English हिन्दी
Connect with us

India News

DMK chief MK Stalin sworn in as Tamil Nadu Chief Minister

DMK president MK Stalin on Friday took oath as the new Chief Minister of Tamil Nadu for the time, along with 33 members of his cabinet, at the Raj Bhavan in Chennai.

Published

on

MK Stalin

DMK president MK Stalin on Friday took oath as the new Chief Minister of Tamil Nadu for the time, along with 33 members of his cabinet, at the Raj Bhavan in Chennai.

Governor Banwarilal Purohit administered the oath of office and secrecy to Stalin and his Cabinet ministers in an oath-taking ceremony which saw AIADMK’s top leader O Panneerselvam, leaders from alliance parties including Congress’s P Chidambaram, MDMK chief Vaiko, and top state officials in attendance.

This will be Stalin’s first term, and he takes charge when the state is battling a severe second Covid wave. Also, this is the sixth time the chief minister will be from the DMK since 1967, when party founder C N Annadurai was first elected to the post. Thereafter, Stalin’s father M Karunanidhi held the post. This time, DMK won 133 seats in the Assembly polls and along with allies, and got an absolute majority on its own.

Stalin will also hold several other portfolios including Home, General Administration, Special Initiatives, Special Programme Implementation and Welfare of Differently-Abled Persons. The Stalin-led cabinet has retained many former ministers with some of them being given different portfolios this time around, 15 members shall be ministers for the first time. Stalin’s son Udhayanidhi does not figure in the list of ministers. 

Party veteran and general secretary Duraimurugan, who had held portfolios like Public Works earlier, would be Minister for Water Resources in charge of irrigation projects and others including mines and minerals. Former Chennai Mayor Ma Subramanian and party’s north Chennai strongman, P K Sekarbabu. Thiagarajan, Poyyamozhi are among the 15 who would be first time Ministers. 

Read Also: PM Modi spoke his mann ki baat, did not listen, Jharkhand CM Hemant Soren on PM phone call

Here is the list of Tamil Nadu Cabinet and Council of Ministers:

DuraimuruganMinister for Water ResourcesIrrigation Projects including small Irrigation, Legislative Assembly, Governor and Ministry, Elections and Passports, Minerals and Mines.
K.N. NehruMinister for Municipal AdministrationMunicipal Administration, Urban and Water Supply.
I. PeriyasamyMinister for Co-operationCo-operation, Statistics and Ex-Servicemen Welfare
K. PonmudiMinister for Higher EducationHigher Education including Technical Education, Electronics, Science and Technology
E.V. VeluMinister for Public WorksPublic Works (Buildings, Highways and Minor Ports)
M.R.K. PanneerselvamMinister for Agriculture and Farmer’s WelfareAgriculture, Agricultural Engineering, Agro Service Co-operatives, Horticulture, Sugarcane Excise, Sugarcane Development and Waste Land Development
K.K.S.S.R RamachandranMinister for Revenue and Disaster ManagementRevenue, District Revenue Establishment, Deputy Collectors, Disaster Management
Thangam ThennarasuMinister for IndustriesIndustries, Tamil Official Language and Tamil Culture, Archeology.
S. ReghupathyMinister for LawLaw, Courts, Prisons and Prevention of Corruption
S. MuthusamyMinister for Housing and Urban DevelopmentHousing, Rural Housing, Town Planning projects and Housing Development, Accommodation Control, Town Planning, Urban Development and Chennai Metropolitan Development Authority.
K.R. PeriakaruppanMinister for Rural DevelopmentRural Development, Panchayats and Panchayat Unions, Poverty Alleviation Programmes, Rural Indebtedness.
T.M. AnbarasanMinister for Rural IndustriesRural Industries including cottage industries, small Industries, Slum Clearance Board.
M.P. SaminathanMinister for Information & PublicityInformation & Publicity, Film Technology and Cinematograph Act, Newsprint Control, Stationery and Printing, Government Press.
P. Geetha JeevanMinister for Social Welfare & Women EmpowermentWomen and Children Welfare including Social Welfare, Orphanages and Correctional Administration, Integrated Child Development Scheme and Beggar Homes and Social Reforms & Nutritious Meal Programme
Anitha R. RadhakrishnanMinister for Fisheries – Fishermen Welfare and Animal HusbandryFisheries and Fisheries Development Corporation and Animal Husbandry
S.R. RajakannappanMinister for TransportTransport, Nationalised Transport and Motor Vehicles Act.
K. RamachandranMinister for ForestsForests
R. SakkarapaniMinister for Food and Civil SuppliesFood and Civil Supplies, Consumer Protection and Price Control
V. SenthilbalajiMinister for Electricity, Prohibition & ExciseElectricity, Non Conventional Energy Development, Prohibition and Excise, Molasses
R. GandhiMinister for Handlooms and TextilesHandlooms and Textiles, Khadi and Village Industries Board, Boodhan and Gramadhan.
Ma. SubramanianMinister for Medical and Family WelfareHealth, Medical Education and Family Welfare
P. MoorthyMinister for Commercial Taxes and RegistrationCommercial Taxes, Registration and Stamp Act, Weights and Measures, Debt Relief including legislation on Money lending, Chits and Registration of Companies
S.S. SivasankarMinister for Backward Classes WelfareBackward Classes Welfare, Most Backward Classes Welfare and Denofied Communities Welfare
P.K. SekarbabuMinister for Hindu Religious and Charitable EndowmentsHindu Religious and Charitable Endowments
Palanivel ThiagarajanMinister for Finance and Human Resources ManagementFinance, Planning, Personnel and Administrative Reforms, Pensions and Pension allowances.
S.M. NasarMinister for Milk & Dairy DevelopmentMilk and Diary Development
Gingee K.S. MasthanMinister for Minorities Welfare and Non Resident Tamils WelfareMinorities Welfare, Non Resident Tamils Welfare, Refugees & Evacuees and Wakf Board
Anbil Mahesh PoyyamozhiMinister for School EducationSchool Education
Siva. V. MeyyanathanMinister for Environment – Climate Change and Youth Welfare and Sports DevelopmentEnvironment and Pollution Control, Youth Welfare and Sports Development
C.V. GanesanMinister for Labour Welfare and Skill DevelopmentLabour Welfare, Population, Employment and Training, Census, Urban and Rural Employment
T. Mano ThangarajMinister for Information TechnologyInformation Technology
M. MathiventhanMinister for TourismTourism and Tourism Development Corporation
N. Kayalvizhi SelvarajMinister for Adi Dravidar WelfareAdi Dravidar Welfare, Hill Tribes and Bonded Labour Welfare.

