Latest news with #TASMAC
The Hindu
4 days ago
- Politics
- The Hindu
Government committed to gradual reduction of TASMAC outlets: Minister Muthusamy
Minister for Housing, Prohibition and Excise, S. Muthusamy, on Thursday (July 24, 2025) reiterated that the State government is committed to the gradual reduction of the Tamil Nadu State Marketing Corporation Limited (TASMAC) liquor outlets. He said the 500 outlets that have already been closed would neither be reopened nor relocated. Addressing mediapersons, the Minister responded to opposition allegations concerning the Enforcement Directorate's (ED) actions related to TASMAC offices. 'Let them present what violations the ED has found. If any wrongdoing is identified, corrective action will be taken,' he said. He added that there was no evidence of unpaid excise duty or government inaction. 'If minor lapses have occurred, they are individual errors, and necessary action has already been taken by the TASMAC administration,' he noted. Reaffirming the government's approach, Mr. Muthusamy said the aim is to phase out TASMAC outlets in a way that avoids negative social consequences. 'A sudden shutdown could drive people toward illegal or unsafe alternatives. Hence, the government is proceeding responsibly,' he said. Defending the government's public outreach initiatives, including the Ungaludan Stalin programme, which was criticised by AIADMK general secretary Edappadi K. Palaniswami, the Minister said that Chief Minister M.K. Stalin has been receiving petitions directly from the public across various platforms for the past four-and-a-half years. 'As the volume of petitions increased, it placed significant pressure on officials. The Ungaludan Stalin scheme was introduced to streamline grievance redressal. Monitoring officers have been appointed, and lakhs of petitions have already been resolved. This initiative is unprecedented in the State's administrative history,' he said. Responding to Mr. Palaniswami's accusation that the DMK has 'swallowed' the Viduthalai Chiruthaigal Katchi (VCK), Mr. Muthusamy said, 'The DMK and VCK share a strong alliance. All coalition partners are united. The DMK treats every ally equally and respects their leaders. That is why we have been able to maintain unity despite differences of opinion.'
The Hindu
17-07-2025
- Politics
- The Hindu
Stalin is using government machinery for political gain, Says Edappadi K Palaniswami
AIADMK general secretary Edappadi K. Palaniswami on Thursday accused Chief Minister M.K. Stalin of misusing government machinery and staff to further his political agenda ahead of the elections. Speaking at a public meeting in Sirkazhi, Mayiladuthurai district, as part of his 'Urimaiyai Meetpom, Makkalai Kappom' campaign, Mr. Palaniswami criticised the timing and intent behind the 'Ungaludan Stalin' outreach programme, calling it a 'gimmick' designed for votes. 'Just one year before the elections, Mr. Stalin is resorting to gimmicks using government machinery. Government employees are helping him in this campaign,' he alleged, referring to the 'Ungaludan Stalin' scheme. 'This is not how a Chief Minister should function.' Questioning the intent behind the scheme, Mr. Palaniswami said, 'Why is he collecting grievances after four years? The scheme claims to address 46 different issues—Mr. Stalin is indirectly accepting that there are unresolved problems. Why now? This is nothing but a vote-seeking exercise.' He also criticised the ideological inconsistency within the DMK-led alliance. 'Mr. Stalin says his is an ideological alliance. Do VCK or Congress share the same ideology? Every party in their coalition follows different ideologies. Worse, they've compromised their principles for the DMK's sake. People see through it, and alliance leaders should be careful when they face the public.' Responding to Mr. Stalin's criticism on the Katchatheevu issue, Mr. Palaniswami said, 'It was during the tenure of former Chief Minister M. Karunanidhi in Tamil Nadu and the Congress government at the Centre that Katchatheevu was ceded. Back then, when they were in power and in alliance, they didn't care about fishermen. Now they are pretending to be their saviours.' On the Chief Minister's recent remark that Mr. Palaniswami is afraid, the AIADMK leader replied, 'I am a farmer. I have nothing to fear. You should fear the TASMAC scam, where ₹10 is taken from every bottle. At least ₹15 crore is looted every day, which amounts to over ₹5,000 crore a year. So, who really has something to fear?' Reasserting AIADMK's record in protecting farmers' interests, Mr. Palaniswami said it was his government that declared the delta region a protected agricultural zone. 'No one, not even Mr. Stalin, can take away people's land here. That is our achievement,' he said. Referring to the allegations of M. Sundaresan, DSP of the Prohibition Enforcement Wing in Mayiladuthurai, that he was being harassed by seniors, Mr Palaniswami said under the DMK honest and decorated officers are being ill-treated. He condemned the taking away of the DSP's official vehicle. 'If this is how law enforcement officers are treated, how can they effectively curb the spread of illicit liquor and other addictive substances,' he asked.
