Home guard held for harassing and blackmailing girl students

The Sadashivanagar police on Saturday arrested a 40-year-old home guard for allegedly harassing and blackmailing girl students at their rented room. The accused identified as Suresh Kumar, was arrested based on a complaint lodged by the victim. According to the police, Suresh Kumar allegedly posing as a crime branch policeman blackmailed the students and also … Read more

Namakkal gets first place in consumer protection and awareness

Namakkal District Collector S. Uma recieving the award and certificate from Minister Periyasamy in a function held recently in Dindigul district. | Photo Credit: Special Arrangement Namakkal district came first in the state for consumer protection by raising awareness among consumers and taking action on complaints related to the public distribution system (PDS) for the … Read more

Industry, trade bodies welcome Budget; they say it fosters economic growth and supports key sectors

The Kanara Chamber of Commerce and Industry president Anand G. Pai said the Union Budget reflects the government’s commitment to fostering economic growth, supporting key sectors and enhancing ease of doing business in Mangaluru, on Saturday, February 1. | Photo Credit: SPECIAL ARRANGEMENT Vishal L. Salian, president of the District Small Industries Association welcomed the Budget 2025, calling … Read more

NBW against Baba Ramdev in Palakkad court

The Judicial First Class Magistrate II, Palakkad, has issued a non-bailable arrest (NBW) warrant against yoga guru Baba Ramdev, his aide Acharya Balkrishna, and Divya Pharmacy, the marketing arm of their Haridwar-based pharma company Patanjali Ayurved, in the misleading advertisements case. The court had earlier issued a bailable warrant to them asking for their appearance … Read more

Hebbal police arrest six for honey-trapping bike-taxi rider with fake marriage alliance

The Hebbal police on Saturday arrested six persons, including four women and two autorickshaw drivers, for allegedly honey-trapping a bike-taxi rider by luring him with a marriage alliance and extorting ₹50,000 from him on January 20. Based on the complaint, the police tracked down the accused, identified as Geetha, Manjula, Vijayalakshmi, Leelavathy, home makers, and … Read more

Assistance given to poor children

District Collector A. K. Kamal Kishore handed over financial assistance to 31 disadvantaged children here on Saturday. He said the assistance of ₹10,000 each being given through the District Child Protection Unit would benefit 15 children who had lost both parents, two physically challenged children, two children of differently-abled parents, two children of prison inmates … Read more

It’s a safe, conservative budget benefitting middle class, says corporate trainer

Name: C. Krishnan Profession: Senior faculty (Finance and Banking), Krea University and Corporate trainer No. of family members: 4 Annual income: ₹35 lakh “I see this as a safe, conservative budget. There were expectations that the budget would provide some relief to the middle class to address their concern on inflation. The Union government has … Read more

Union Budget will pave way for total privatisation of fisheries sector, says fishers’ union

The Union Budget 2025-26 will pave the way for total privatisation of the fisheries sector, Charles George, president of Kerala Matsya Thozhilali Aikya Vedi, an independent union of fishermen, said here on Saturday. The Budget has set aside ₹25,000 crore for the sector without analysing what has been done with the ₹20,000 crore set aside … Read more

Cochin Chamber of Commerce gives thumbs-up to Budget 2025-26

The Cochin Chamber of Commerce and Industry has given a thumbs-up to the Budget proposals, aligning with key insights from the Economic Survey. Chamber president S. P. Kamath, in a statement, welcomed the government’s initiative to rationalise customs duty on marine products, recognising it as a significant boost for the industry. He said that the … Read more

RMC, Chennai, to provide hands-on training on doppler weather radar

In a bid to reach out to budding technologists, the Regional Meteorological Centre (RMC), Chennai, will provide hands-on exposure to measurements and observation techniques deployed in the doppler weather radar. The week-long programme will expose youngsters to the basic methodologies used and the measurements needed to ensure data accuracy and quality. They will learn about … Read more

Tiruchi’s urban primary health centres eye NQAS certification

A view of the urban primary health centre at Edamalaipattipudur in Tiruchi. | Photo Credit: ANCY DONAL MADONNA In a bid to elevate public healthcare services, Tiruchi Corporation has set its sights on securing the National Quality Assurance Standards (NQAS) certification for four of its top-performing urban primary health centres (UPHCs) in the city. An … Read more

More airports, homestays and other agendas of Telangana govt. which are in sync with the Union Budget 2025-26

Hyderabad International Airport | Photo Credit: Subrahmanyam G S@Hyderabad A few of the announcements made by Union Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman during the Budget 2025-26 speech on Saturday (February 1, 2025) are in sync with the agendas floated by the Telangana government in the past — new airports in Telangana, middle-income housing, tourism focused on … Read more

Short termination of train services

In view of track maintenance engineering works at Pugalur, Kodumudi and Pasur railway yards, situated between Karur and Erode railway stations, changes have been made in train services as detailed below. A release from Salem Railway Division said Train No.56809 Tiruchi – Erode Passenger Train, scheduled to leave Tiruchi Junction at 7.20 a.m., will be terminated at Karur railway station … Read more

Don’t call off direct London flights from Kochi, says MP

Hibi Eden, MP, said the move to cancel Air India’s direct flights to London should be called off. He said that the plan is to discontinue direct London flights from March 30 this year. Mr. Eden has approached the Union Civil Aviation Ministry and Minister Ram Mohan Naidu, urging them to continue the service. He … Read more