India News

Indian Navy submarine collides with fishing boat near Goa coast, 2 fishermen missing

A spokesperson from the Navy told the media that eleven crew have been rescued so far.

Published

on

Indian Navy submarine collides with fishing boat near Goa coast, 2 fishermen missing

Indian Navy officials on Friday said that an Indian fishing vessel with a crew of 13 collided with an Indian Naval submarine near the Goa coast. 

Following the incident, a massive search and rescue operation has been launched by the Indian Navy, which has deployed six ships and aircraft. Reportedly, while 11 crew have been rescued, two are still missing.

The Ministry of Defence issued a statement and said that the vessel, Marthoma, collided with a Scorpene-class submarine about 70 nautical miles off the Goa coast. It added that search and rescue efforts for the remaining two are underway and are being coordinated with Maritime Rescue Coordination Centre Mumbai (MRCC). It further mentioned that additional assets including from the Coast Guard have been diverted to the area to augment the efforts.

The statement said that the cause of the incident is being investigated. Notably, Scorpene-class submarines are a major part of India’s naval power in the Indian Ocean as they can undertake multifarious types of missions, including anti-surface warfare, anti-submarine warfare, intelligence gathering, mine laying, and area surveillance.

Reports said that the state-of-the-art technology utilised for the construction of the Scorpene-class submarines has ensured superior stealth features such as advanced acoustic silencing techniques, low radiated noise levels, hydro-dynamically optimized shape and the ability to launch a crippling attack on the enemy using precision-guided weapons. Furthermore, the attack can be launched with both torpedoes and tube-launched anti-ship missiles, whilst underwater or on the surface.

Meanwhile, the Indian Navy in its statement said that 13 crew members were aboard the fishing vessel at the time of the collision. It added that while 11 crew have been rescued so far, two fishermen are still reported missing.

A spokesperson from the Navy told the media that eleven crew have been rescued so far. He stated that search and rescue efforts for the remaining two crew members of Marthoma are in progress and are being coordinated with the Maritime Rescue Coordination Centre (MRCC), Mumbai. Additional assets including from the Coast Guard have been diverted to the area to augment the efforts, he continued.

