Kamal Haasan, Rajinikanth urge Centre to set up Cauvery Management Board

Agencies
March 29, 2018

Chennai, Mar 29: Veteran actor and Makkal Neethi Mayyam founder-president Kamal Haasan on Thursday appealed to Prime Minister Narendra Modi to set up the Cauvery Management Board (CMB) at the earliest.

"My appeal to the prime minister is, please sir, you have the authority to create this CMB and you must do it. Please," Haasan said, addressing a news conference here.

"The prime minister can do (it) if he wants to. It is a simple, basic requirement. The people of Tamil Nadu and the farmers require water," he added.

The chorus for setting up of the CMB and Cauvery Water Regulatory Committee (CWRC) in the state has been growing by the day ever since the Supreme court gave its verdict on February 16 on the vexed issue involving Tamil Nadu and Karnataka.

Tamil Nadu's stand is that Centre must constitute the panel within six weeks from the day the apex court gave its verdict, which would be March 29, i.e. today.

Besides the ruling AIADMK, various political parties including the DMK besides several farmers' outfits have been stressing for setting up of the CMB to ensure that Tamil Nadu gets its due share of water from the inter-state river.

Haasan's contemporary, 'Superstar' Rajinikanth too had tweeted earlier in the day backing the establishment of the CMB, saying it was the "only just solution acceptable to all."

Haasan said setting up of the CMB was not a "big deal" and said there should be no political considerations in this issue.

"If there is politics in this (issue), then it is for votes. Please see what is required for the people," he said.

The actor added he has sought an appointment with Chief Minister K Palaniswami to discuss the matter.

Asked if he would stage a protest in Delhi to persuade the Centre to set up the Cauvery panels at the earliest, he said, "It can be done if required," and asked the scribes if they too would join him.

He also supported the idea of MPs from Tamil Nadu quitting in protest over the issue.

The actor-politician further said he would join the locals protesting against the expansion of a Sterlite Copper smelter plant in Tuticorin on Sunday.

On the CBSE paper leak, Haasan said the students who had appeared for the exams were not at fault and that they had not copied or done anything wrong.

"They cannot be punished" for the mistakes of the government or authorities, he added.

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Agencies
January 11,2020

New Delhi, Jan 11: Assets worth Rs 78 crore have been attached by the ED in connection with a money laundering probe against former ICICI Bank Chairman Chanda Kochhar and others, officials said on Friday.

A provisional order under the Prevention of Money Laundering Act (PMLA) has been issued for attachment of the properties that includes Kochhar's Mumbai-based house and some other assets belonging to a company linked to her, they said.

The book value of the attached assets is Rs 78 crore, they said.

The Enforcement Directorate (ED) is probing Kochhar, her husband Deepak Kochhar and others in a case of alleged irregularities and money laundering in giving loans by the bank to the Videocon group.

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Agencies
August 5,2020

Prime Minister Narendra Modi is in Ayodhya to lay the foundation of the Ram temple. He participated in the bhoomi poojan rituals at the temple site and offered prayers. He will shortly lay the foundation of the temple with a sliver brick.

From Varanasi to Tamil Nadu, many devotees have sent gifts for the ceremony, like silver bricks and coins.

Special prayers were started on Monday and will culminate with the PM laying the foundation stone for the temple. The city has been decorated with paintings depicting scenes from the Ramayana. The Uttar Pradesh government has also made elaborate security arrangement for the event.

Apart from the state police, the NSG commandos have also been kept on stand-by. The invitations for the ceremony have been kept limited due to the coronavirus pandemic. Veteran BJP leaders LK Advani and Murli Manohar Joshi will witness the event from New Delhi via video-conferencing.

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Agencies
July 15,2020

New Delhi, Jul 15: Air India has started the process of identifying employees, based on various factors like efficiency, health and redundancy, who will be sent on compulsory leave without pay (LWP) for up to five years, according to an official order.

The airline's board of directors have authorised its Chairman and Managing Director Rajiv Bansal to send employees on LWP "for six months or for a period of two years extendable upto five years, depending upon the following factors - suitability, efficiency, competence, quality of performance, health of the employee, instance of non-availability of the employee for duty in the past as a result of ill health or otherwise and redundancy", the order said on Tuesday.

The departmental heads in the headquarter as well as regional directors are required to assess each employee "on the above mentioned factors and identify the cases where option of compulsory LWP can be exercised", stated the order dated July 14.

"Names of such employees need to be forwarded to the General Manager (Personnel) in headquarter for obtaining necessary approval of CMD," the order added.

In response to queries regarding this matter, Air India spokesperson said,"We would not like to make any comment on the issue."

Aviation sector has been significantly impacted due to the travel restrictions imposed in India and other countries due to the coronavirus pandemic. All airlines in India have taken cost-cutting measures such as pay cuts, LWP and firings of employees in order to conserve cash flow.

For example, GoAir has put most of its employees on compulsory LWP since April.

India resumed domestic passenger flights from May 25 after a gap of two months due to the coronavirus pandemic.

However, the airlines have been allowed to operate only a maximum of 45 per cent of their pre-COVID domestic flights. Occupancy rate in Indian domestic flights has been around 50-60 per cent since May 25.

Scheduled international passenger flights continue to remain suspended in India since March 23.

The passenger demand for air travel will contract by 49 per cent in 2020 for Indian carriers in comparison to 2019 due to COVID-19 crisis, said global airlines body IATA on Monday.

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