Ramanathapuram Chamber welcomes Union Budget

Welcoming the Union Budget, the Ramanathapuram district Chamber of Commerce president A. Asmabagh Anwardeen said that by increasing the income tax rebates, the Finance Minister has given a big relief to the middle class. In a statement, he said that the reduction of basic structure of taxes on Customs duty imposed on life saving drugs … Read more

’Price cut for essentials would have helped common people’

Name: S. Sakthivel Profession: Autorickshaw driver No. of family members: 3 Annual income: ₹4.5 lakh S. Sakthivel, a native of Kancheepuram, said common people like him needed a reduction in the Goods and Services Tax (GST), as it added to their daily financial burden. He was disappointed that the Budget did not include any announcement … Read more

Mixed reaction from industry, traders of Tiruchi region

The Union Budget 2025-26 has drawn mixed reactions from the industry associations in Tiruchi region. Terming the Budget “growth-oriented and inclusive,” P. Gopalakrishnan, Regional Chairman, Southern Region, Federation of Indian Export Organisations (FIEO), said the Budget has sought to lay a strong foundation for development of people, industries and exports. It presents a balanced approach … Read more

Concerns raised over lack of transparency in property tax collection in Coimbatore

Residents demand information on property tax rates and calculations on the Coimbatore Corporation website. | Photo Credit: Special Arrangement Concerns have been raised over the lack of transparency in property tax collection in Coimbatore city, with allegations that bill collectors arbitrarily determine tax rates. “There is no clear information on tax rates, forcing the public … Read more

Cardiac surgeon K.M. Cherian laid to rest in Chennai

Renowned cardiac surgeon K.M. Cherian, who died in Bengaluru on January 25, was laid to rest in Chennai on Saturday (February 1, 2025). Dr. Cherian had collapsed suddenly when attending a wedding in Bengaluru. He was rushed to the Manipal Hospital, where he was declared dead. His mortal remains were kept for public viewing at … Read more

Federation urges regularisation of part-time teachers in Tamil Nadu’s government schools

The Tamil Nadu Part-time Teachers’ Federation (TNPTF) has urged the authorities to regularise the jobs of over 12,000 part-time teachers who are employed in 7,000 government schools across the State. According to the federation, approximately 500 part-time teachers work in government schools in Tiruchi. In a press release, the federation said that there had … Read more

Erode (East) bypoll 2025 | Preparations on at polling stations

With polling for the Erode (East) Assembly Constituency scheduled for February 5, work is on to install a cctv camera at a polling station in Erode in Tamil Nadu on Saturday. | Photo Credit: M. GOVARTHAN With three days left until polling for the Erode (East) Assembly constituency, preparatory work at 237 polling stations, including … Read more

Traders, consumers welcome IT relief

Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman’s announcement that there would be no income tax for income up to ₹12 lakh has been largely welcomed by traders and consumer organisations in Tiruchi. Tamil Nadu Vanigar Sangankalin Peramaippu expressed happiness over the Finance Minister’s announcement and the increase in time limit for filing returns to four years. In a … Read more

Erode (East) bypoll 2025 | As polling day nears, vehicles equipped with GPS

Vehicles are being equipped with Global Positioning Systems that escort electronic voting machines for the byelection to Erode (East) Assembly constituency in Erode in Tamil Nadu. | Photo Credit: M. GOVARTHAN As many as 24 vehicles accompanying lorries and vans transporting electronic voting machines (EVMs), voter verifiable paper audit trails (VVPATs), and other election materials … Read more

Water level in Mettur dam stands at 110.58 feet

The water level at the Mettur dam stood at 110.58 feet on Saturday against its full level of 120 feet. The inflow was 812 cusecs and the discharge 500 cusecs. Published – February 01, 2025 05:58 pm IST Read Comments Copy link Email Facebook Twitter Telegram LinkedIn WhatsApp Reddit

Erode (East) bypoll 2025 | Industries in Erode asked to grant a holiday with pay on February 5

The Industrial Safety and Health Department has asked all industries and construction units in the district to grant a paid holiday to voters on February 5, the day of polling. A release from its Joint Director E. Vinothkumar said all permanent employees, contract workers, daily wage earners and temporary workers should be given leave to cast their vote and exercise their democratic right. Complaints can be … Read more

Vengaivayal case: Police report opens can of worms

The recent police chargesheet naming three youths — Muraliraja, Muthukrishnan and Sudharsan — from the Scheduled Caste community as the main accused in the case of human faeces being dumped into an overhead drinking water tank in a Dalit neighbourhood of Vengaivayal in Pudukkottai district in December, 2022, has potentially opened a can of worms … Read more

One killed and 22 injured as bus overturns at Manapparai

An omni bus carrying passengers from Chennai to Madurai caught fire after it skidded and fell into a pit at Yagapuram, Tiruchi | Photo Credit: Special Arrangement A woman was killed and 22 persons were injured when an omni bus skidded and fell into a roadside ditch in the early hours of Saturday (February 1, … Read more

Union Budget 2025: Kerala industry players welcome tax concessions, eye growth in MSMEs, start-ups and agriculture

The move to identify 100 districts in the country to boost agriculture production and processing is likely to help Kerala, which is one of the most backward in agricultural production.  | Photo Credit: SURESH ALLEPPEY Along with the all-round cheer about the concessions announced on individual income-tax in the Union Budget 2025-26, industry players in … Read more