Time of India
14-07-2025
- Time of India
Youth arrested for trying to murder schoolboy near Coimbatore
Coimbatore: The Sulur police in Coimbatore district on Monday arrested a youth on charges of attempting to murder a schoolboy when the minor refused his homosexual advances. The arrested youth has been identified as M Vasanthakumar, 23, of RR Kulam at Palladam in Tirupur district. He is a butcher. Vasanthakumar attempted to kill a 14-year-old boy, who was studying in Class VIII at a govt school and staying at a govt hostel at Samalapuram near Palladam in Tirupur district. On Friday, he didn't go to school and was planning to go home. He asked for a lift from a motorcyclist. The motorcyclist asked the schoolboy if he wanted to roam around Somanur and surrounding areas with him on the motorcycle. The boy agreed. The youth took the boy to a TASMAC outlet where he bought liquor and then to a dilapidated building at Kadampadi where he consumed it. He forced the boy to drink liquor. "The youth showed pornographic videos to the boy and attempted homosexual activities with him. When the minor objected, the youth took a stone and struck on the back of the boy's head. The boy fell unconscious. He left the minor at the building and escaped," said Coimbatore district superintendent of police Dr P Karthikeyan. by Taboola by Taboola Sponsored Links Sponsored Links Promoted Links Promoted Links You May Like Cách giao dịch ETH/USD mà không cần nắm giữ Ether IC Markets Tìm hiểu thêm Undo The boy regained consciousness and managed to get out despite his injuries, eventually collapsing on the road. Locals alerted Sulur police who admitted him to the Coimbatore Medical College Hospital where his condition is now reported to be stable. Initially, the boy claimed that four people on two motorcycles had kidnapped him. "We confirmed that the boy travelled with only one youth who has confessed to the crime," said the SP.
New Indian Express
01-07-2025
- New Indian Express
Phones promised to us to attend meet: PwDs in Tamil Nadu
TIRUNELVELI: Around 10 visually impaired people submitted a petition to the district administration on Monday during a public grievance redressal meet, alleging that the officials have failed to distribute smartphones after promising to do so. P Shenbagavalli, one of the petitioners, stated, 'The officials from the district revenue office asked us to attend a government event assuring us smartphones and a central government-sponsored scheme. We arrived at 8 am and were present till the end, but no phones were given to us. When we followed up, officials also used abusive language.' Meanwhile, residents of Fathima Nagar near Palayamchettikulam opposed a proposal to open a TASMAC liquor outlet on Melakkulam Road, stating that the area is densely populated and has temples and schools nearby. They also said that the area is prone to crimes like sexual harassment and chain snatching. In another petition, village heads of Malayalamedu and Thenpathu, Kannan and Rajkumar, requested that the invitation for the Nellaiappar temple car festival include the names of their villages and claimed that their community has been performing for years in the car festival. Subramanian, a petitioner, demanded that a public road near Krishnan Kovil in Ward 33 of Palayamkottai zone be reopened soon. Police also detained a man named S Stephen from NGO colony after he was allegedly seen distributing Christian pamphlets near the collectorate. Hindu Munnani functionary Manikanda Mahadevan complained in this regard.
News18
23-06-2025
- Entertainment
- News18
DNA Review: Atharvaa's Film Has Good Ideas But Suffers From Generic Execution
Last Updated: DNA Movie Review: Director Nelson's film has a good central idea, but spends too much time on exposition. DNA Movie Review: Director Nelson Venkatesan has a knack for unearthing interesting conflicts that naturally lend themselves to strong screenplays and good film structure. In Monster, a humanitarian is tormented by a rat—a brilliant idea that renders itself effortlessly for an off-beat and comic script. In Farhaana, a married woman from a conservative background finds herself in a fix when she gives in to her whims. With DNA, Nelson has arrived at his best idea yet: a woman with Borderline Personality Disorder insists her newborn isn't hers, casting doubts even in her mother's head. The woman is Divya (Nimisha Sajayan). When we meet her, she is told to keep her mouth shut before her potential groom and his family. But she fails, betraying her eccentricity. Her mom slaps and berates her, saying she would never find a guy. We also meet Anand (Atharvaa). Except for the name, he doesn't have any Anand (joy) in his life. A bad breakup and the eventual suicide of his girlfriend turn him into a marijuana addict and alcoholic. He brings shame to his otherwise honourable family of scholars. After one such embarrassment, his father curses him to rot. After days in rehabilitation, Anand becomes calm. However, his past and unsuccessful career make his father decide that he should 'settle' for Divya. Despite learning about her problems only on the wedding eve, Anand agrees to marry Divya. They have a wonderful phase, which gets punctuated when Divya stubbornly refuses to accept that the baby she is given at the ward is the same one she was shown in the operation theatre. When everyone claims that her mental faculty is the reason behind her complaint, Anand believes her—and thus begins an investigation into the dark world of child trafficking and human sacrifice. But, as with all his previous ventures, Nelson stumbles with the execution. DNA takes a lot of time to get down to business. While it is understandable that Nelson wants to set some background for Anand and Divya, we spend way too much time here. Also, such deliberation and reasoning to show why someone would marry a person with a mental disorder is a bit unsettling. Furthermore, Divya's mental condition doesn't serve much to the film's story except that she can notice minute and subtle details, like the difference even in newborns. But these nuanced problems are forgivable, given that the film suffers from a lot more obvious blunders. Some of them are issues one would assume Tamil cinema has long moved past. An example is all the songs. We have a typical TASMAC breakup song and another pointless bar song with Gayathrie Shankar. The songs reminded me of the dialogue from Thug Life about feasting on a banana leaf. Also, the prologue of the film is unnecessarily misleading. While it leaves one constantly pondering the connection between the segment and the film, it feels like a bit of cheating when things get revealed. Nelson employs such techniques to build tension, but sometimes they invoke frustration instead—like the build-up he employs in revealing Bose Venkat's character. The prolonged suspense in the case is unnecessary because it does not reveal anything significant. Such problems get magnified when juxtaposed with all the wonderful things Nelson achieves in the film. The performances, the exploration, and the engaging police procedural make DNA a solid film—except for the misgivings that sporadically annoy. Such frustration isn't from a place of utter disappointment—DNA is still a largely engaging thriller that leaves you guessing throughout—but from a place of lamentation about a film that fell short of greatness. First Published:
