Latest news with #StateSecretariat
Hans India
12 hours ago
- Politics
- Hans India
TN: Committee on centre-state relations meets MK Stalin
The high-level committee constituted by the Tamil Nadu government to examine centre-state relations met Chief Minister M.K. Stalin at the State Secretariat in Chennai on Monday. The panel, set up to assess constitutional provisions, laws, and policies governing the federal structure of India, is tasked with recommending steps to enhance state autonomy and strengthen federalism. The committee is headed by retired Supreme Court judge Justice Kurian Joseph and comprises retired IAS officer K. Ashok Vardhan Shetty and former Vice-Chairman of the Tamil Nadu State Planning Commission, M. Naganathan. During the meeting, the panel briefed Chief Minister Stalin on the preliminary steps undertaken and areas identified for detailed review. Chief Secretary N. Muruganandam and senior officials from the Public Department were also present during the meeting. The formation of the committee was first announced by Stalin in the Tamil Nadu Legislative Assembly in April 2025, underscoring the state's growing concerns over what it perceives as an erosion of federal principles. The Chief Minister had noted at the time that the move was aimed at safeguarding the spirit of cooperative federalism enshrined in the Constitution, particularly in light of increasing instances of what the DMK government has described as the Centre's encroachments on state powers. The panel is expected to conduct an exhaustive review of constitutional articles, legislative practices, and central policies that impact states' rights. It will also study best practices from other federal democracies and examine how Tamil Nadu can assert its constitutional rights within the existing framework. Sources said that the committee would interact with legal experts, academicians, and former bureaucrats before finalising its recommendations, which are expected to be submitted in a detailed report later this year. The initiative aligns with the DMK-led government's consistent stance on federalism, regional autonomy, and the devolution of powers to states—an issue that has gained prominence in Tamil Nadu's political discourse in recent years. The report, once submitted, is likely to have far-reaching implications for future centre-state engagements.
The Hindu
2 days ago
- Politics
- The Hindu
Watch: Mumbai Monsoon Chaos: Aaditya Thackeray on BMC Crisis & Metro Failures
With an annual budget of over Rs 74,000 Crore, the BMC is the richest municipal corporation in the country. But pending municipal elections, it is being governed by an administrator for the last three years. No public representatives, no accountability. In these three years, the Fds have dipped by Rs 10,000 Crore, from Rs 92,000 Crore to Rs 82,000 Crore. The current liabilities stand at a record high of nearly Rs 2 Lakh Crore. While all major cities across the world face issues with heavy rainfall, what Mumbai saw this time was a breakdown of systems which are supposed to stand up to much worse. Roads caved in though the corporation spends crores on their upkeep every year. The newly opened Aqualine of the Mumbai Metro, built at a cost of Rs 37,000 Crore, couldn't keep up with the first spell of monsoon either. In a dug up city, hospitals were flooded, newer acute flooding spots emerged. Even the State Secretariat saw water logging. Is this due to the breakdown of democratic processes? To talk about all this and more - from the Mumbai floods and the erosion of democratic processes, to the BJP's allegations, and from Adani corporation to the Bullet train project – We have with us Shiv Sena UBT leader Aaditya Thackeray.
The Hindu
3 days ago
- Politics
- The Hindu
Police detain teachers protesting against Bengal government's fresh recruitment notification
Police came down heavily on 'untainted' teachers continuing their protests across Kolkata and Bidhannagar on Friday May 30, 2025) after they decided to take out a rally to the State Secretariat to protest the issue of a notification for a fresh selection process. The West Bengal government issued a notification announcing a new State Level Selection Test for the recruitment of teachers for State-run schools, after the Supreme Court on April 3 cancelled the 2016 recruited panel over widespread occurrence of fraud. The apex court had directed the government to initiate fresh recruitments by May 31. On Friday, police detained protesters from various parts of the city who were reportedly on their way to join the rally. Hundreds of protesters were apprehended from places like Sealdah and Esplanade in Central Kolkata, and from outside the State education department headquarters in Bidhannagar. Shubhojit Das, a member of the Jogyo Shikkhok Shikkhika Adhikar Mancha (JSSAM), claimed that protesters were asked to show identification and were detained from public places like buses, shops, shopping malls etc. 'We had decided to hold a shirtless rally to the State Secretariat at Nabanna today. We wanted to convey our message directly to the Chief Minister because we think our message is not reaching her. However, several of us were detained before the rally could even properly take off,' Mr. Das told The Hindu. The march to Nabana was also to protest the temporary detention of the six teachers who had demanded to meet the Chief Minister on Thursday, and to seek justice for the teacher who reportedly passed away of 'stress-induced stroke' during the protests, he added. Speaking about the detentions, Divisional Commissioner of Police (Central) Indira Mukherjee said, 'We had no information of any gathering or protest in my jurisdiction (Esplanade) area. Because this is a restricted area, we took necessary action… Law and order is our subject, but if the teachers take law and order into their own hands, then we will have to take action.' According to the new recruitment notification, applications were to be submitted between June 16 and July 14 this year. The exam and interview would be held between September and November. 'We are not at all happy about this new notification being issued. We were selected in an honest manner once, so we will not appear for re-examination. We want our jobs to stay as they were,' Hanjela Sheikh, a protesting teacher, said. He added that his fellow protesters were also aggrieved that the government had announced deadlines for a fresh process before the Supreme Court decide on the State's review petition. 'Instead of making us appear for re-examination, the government could have rescreened the OMR sheets from the 2016 panel to bring forth a new merit list if necessary,' Mr. Sheikh suggested.