Continue Reading

India News

10 Naxalites killed in encounter in Chhattisgarh’s Sukma

The District Reserve Guard (DRG) and the Central Reserve Police Force (CRPF) continue their search operation in the area.

Published

on

Ten Naxalites were killed in an encounter with security forces in the Sukma district of Chhattisgarh on Friday.

The confrontation started in the morning within a forest area under the jurisdiction of the Bhejji police station, where a joint operation was being conducted by security personnel as part of an anti-Naxalite initiative, according to Inspector General of Police (Bastar Range) Sundarraj P. 

This operation was initiated following intelligence regarding the presence of Maoists connected to the Konta and Kistaram area committees, situated in the forested regions around Korajguda, Dantespuram, Nagaram, and Bhandarpadar villages.

So far, the bodies of ten Naxalites have been recovered at the scene. Additionally, a significant cache of weapons was seized, including an INSAS rifle, an AK-47, and a Self Loading Rifle (SLR). 

The District Reserve Guard (DRG) and the Central Reserve Police Force (CRPF) continue their search operation in the area. This incident contributes to the year-to-date total of 207 Naxalite fatalities recorded in various clashes across the Bastar region of Chhattisgarh, comprising seven districts. 

On Wednesday, Chhattisgarh Chief Minister Vishnu Deo Sai met with Union Home Minister Amit Shah in the national capital, North Block. Their discussion focused on developmental progress in Naxal-affected areas of Chhattisgarh and efforts aimed at enhancing peace and stability in these regions. 

The Chief Minister emphasised that both the state government and security forces are diligently working to eradicate Naxal influence in Chhattisgarh, aligning with the Union Home Minister’s commitment to eliminate Naxalism by 2026.

“I met with Union Home Minister Amit Shah and updated him about the Naxal activities in Chhattisgarh. Over the past 11 months, close to 200 Naxals have been neutralized, and approximately 600-700 have surrendered. We are making significant strides towards the goal set by the Prime Minister and Home Minister to achieve a Naxal-free India by March 2026,” CM Sai told reporters following the meeting.

Continue Reading

India News

Canada fact checks own media, rejects report claiming PM Modi knew of Nijjar murder plot

The clarification comes after a Canadian newspaper cited an unnamed national security official, claiming the alleged plot to murder Nijjar was orchestrated by Union Home Minister Amit Shah.

Published

on

Canada fact checks own media, rejects report claiming PM Modi knew of Nijjar murder plot

The Canadian government clarified that there is no evidence to connect Prime Minister Narendra Modi or his top officials to any criminal activity in Canada, including the killing of Khalistani terrorist Hardeep Singh Nijjar.

The clarification comes after a Canadian newspaper cited an unnamed national security official, claiming the alleged plot to murder Nijjar was orchestrated by Union Home Minister Amit Shah. The media report further alleged that PM Modi, External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar, and National Security Adviser Ajit Doval were informed about the plan.

Nonetheless, the same report acknowledged that the Canadian government had no direct evidence to support these claims against PM Modi. Issuing a statement, the Canadian government distanced itself from these allegations, mentioning that there was no substantiating evidence.

The statement underlined that on October 14th, because of a significant and ongoing threat to public safety, the RCMP and officials took the extraordinary step of making public accusations of serious criminal activity in Canada perpetrated by agents of the government of India.

It added that the government of Canada has not stated, nor is it aware of evidence, linking Prime Minister Modi, Minister Jaishankar, or NSA Doval to the serious criminal activity within Canada. It remarked that any suggestion to the contrary is both speculative and inaccurate.

Earlier, India furiously rejected the Canadian daily’s report as ludicrous, terming it detrimental to diplomatic ties that have been frosty since Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau first accused India of involvement in Nijjar’s killing last year.

Ministry of External Affairs spokesperson Randhir Jaiswal said that they do not normally comment on media reports, but such ludicrous statements made to a newspaper purportedly by a Canadian government source should be dismissed with the contempt they deserve. He added that smear campaigns like this only further damage our already strained ties.

Diplomatic ties between India and Canada weakened when the Royal Canadian Mounted Police (RCMP) accused Indian government agents of involvement in criminal activities on Canadian soil, including murder, extortion, and intimidation. As the diplomatic rift intensified, both the countries expelled top envoys in response.

Hardeep Singh Nijjar was gunned down outside a gurdwara in Surrey, British Columbia, in June 2023. Earlier in 2024, Canadian authorities arrested and charged four Indian nationals for the murder.

Continue Reading

Trending

© Copyright 2022 APNLIVE.com