The Tamil Nadu Government has urged the Centre to expedite financial assistance for its Rs 700 crore scheme to computerise the PDS with a view to increase efficiencies of operation.

It also pleaded with the Centre to exempt the State from the purview of the proposed Food Security law and reconsider its decision to implement the Targetted Public Distribution System.

Site helps peasants discuss prices and plan strategy. Last month, the turmeric farmers of Maharashtra’s Sangli district found themselves in a desperate situation. Oversupply had resulted in prices crashing in the local turmeric market, Asia’s biggest, threatening their livelihood. And with several thousands growing the commodity across Maharashtra, Andhra Pradesh and Tamil Nadu, any meaningful strategy to halt the price crash meant involving a sizeable number of farmers.

CHENNAI: Taking strong exception to Kerala's reported "unilateral" action in ordering real time monitoring of Mullaperiyar Dam along with the Centre without Tamil Nadu's consent, Chief Minister Jayalalithaa today slammed it as a "blatant violation" of the principle of federalism and constitutional framework. In a letter to Prime Minister Manmohan Singh, she referred to reports of Kerala deciding "unilaterally" to install real time monitoring system for water build up, calling it yet another attempt to exacerbate fears in Kerala about its safety.

CHENNAI: Chief Minister J Jayalalithaa on Thursday constituted a four-member expert panel to go into safety features of the Koodankulam Nuclear Power Project and consider the apprehensions of the local people. Former Atomic Energy Commission chief M R Srinivasan, Prof D Arivoli and Prof S Iniyan from Anna University’s Physics department and Energy Studies Institute respectively are panel members, along with former IAS officer L N Vijayaraghavan who retired in the chief secretary cadre.

Taking strong exception to Kerala’s reported “unilateral” action in ordering real time monitoring of Mullaperiyar Dam along with the Centre without Tamil Nadu’s consent, the Chief Minister, Ms J. Jayalalithaa, today slammed it as a “blatant violation” of the principle of federalism and constitutional framework.

In a letter to the Prime Minister, Dr Manmohan Singh, she referred to reports of Kerala deciding “unilaterally” to install real time monitoring system for water build up, calling it yet another attempt to exacerbate fears in Kerala about its safety.

It is in the very early stages, but the thinking in the Ministry of New and Renewable Energy Corporation is for the newly set up Solar Energy Corporation to put up a 1,000-MW solar park in the country.

Confirming this to Business Line, Mr Tarun Kapur, Joint Secretary in the Ministry, said that developing such a park would be one of the Corporation's activities.

The Cuddalore chapter of the Tamil Nadu Legal Services Authority has come to the rescue of cyclone-affected people in the district, who have lost vital documents such as passports, birth certificates, ration cards, court papers and so on. Chairman of the District Legal Services Authority K.Uthirapathy, who is also Principal District and Sessions Court Judge, has taken the initiative to help such people. They would otherwise have to undergo cumbersome procedure of approaching the respective departments or agencies to get duplicates after surmounting legal hurdles and time lapses.

Sterlite Grid, L&T, Lanco Infratech, GMR Group, KEC in the race to bid. Power transmission firms are gearing up to bid for two much delayed transmission projects worth . 2,800 crore, which are likely to be awarded by March. After a lull of almost one year, activity in private-sector participation in power transmission has picked up and developers are keen to grab these projects as the ones awarded earlier have been concentrated mostly between Reliance Infrastructure and Sterlite Grid, which bagged four projects worth . 7,000 crore and three projects worth .

Power cuts leave traffic constables in the “red”

With the power cut duration stretching for nearly eight hours in the last couple of days, the City Police have asked the sponsors of all traffic signals in the city to power them with solar energy. Conversion of these signals to solar powered ones is expected to happen by the first week of March.

A Central team from the National AIDS Control Organisation, New Delhi, which is in the State to evaluate the care, support and treatment programmes implemented by Tamil Nadu, has said that there are lessons here for the rest of the country to follow.