Latest news with #TamilMaanilaCongress
The Hindu
28-05-2025
- Politics
- The Hindu
TMC (M) moves Madras High Court to condone delay in filing monetary contribution reports before Election Commission
Tamil Maanila Congress (Moopanar) has moved Madras High Court seeking a direction to Election Commission of India (ECI) to condone the delay on the part of the party in filing reports regarding monetary contributions received by it during the financial years 2018-19 and 2019-20. A summer vacation Bench of Justices Senthilkumar Ramamoorthy and Justice T.V. Thamilselvi on Wednesday permitted ECI standing counsel Niranjan Rajagopalan to take notice on behalf of the commission and obtain necessary instructions by June 18, 2025. Making his preliminary submissions on Wednesday, the counsel said there was no provision in the Representation of the People Act of 1951 empowering the ECI to condone the delay in filing the contribution report and hence the commission had on May 13, 2025 rejected the petitioner's plea. He also said the failure to submit the contribution reports on time does not entail consequences such as the party not being able to contest elections. The only consequence of such failure was that the contribution would become taxable and the party would have pay tax with penalty, he added. Filing an affidavit on behalf of TMC(M), its president G.K. Vasan said the party was unable to file the contribution report for the financial year 2018-19 on time due to confusion in the place where it had to be filed and the 2019-20 report could not be filed on time because of COVID-19. The belated filing of the reports and ECI's refusal to condone the delay in filing the reports had led to the Income Tax department denying tax exemption for the contributions and consequently raising a demand for ₹66.76 lakh for 2018-19 and ₹1.07 crore for 2019-20, the petitioner said. Claiming that the delay in filing the contribution reports was neither intentional nor deliberate, the petitioner sought a direction to the ECI to condone the delay in filing the contribution reports as mandated under Section 29C(3) of the Representation of the Poeple Act of 1951.
The Hindu
18-05-2025
- Politics
- The Hindu
T.N. Government should take up infrastructure works in government schools during summer holidays: G.K. Vasan
Tamil Maanila Congress (Moopanar) president G.K. Vasan on Sunday (May 18, 2025) urged the State Government to conduct a thorough inspection of Government schools across the State and ensure availability of proper infrastructure facilities, ahead of the reopening of schools in the first week of June. In a statement, Mr. Vasan said, 'Many middle-class families and economically poor sections rely on Government schools for their children's education. It is essential for the School Education Department to provide quality education to these children. As the schools are currently closed for summer holidays, the State Government officials should inspect the schools to check for the availability of infrastructure facilities. 'Officials from the School Education, Revenue and Public Works Departments should assess the structural safety of buildings. Old and dilapidated classroom structures should be demolished, and new buildings should be constructed wherever necessary. Several Government and Government-aided schools still lack basic facilities. There are neither toilet facilities nor access to purified drinking water. In some places, due to a shortage of classrooms, students are forced to sit under the shadow of trees in the playground,' Mr. Vasan contended. Further, he said to improve the quality of education and increase the pass percentage, teachers' vacancies should be filled without any delay. 'Many schools currently face a shortage of Tamil language teachers, which has led to an increased workload for other subject teachers. This situation would adversely affect both teachers and students,' he said. 'The State Government should take immediate steps to address these issues to ensure a safe and quality educational environment for all students,' he added.
The Hindu
28-04-2025
- Health
- The Hindu
Fungal wilt infection damages virichipoo crop in Tiruchi
Fusarium wilt, a fungal disease, has been reported in Ixora (commonly known as virichipoo) plantations in parts of Tiruchi district, causing crop damage and raising concerns among farmers about loss of yield. Over 50 hectares of virichipoo are cultivated in Srirangam and Manachanallur taluks. Farmers say the infection is rapidly spreading from one plant to another, affecting flowering and overall yield, especially during the current season. P. Gopalakrishnan, a farmer from Vayalur, says he lost nearly half of his plants to the disease this summer. 'This is the peak flowering season for us. Following last month's sporadic rain, we started noticing the disease, which typically appears after such weather conditions and gradually spreads to healthy plants, reducing the yield.' Last week, a team of experts, including Murugan, Assistant Director of Horticulture (ADH), Manikandam block, P. Yasodha, Associate Professor of Entomology, and V.K. Sathya, Assistant Professor of Plant Pathology, visited the affected fields in several villages and identified the infection as fusarium wilt. The team collected samples and issued advisories to farmers for disease management. As part of the recommendations, farmers have been advised to apply Carbendazim (2 g per litre) near the root zone of infected plants for managing the fungal wilt. For root knot nematode management, they have been instructed to apply Pochonia chlamydosporia at 6 ml per tree. Meanwhile, N. Rajendran of Tamil Maanila Congress has urged the government and agriculture research bodies to conduct a detailed study on the recurring nature of the disease, particularly after intermittent rainfall, and to provide feasible long-term solutions to prevent future outbreaks.
