by admin | May 25, 2021 | Corporate, Corporate Buzz, Markets, News, Politics
Chennai : The Madras High Court on Friday directed striking workers to resume work immediately or face disciplinary action after a flash strike by thousands of employees crippled state-run bus services across the state.
But defiant striking unions refused to end the work stoppage unless their demands for better salaries and more were accepted by the government. The unions pledged to appeal against the court order.
Chief Justice Indira Banerjee and Justice Abdul Quddhose said essential services cannot be paralysed and ordered the government to take strict action.
The workers could face suspension or dismissal if they don’t resume work. The court intervened following a PIL filed by a journalist who wanted the strike to be declared illegal.
Bus services were hit hard across Tamil Nadu, including Chennai where over 70 per cent of the buses went off the roads.
In many districts, however, more than 90 per cent of the state-run and corporation-run buses stayed off the roads, leaving daily commuters and long-distance travellers stranded.
A. Soundarrajan, President of the Tamil Nadu State Transport Employees Federation, justified the strike and accused the government of taking away Rs 7,000 crore of workers money for business operations and not paying retirement benefits over the past two years.
The strike began on Friday after talks between the unions and the authorities failed to end the stalemate. In some districts, the protest began on Thursday night.
The unions want a 2.57 per cent hike in wages but Transport Minister M.R. Vijayabhaskar said the government could only agree to a 2.44 per cent increase.
The government ran a few buses, including private ones hired on contract, with police protection. Strikers got into scuffles with those plying buses in some towns.
Chief Minister K. Palaniswami held meetings with ministers while opposition parties urged the government to accept the workers’ demands.
In Chennai, only about 30 per cent of the state-run fleet was operational. In other parts of the state including Madurai, Tiruchirapalli, Erode and Salem, private buses came to the rescue of commuters. But officials admitted the situation was grim all across Tamil Nadu.
—IANS
by admin | May 25, 2021 | Corporate, Corporate Governance, Economy, Markets, News
New Delhi : State-run power equipment manufacturer Bhel announced on Friday that it has won a Rs 7,300 crore order for setting up a supercritical thermal power project (TPP) in Tamil Nadu.
According to a company release here, the order for setting up the 2×660 MW Udangudi TPP has been placed on the Tamil Nadu Generation and Distribution Corp (TANGEDCO), a state government enterprise.
Four other orders have been won by Bhel from TANGEDCO in the last 3 years, all through international competitive bidding, it said.
The three earlier orders were for the 2×660 MW Ennore Special Economic Zone, 1×800 MW North Chennai Supercritical TPP Stage-III and the 2×800 MW Uppur TPP.A
The Udangudi greenfield project will be executed by Bhel on an Engineering, Procurement, Construction (EPC) basis. The scope of work involves design, engineering, manufacture, supply, erection, commissioning and civil works for the entire plant including sea water intake and outfall systems.
The key equipment for the project will be manufactured at Bhel’s plants across the country, including Trichy, Haridwar, Bhopal, Thirumayam and Bengaluru.
The company’s Southern Region will be responsible for the civil works, erection and commissioning of the equipment, the statement added.
—IANS
by admin | May 25, 2021 | News, Politics
Chennai : Income Tax (IT) officials on Tuesday raided 33 premises in Tamil Nadu here and Madurai belonging to three business groups. It is a follow-up to its earlier searches linked to jailed AIADMK leader V.K. Sasikala’s kin and business associates, said a senior official.
“Search operations are on… The officials are carrying out searches in the premises of Marg group, S2, and Millennium,” the IT official told IANS preferring anonymity.
According to him, this is a follow-up of the IT Department’s search operations carried out in 187 premises belonging to the relatives of Sasikala and their business organisations.
The raid comes days after the IT officials carried out that massive search operation and unearthed Rs 1,430 crore of tax evasion.
The IT Department also raided the residence of late Chief Minister and AIADMK General Secretary J.Jayalalithaa after that.
—IANS
by admin | May 25, 2021 | Books
New Delhi : Enlighten yourself on integrated marketing communications, models of communication strategy and diffusion of innovation; delve into the depths of the human psyche through stories dealing with the commoners of Tamil Nadu; read about the legendary author Khushwant Singh; and flick through a volume which is a trove of Urdu stories, and poetry.
The IANS bookshelf has varied fare for this weekend.
1. Book: Consumer Behaviour; Author: Sangeeta Sahney; Publisher: Oxford University Press; Pages: 586 Price: Rs 625
Consumer Behaviour (CB) intended for students of MBA specialising in marketing, undertakes detailed discussions to explain and analyse the behaviour of Indian consumers and strategies used by marketers to deal with them.
The book is divided into 16 chapters. It begins with introducing the subject, market research, market segmentation and positioning. Following this, the book elaborates on the process of consumer decision-making, providing key learning for a budding marketer to handle situations. The effect of psychological influences such as needs, emotions, memory, personality, perception, imagery and attitude while making a choice before a purchase is well covered.
