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New Indian Express
04-08-2025
- Climate
- New Indian Express
Thousands gather on Cauvery banks for Aadi Perukku fest
TIRUCHY: Thousands of people gathered along the banks of Cauvery and Kollidam rivers in the delta districts on Sunday to celebrate Aadi Perukku. People living along river banks commemorate the 18th day of Tamil month Aadi as day of thanksgiving to the river, which plays a vital role in sustaining agriculture and livelihoods. Newlywed couples deposit the garlands used for their wedding in the flowing waters and women change the"thaali" string. With a huge volume of water flowing in the Cauvery, the Tiruchy district administration had made elaborate arrangements at Amma Mandapam, Thillai Nayagam, Odathurai, and Ayyalamman ghats. Barricades and scaffolding were placed and people were permitted to take a dip with precautionary measures in place. Around 350 police personnel were deployed across the ghats to regulate the crowd. Speaking to TNIE, S Karthik and Priya, a newlywed couple from Lalgudi said, "We got married just a month ago, and our elders insisted we attend 'Aadi Perukku' together. It is a beautiful tradition, and we felt a sense of peace offering prayers to the river that nourishes our land."
Time of India
14-07-2025
- Business
- Time of India
Imported, exotic fruits flood supermarkets
Chennai: South African pears, Peruvian blueberries, Australian oranges, New Zealand apples and Chinese grapes, each with stickers showing their country of origin, are on display in the neighbourhood supermarkets as wholesale vendors in Koyambedu import them in tonnes. On the other side of the aisle are native-grown exotic fruits such as dragon fruit, jamun, fig, mangosteen, rambutan and dates sourced from different parts of the country, including Ooty and Kodaikanal. "The official fruit season has begun in Chennai," said Fruit Association president S Srinivasan who imports fruits from several countries. "The season for mangoes and jackfruit is coming to an end, but native apples from Himachal Pradesh are yet to come. Imported fruit usually fills the gap." You Can Also Check: Chennai AQI | Weather in Chennai | Bank Holidays in Chennai | Public Holidays in Chennai In the past 10 days, the red, firm, dense, remarkably crisp, and honey-flavoured Royal Gala apples from New Zealand have been among the fastest-moving products at the wholesale market, priced at 4,500 to 4,800 for a 17kg box. The season for apples from Turkey just ended, vendors said. While Egyptian oranges are being sold now, vendors are placing orders for oranges and mandarins (smaller oranges) from South Africa, which are likely to arrive in a couple of weeks. by Taboola by Taboola Sponsored Links Sponsored Links Promoted Links Promoted Links You May Like An engineer reveals: One simple trick to get internet without a subscription Techno Mag Learn More Undo South African pears, costing between 25 and 30 a piece in the wholesale market for a box containing 100 or 120, are now on sale. As are pears from Chile, priced at 2,400 to 2,600 for a 12kg cart. "Chile is a significant global producer and exporter of pears, particularly European pear varieties. They are tasty too, but the shelf life for these varieties is shorter," said S Karthik, a wholesale vendor. So are Peru's blueberries. A carton containing a dozen 120g boxes of this fruit is sold at 1,900-2,000 in the wholesale market. "In supermarkets, it's sold at 350-450 per box. This is because they may wrinkle or shrink fast. Wastage pushes up prices of these fruits." Alongside these imported varieties are Indian native varieties, mostly sourced from Ooty, Kodaikanal, Andhra Pradesh, Karnataka, and Maharashtra, said market management committee member K Jayaraman, a wholesale trader. "We have the best of mangosteen and rambutans this year. Jamuns are of premium quality too. We are also getting good quality large guavas," he said. The season for exotic and imported fruit is likely to end by Sept when the festive season begins in India.
Time of India
22-06-2025
- Politics
- Time of India
‘Revive scheme to bring more adi dravidar, tribal students to IITs, NITs'
Madurai: A Madurai-based activist has called for reviving a skill development scheme announced under the Tamil Nadu Adi Dravidar Housing and Development Corporation (TAHDCO) in 2013-2014 but was not implemented due to 'administrative reasons'. Based on a reply to a Right to Information (RTI) Act query, activist S Karthik told TOI that had the scheme been properly implemented, hundreds of adi dravidar and tribal students in Tamil Nadu would have got opportunities to study in IITs or NITs. "The scheme became defunct almost the same year citing administrative reasons. As per the scheme, 50 students would be selected by an exam each year and given special training for JEE and AIEEE exams by selected institutions at 1 lakh per student for two years in their Class XI and Class XII," he said. The RTI reply showed that a GO dated Oct 15, 2013, was issued by the adi dravidar and tribal welfare department, regarding implementation of the scheme under TAHDCO. However, the scheme was abandoned without a single beneficiary. He said it is baffling that the state government did not give a second thought to the scheme and urged it to immediately revive the scheme by allotting necessary funds and select at least 100 students for the following year. Notably, at present, the Naan Mudhalvan scheme of the Tamil Nadu govt provides support for students from underprivileged backgrounds for higher education.
New Indian Express
22-06-2025
- Politics
- New Indian Express
2013 Government Order on coaching for tribal students never executed: RTI
MADURAI: A response to an RTI query, regarding the state government's efforts to ensure tribal students secure admission to prominent higher educational institutions, has revealed that a G.O. passed in 2013 towards offering special coaching for such schoolchildren was not implemented. Administrative reasons were cited for the same. Responding to an RTI filed by activist S Karthik seeking information on the efforts taken by the Tamil Nadu Adi Dravidar Housing & Development Corporation (TAHDCO) to get tribal students into some of the top institutions like IIT and NIT for the past 12 years and how many benefited from that, TAHDCO's public information officer (PIO) stated that the state government passed G.O. 76 on October 15, 2013, to provide special coaching to around 50 students at a cost of Rs 2 lakh per ward for two years. Every year the government were to allocate Rs 50 lakh. However, it was not implemented due to administrative reasons, the official added. Karthik told TNIE that, like this G.O, many schemes meant for the welfare of tribals are only on paper. Compared to other community students, tribal students lag behind in education. If this G.O. had been implemented effectively, at least 600 tribal students could have joined IITs and NITs over the past 12 years, he said. He further requested the government to implement the G.O. and also allocate additional funds of Rs 2 crore as well as form a committee led by the collector to monitor the programme. While confirming there being no special scheme that provides coaching to tribal students appearing for JEE, a TAHDCO official on condition of anonymity said the department is imparting state-level skill training for them in order to make them crack competitive exams.