The Hindu
3 days ago
- Business
- The Hindu
‘CM Dashboard' launched by Siddaramaiah for development monitoring in Karnataka
The Chief Minister's Dashboard (CM Dashboard), a platform that provides real-time, integrated insights into key development indicators across Karnataka, was launched on Friday. It was launched by Chief Minister Siddaramaiah during the review meeting with the Deputy Commissioners of all districts and CEOs of all zilla panchayats at the State Secretariat here. The dashboard, developed in-house by the Centre for e-Governance (CeG), is now functionally complete and hosted under the domain 'This platform provides real-time, integrated insights into key development indicators across Karnataka, enabling data-driven governance and decision-making at the highest level,' an official release said. Integrated system The dashboard is built using a microservices-based architecture, ensuring scalability and ease of integration. The data is integrated via APIs (application programming interface) from various departments, eliminating manual entry, said the release. The dashboard categorises State performance data into four primary sectors: economic growth (e.g., investments and beneficiaries), legal/judiciary management (RTI and Sakala case disposals), infrastructure development (roads, irrigation, and renewable energy), and citizen-centric governance (guarantee schemes and Janaspandana). The Chief Minister, during the launch, told respective officials to remain in the taluk and district headquarters to address the grievances of the public. The district in-charge Secretaries were instructed to visit their respective districts twice a month for review of development works. He also told them to pay surprise visits to schools, hostels, and hospitals and submit reports to the Chief Secretary. Referring to Indira Canteens, the Chief Minister instructed the Deputy Commissioners to commence delivery of food at all canteens which have buildings within a week. Out of 186 new Indira Canteens, construction of 103 had been completed. Food is being delivered at only 43 canteens. On farmer suicides The Chief Minister reviewed the district-wise data of farmer suicides and took to task officials for the delay in the release of compensation in 13 cases. Dissatisfied with the delay in the recovery of encroached tank-bed areas, the Chief Minister told officials to undertake the survey work immediately and recover the encroached tank-bed areas. Out of 10,931 encroached tanks, officials have recovered 6,065 tank- bed areas.
The Hindu
4 days ago
- Politics
- The Hindu
Kochi shipwreck: CM Stalin holds review meeting on environmental impact along T.N. coast
Tamil Nadu Chief Minister M.K. Stalin held a review meeting with officials at the State Secretariat on Friday (May 30, 2025) to discuss steps for the removal of materials that washed ashore along the coastal areas of Kanniyakumari district from the cargo ship MSC Elsa 3, which capsized nearly 38 nautical miles off the Kerala coast on May 24. Mr. Stalin held discussions with officials from the Departments of Revenue, Environment, Forest and Climate Change, Fisheries, and the Tamil Nadu Pollution Control Board regarding the safe removal of plastic and other materials washing ashore in Tamil Nadu's coastal regions. The objective was to prevent any harmful effects on the public and to assess potential impacts on marine organisms and other resources. According to the official release, though no hazardous materials have washed ashore on the Tamil Nadu coast so far, Mr. Stalin directed officials to ensure coordination among various departments and volunteers for the safe removal of the objects, and to conduct studies on both the short-term and long-term environmental impacts on marine life. He also urged the public to report any suspicious objects found near the coast to the district administration or the police. Additionally, he directed the State Disaster Management Authority to continuously monitor the situation and take all necessary precautionary measures to safeguard the public. Chief Secretary N. Muruganandam; Additional Chief Secretary, Department of Environment, Forest and Climate Change, Supriya Sahu; Additional Chief Secretary, Department of Revenue and Disaster Management, P. Amudha, and other senior government officials participated in the meeting.