There is an elaborate discussion on sociological influences on the buying behaviour of a consumer including family, social class and lifestyle. The book also includes chapters on integrated marketing communications and models of communication strategy.
Besides students, the book with its application-oriented approach would also be useful to marketing professionals.
2. Book: The Heroine And Other Stories; Author: D. Jayakanthan; Publisher: Niyogi Books; Pages: 157; Price: Rs 295
D. Jayakanthan’s short stories depict the life of common people in Tamil Nadu in the middle of the 20th century and reflect his progressive thinking. Selected and translated by the author’s daughter, these stories sensitively explore situations in the lives of both the marginalised and the middle class and comprise some of the best of his writing.
Each story in this collection delves into the depths of the human psyche, revealing the hidden strengths ordinary people find within themselves when faced with extraordinary circumstances. Portraying courage, vulnerability and humanity in its many dimensions, The Heroine And Other Stories” reminds us of the richness of our regional literatures, presents highlights from the oeuvre of a master storyteller and holds up a mirror to ourselves.
3. Book: In Wisdom And In Jest; Authors: Vijay Narain Shankar and Onkar Singh; Publisher: Vitasta; Pages: 266; Price: Rs 350
An icon and legend in his life time, Khushwant Singh was arguably India’s most popular writer. Nothing mattered to him except writing the truth, as he saw it. Writing was his life and his pen wrote on till his last breath.
There was a time when literate India could not do without the chota peg of Kushwant–an intelligent tapestry of his secular thoughts, humour, poetry, sarcasm and acid wit. Once called ‘Zorba the Sardar’, Kushwant Singh was a free thinker and a warrior of ideas who used his pen like a sword. As an iconoclast and rebel, he tried to blast the humbug of hypocrisy.
His works expressed his anger at issues of communalism, sexual taboos and he had a don’t-give-a-damn attitude to exposing the foolishness of people.
Internationally acclaimed for his books, “Train to Pakistan” and “A History of the Sikhs”, he was called a ‘dirty old man’ for his explicit erotica.
“Maybe they call me that because I have a bath after many days”, he once said. People loved what he did, what he said and what he wrote. They still do and and that is what this book is all about.
4. Book: A Thousand Yearnings; Author: Ralph Russel; Publisher: Speaking Tiger; Pages: 381; Price: Rs 599
For many people, Urdu is indelibly associated with a bygone era: the cultural renaissance of the eighteenth and nineteenth centuries in the face of colonial oppression, heady mushairas and romantic poetry. For others, it brings to mind the gritty prose of the Progressive Writers portraying the grim social realities of the mid-20th century.
In this luminous collection of Urdu poetry and prose, Ralph Russell expands our world of Urdu letters to include folk and oral narratives, besides prose and poetry. By situating each form historically, he gives us a refreshing perspective on the diverse literary cultures and histories of India.
—IANS
by admin | May 25, 2021 | News, Politics
New Delhi, (IANS) West Bengal’s ruling Trinamool Congress and Tamil Nadu’s ruling AIADMK were set to retain power on Thursday as the BJP was on the road to victory in Assam and the Left made a comeback in Kerala.
On expected lines, the Trinamool was sweeping all across West Bengal as officials counted the millions of votes polled in the staggered assembly elections. Its candidates led in 199 of the 289 places where trends were available two hours after the vote count began at 8 a.m.
The Left and the Congress were at a distant second spot, leading in 37 and 41 constituencies respectively. The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) was leading in 12 places. The West Bengal legislature has 294 members.
In Tamil Nadu, the AIADMK proved exit polls wrong as it appeared on the course to retaining power. Its candidates led in 132 constituencies, with the DMK-Congress alliance in the lead in 69.
The PMK was ahead in four places. The Tamil Nadu assembly has 234 seats.
As an AIADMK win appeared certain, boisterous celebrations erupted outside the residence of party leader and Chief Minister J. Jayalalithaa in Chennai.
Unlike in West Bengal and Tamil Nadu, the governments were set to change in Assam and Kerala.
The BJP was on the road to victory in Assam for the first time. Its alliance candidates led in 65 constituencies, followed by the Congress in 28 seats. The AIUDF led in 17 places.
Assam has a 126-member legislature.
As widely expected, the Left Democratic Front (LDF) led by the Communist Party of India-Marxist (CPI-M) was set to dethrone the Congress-led United Democratic Front (UDF).
LDF candidates led in 85 seats and those of the UDF in 53 as trends were available from all the 140 constituencies. The BJP was leading in one seat and a smaller party in another.
The DMK-Congress alliance and the All India N.R. Congress were in close contest in Puducherry, leading in 10 and nine constituencies respectively. The union territory has a 30-member assembly.
