Tamilnadu State Cancer Institute was being established

           In the last 10 years, cultivable land in the State has shrunk by a whopping five lakh hectares owing to urbanisation and industrialisation, resulting in agriculture and allied sectors registering 0.69 per cent growth in the first four years of the 11th Plan (2007-12) against the targeted four per cent.

      To reverse this trend, the State Planning Commission (SPC) has proposed to ensure that impetus is given to vastly improve the farm sector and thereby enhance the economic status of farmers.

           Its Member-Secretary K. Dhanavel and other members — V. Shanta, E. Balagurusamy, Christopher Nelson and K. Ramasamy — and officials met here on Monday at a regional consultation meeting. Collector U. Sagayam presided. Speaking to reporters, Mr. Dhanavel said that though the Gross Domestic Product of the State had witnessed an 8.06 per cent growth against the target of 9 per cent, sectors such as agriculture required thrust as it supported 40 per cent of the population.

           At the meeting, Mr. Dhanavel said that Madurai residents want better infrastructure to spur development in the region. The modern airport terminal must provide international connectivity. Similarly, industries should be encouraged to set up their units along the Madurai-Tuticorin Highway. The power scenario must also be looked into if southern districts had to grow industrially. Water bodies should be free from encroachments and officials should be made accountable for failures in the event of not achieving targets fixed in the Plan.

        Laws must be strictly enforced to discourage conversion of cultivable lands into housing plots. Dr. Shanta said that stress must be more on prevention than cure in the health sector. It must not only be accessible but also affordable for the common man.

“We talk about curability and not fatality. Sanitation, hygiene and disease awareness are some of the issues which need attention,” she replied to a query.

State Cancer Institute

         Since the government was giving importance to cancer cure, a State Cancer Institute was being established for the benefit of people all over Tamil Nadu. The Chief Minister, who is the Chairman of the SPC, was keen to make the State number one in the country. The SPC had constituted 15 steering committees and 47 working groups to gather all inputs before its full sitting.

Other consultations

           A meeting of this kind was held in Coimbatore earlier and more meetings had been planned in Tirunelveli (December 7), Cuddalore (December 13) and Tiruchi (December 15). The 12th Five Year Plan would come into effect from April, Mr. Dhanavel said. 

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Jayalalithaa orders water release from Veeranam tank in Cuddalore district

A view of the Veeranam tank in Cuddalore district.

         Assenting to the requests made by farmers across the state, Tamil Nadu Chief Minister Jayalalithaa on Tuesday ordered release of water from three reservoirs and a tank across the state from December 7.

          A state government release said that the Chief Minister accepted the requests made by farmers from the nearby areas of of Veeranam reservoir (Cuddalore dt), Vaniyar and Chinnar reservoirs (Dharmapuri dt) and Barur tank (Krishnagiri dt) and has ordered the release of water from December 7 onwards. Release of water from Veeranam, Vaniyar, Chinnar and Barur water bodies in the state will help in irrigating 15,820 acres, 10, 517 acres, 3,198 acres and 4,729 acres respectively located around them, it added. 

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Agriculture to get extra thrust in 12th FYP

            Special focus would be given to the agriculture sector, which has witnessed a steep fall in the state gross domestic product during the 11th five year plan, K Dhanavel, member secretary of the State Planning Commission, said here on Monday.


            Dhanavel said that against the target of 4% growth, agriculture and allied sectors had registered just 0.69% while the manufacturing sector had registered 4.36% against the target of 9.2%. The service sector alone had registered growth of 11.06% against the target of 10.1%, he said.


          Addressing reporters after the regional consultation meeting of the State Planning Commission here on Monday for the preparation of the 12th Five Year Plan, he said the share of the agriculture gross state domestic product had declined to 8% in 2010-11 from 11% in 2005-06 but it still supported 40% of the state's population. Hence, top priority would be given to the sector with a growth target of 4% for doubling food production and enhancing the income of farmers 2 to 3 times through a second green revolution, Dhanavel said.


          When asked about the decline in cultivable land, he said that during 2001-11, 5 lakh hectares of agricultural land had been converted to non-agricultural purposes, mainly for residential plots. He said such conversion would not be allowed in such an easy manner and measures would be taken.  A growth target of 10% had been fixed for the 12th Five Year Plan with special focus on power, micro, small and medium enterprises, infrastructure, rural development, education, health, urban issues, water supply, sanitation and environmental.


          Regional consultation meetings would be held in Tirunelveli on December 7, Cuddalore on December 13 and Trichy on December 15 with the intention of collecting regional views and suggestions. Regional disparities would be addressed more effectively, he said. 

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பெண்ணாடம் ரயில் நிலையத்தில் கணினி முன்பதிவு மையத் திறப்பு விழா

விருத்தாசலம்:

          பெண்ணாடம் ரயில் நிலையத்தில் கணினி முன்பதிவு மையத் திறப்பு விழா செவ்வாய்க்கிழமை நடைபெற்றது. 

மையத்தை திறந்து வைத்து நாடாளுமன்ற உறுப்பினர் கே.எஸ்.அழகிரி பேசியது:

           இங்கே பல கோரிக்கைகளை முன் வைத்துள்ளீர்கள். தெற்கு ரயில்வே திருச்சி கோட்ட மேலாளர் அதற்கான முயற்சிகளை எடுக்க வேண்டும். அப்படி செய்தால் நான் உதவியாக இருப்பேன். விரைவு வண்டிகள் இங்கே நின்று செல்ல வேண்டும் என கோரிக்கை விடப்பட்டுள்ளது. மீட்டர் கேஜ் ரயில்கள் நின்ற இடங்களில் எல்லாம், அகல பாதைகளாக மாற்றப்பட்டுள்ள ரயில்கள் நிற்க வேண்டும் என சொல்லப்பட்டுள்ளது. 

            இதற்கும் அதிகாரிகள் முயற்சி செய்ய வேண்டும். இப்போது பஸ் கட்டணம் அதிகரித்துள்ளது. இதனால் ஏழை, நடுத்தர மக்கள் ரயில்களில் பயணம் செய்கின்றனர். எனவே இதுபோன்ற முக்கிய நிறுத்தங்களில் ரயில்கள் நின்று செல்வதற்கு ஏற்பாடு செய்தால் அனைவருக்கும் பயனுள்ளதாக இருக்கும். மேலும், விருத்தாசலத்திலிருந்து சேலம் செல்லும் ரயிலை கடலூர், விருத்தாசலம் வழியாக இயக்க நடவடிக்கை எடுக்க வேண்டும். இதனால் பலர் பயனடைவார்கள் என்றார்.

         திருச்சி கோட்ட மேலாளர் வைத்தியலிங்கம் வரவேற்றார். திட்டக்குடி சட்டப்பேரவை உறுப்பினர் க.தமிழழகன் சிறப்பு விருந்தினராகக் கலந்து கொண்டார். பெண்ணாடம் பேரூராட்சித் தலைவர் மதியழகன், பொன்னேரி ஊராட்சித் தலைவர் இளங்கோவன் உள்பட பலர் கலந்துகொண்டனர்.

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