, the Postal Department has provided a clear procedure. Account holders must visit the postal office and submit their account passbook, KYC documents, and account closure form SB 7A. The account will then be closed, and the remaining balance will be handed over to the account holder. Account freezing will be carried out twice a year, on January 1 and July 1, as per the new schedule. The entire freezing process will be completed within 15 days. view comments First Published: July 18, 2025, 16:21 IST Disclaimer: Comments reflect users' views, not News18's. Please keep discussions respectful and constructive. Abusive, defamatory, or illegal comments will be removed. News18 may disable any comment at its discretion. By posting, you agree to our Terms of Use and Privacy Policy.
The Hindu
7 days ago
- Entertainment
- The Hindu
R.S. Manohar's theatrical wizardry and stage craft lives on
The 1950s was a pivotal decade in Tamil theatre. A major change to happen was the shift in focus from historical and mythological subjects (a staple those days) to social themes and drawing-room dramas. With the legendary Nawab Rajamanickam in the last phase of his active theatre life, it looked like it was curtains down for the historical and mythological genres. That they continued to thrive for more than three decades after this, was after that was largely due to the efforts of theatre and film actor, R.S. Manohar, whose birth centenary is being celebrated this year. Born on June 29, 1925, to Rajalakshmi and R. Subramania Iyer, an inspector in the Postal Department, Manohar was named Lakshminarasimhan at birth. As his father ather was in a transferable job, Lakshminarasimhan had his early education at various places, including Namakkal and Bellary, before moving to Madras, where he studied at the Muthiah Chettiar school and later at the Ramakrishna Mission High School in T. Nagar. He did his B.A. from the Pachaiyappa's College. After working with the Imperial Tobacco Company for a short while, he quit his job and joined the Postal Department. Lakshminarasimhan's interest in theatre dated back to his school days, when he acted in one-act plays. His first major play was Rajabhakti, enacted by the students of Ramakrishna Mission High School. He then went on to act in a few more plays while studying at the Pachaiyappa's. The story of how he came to be christened Manohar, is also well-known — he substituted for the lead actor at the last minute in the popular play, Manohara, and the name stuck on. Manohar continued performing on the stage, even while working, and was associated with troupes such as the Egmore Dramatic Society, Nataraja Amateurs and the YMIA. In 1951, his performance in the play Marumalarchi caught the attention of screenwriter A.T. Krishnaswamy and director R.M. Krishnaswamy, who were looking for a fresh face for their upcoming movie Rajambal. Manohar fit the bill and thus began a successful stint on the big screen. He performed in over 200 films — Kaidhi Kannayiram, Vallavanukku Vallavan, Ayirathil Oruvan, Adimai Penn and Ulagam Suttrum Valiban — to name just a few. Despite sharing the screen with two of the biggest heroes of the era — MGR and Sivaji Ganesan — Manohar carved his own niche in cinema, but the stage remained his first love. Manohar started National Theatres on November 14, 1954. Interestingly, the first few productions such as Inbanaal, Alavukku Meerinaal and Ulagam Sirikkiradhu were based on social Ilankeswaran was its biggest hit in the mythological genre. It was written by Thuraiyur Murthy. Premiering in Madras in 1956, it had a tremendous run in India as well as abroad, in countries such as Sri Lanka, Malaysia and Singapore — with nearly 2,000 shows being performed over the next three decades. It was based on a version of the Ramayana, which portrayed Ravana as the father of Sita and attracted its share of controversies too. Manohar went on to produce plays such as Indrajith, Narakasuran, Sisupalan, Chanakya Sabadham, Malik Kafur, Dronar, Soorapadman, Kadaga Mudhreyan, Ottakoothar and Viswamitrar. In all, National Theatres had 31 plays and around 7,950 shows to its credit. The audience was held in thrall as much by the acting as by the grandiose on the stage. Special effects employed to portray scenes, left them baffled too. Separate rehearsal sessions, spanning two to three days, were held exclusively for the technical team to execute the trick scenes. Watching a performance of Ilankeswaran in Madras in 1980 and impressed by the special effects, the famous ad-man Bharat Dabholkar invited Manohar to Bombay to collaborate with him for Last Tango in Heaven, a play written by audiences there too, were completely floored by Manohar's stagecraft and the play had a successful run of around 70 shows. Manohar constantly worked towards giving the audience a unique experience, introducing a technique called dramascope, where the sets spanned across the entire stage with a stereophonic sound system. National Theatres completed its Silver Jubilee in 1979. A committee with Justice S. Mohan as the chairman, V. Emberumanar Chetty as the secretary and dignitaries such as C.R. Pattabiraman, MAM Ramaswamy, V.G. Panneerdas and Sowcar Janaki was formed to celebrate the occasion and a grand function was held in April 1980. In 1991, Manohar was appointed the secretary of the Iyal Isai Nataka Mandram by former Chief Minister J. Jayalalitha, who professed an ardent admiration for his plays. It was also at her behest that he staged Thirunavukkarasar in 1994. Presiding over a performance in November that year, she bestowed the title of Nadaga Chemmal on him. The music for the production was composed by violin maestro Kunnakudi Vaidyanathan, who was then the president of the Iyal Isai Nataka Mandram. In 1992, the government also produced Velicham, a play on prohibition under Manohar's guidance. Manohar was also bestowed with titles such as Nataka Thilakam, Nataka Kala Chakravarthy and Nataka Kavalar. He passed away in 2006. Today, his memory and legacy are kept alive by his nephew S. Shivpprasadh and grand-daughter S. Sruuthi, who have revived some of his plays such as Dronar, Kadaga Mudhreyan and Chanakya Sabadham.
Hindustan Times
26-06-2025
- Hindustan Times
CBI arrests 3 people in fake postage scam case with ₹2.5 crore
Jun 26, 2025 07:35 AM IST Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) has arrested three accused, including a brother of the then Sub-Post Master (SPM), Lakhaoti, Sub-Post Office, Bulandshahar (now deceased) and two private persons, in a case related to a fake postage stamps scam of Rs. 2.5 Crore, as per an official statement. CBI also alleged that during May 2023 to November 2024, the accused booked registered articles of worth ₹ 2.78 Crore using fake postage stamps, (File Photo) CBI had registered a case on December 19, 2024 on the basis of complaint dated December 12, 2024 made by the Postal Department, Bulandshahar Division, UP against two accused including the then Sub-Post Master (SPM), Lakhaoti, Sub-Post Office, Bulandshahar and a private person and other unknown public servant and private persons on allegations that the accused public servant (now deceased) in criminal conspiracy with the accused private person and other unknown person is involved in criminal misconduct by using fake postage stamps, the probe agency said. According to CBI, it was also alleged that during May 2023 to November 2024, the accused booked registered articles of worth ₹ 2.78 Crore using fake postage stamps, whereas the actual sale of postage stamps at Lakhaoti Sub Post Office was only ₹ 28 lakh. Therefore, the aforesaid act of accused persons has caused wrongful loss to the tune of Rs. 2.50 Crore to the Postal Department and corresponding wrongful gain to themselves and others. During the investigation of the case, CBI gathered substantial material evidences against the accused persons and arrested two accused on Tuesday. Further, one more accused was arrested on Wednesday in connection with the alleged offence. All the three arrested accused were produced before the Ld. Court.
The Hindu
05-06-2025
- General
- The Hindu
Postal Department releases special cover on invasive-free Vaduvur Bird Sanctuary
The Department of Posts on Thursday released a special cover on invasive-free Vaduvur Bird Sanctuary situated in Tiruvarur district. The Postmaster General, Central Region, Tamil Nadu T. Nirmala Devi released the Special Cover here in connection with the World Environment Day. The Vaduvur Bird Sanctuary was identified as an area of national importance and declared as a Ramsar site in 2022. The sanctuary provides habitat for around 118 bird species and the interconnected wetland system acts as a buffer against flooding and provides water during drought. Invasive species, which tend to out-compete native flora, alter water quality and disrupt the healthy ecosystem, have been removed from the sanctuary making this Ramsar site invasive-free now, a press release from the Postal Department said. The special cover was released keeping in view the department's commitment to showcase the efforts by the Centre and State government as well as the local community in safeguarding water bodies and encouraging sustainable flourishing of flora and fauna. On the occasion of the World Environment Day, the department created an awareness on clean energy by organising an e-bicycle ride from the Rockfort sub post office to the Tiruchi Head Post Office. A unique feature of this e-bicycle ride was that it carried a special cover that contained images of the e-bicycler ride along with a message about Swachtha. P. Manjula, a postwoman from Tiruchi Postal Division, carried the special cover covering a distance of about 6 km in an e-bicycle. The special cover carried via e-bicycle was released by Ms. Nirmala Devi, the release added. Both special covers will be available for sale at the Philatelic Bureau, Tiruchi Head Post Office.
The Hindu
22-04-2025
- General
- The Hindu
Delayed Speed Post delivery resented
The Thanjai District Rural Consumer Protection Movement has resented delays in delivery of Speed Post articles booked in Kumbakonam. In a petition submitted at the Postal Grievance Meeting held at Tiruchi on April 22, the Swamimalai-based organisation said that Speed Post articles booked at the post offices in the Kumbakonam region were not delivered the next day. It took not less than three days to get delivered at the destination address, particularly in Chennai, Coimbatore and Kanyakumari. Urging the Postal Department to ensure the Speed Post article delivery the next day from the date of booking, the consumer body urged the department to make sure that the postal services offered at the post offices were not affected due to power outage reasons. It also demanded remodelling and augmentation of counters at the post offices where the volume of visitors were high.
