Author: workdigital2701@gmail.com

The TTD announced on Tuesday that it had decided to use anti-drone technology, keeping in mind the security aspect of the Tirumala temple.

The Tirumala Tirupati Devasthanam (TTD) has decided to use anti-drone technology in view of the threat perception to Sri Venkateswara temple, the world’s richest Hindu temple.

The TTD announced on Tuesday that it had decided to use anti-drone technology, keeping in mind the security aspect of the Tirumala temple.

The decision was taken at the TTD Trust Board meeting presided over by Board Chairman B. R. Naidu.

Flying of drones is banned around the hill shrine, but some instances of security breaches have been reported in recent months. Last month, a YouTuber from Rajasthan was arrested when he operated the drone, allegedly recording the temple and its surroundings.

In a similar incident last year, a couple from Haryana were found using a drone camera along the Tirumala ghat road.

In March, the TTD urged the Centre to declare a no-fly zone over the hill shrine. The TTD Chairman wrote a letter to Union Aviation Minister K. Ram Mohan Naidu, requesting that Tirumala be declared a no-flying zone, keeping in mind the principles of Agama Shastra, sanctity of the temple, safety, and sentiments of the devotees.

The TTD says that aerial activities on the hill disturb the sacred atmosphere around the temple.

Tuesday’s Board meeting gave nod for steps towards the transfer of non-religious people working in the TTD through alternative ways or by giving them the Voluntary Retirement Scheme.

The temple body also decided to take legal action against the crew of the movie “DD Next Level: for remixing the Govinda Namavali, thus hurting the sentiments of the devotees.

The Board decided to increase the green cover in the Tirumala hills. The board gave its nod to increase the green cover in the Tirumala hills from the existing 68.14 per cent to 80 per cent through the Forest Department as directed by Chief Minister Chandrababu Naidu.

The TTD decided to release Rs 4 crore to the Forest Department in phased manner, including Rs 1.74 crore for the year 2025-26, Rs 1.13 crore in 2026-27, and Rs 1.13 crore in 2027-28.

The Board gave its approval to provide an additional Rs 71 crore per year in addition to the current Rs 60 crore financial aid provided to the SVIMS Super Specialty Hospital, which is providing better medical services to many poor and needy people in Rayalaseema.

It was also decided to recruit doctors, nurses, and paramedical staff for the posts which are currently vacant in SVIMS and to complete the buildings which are under construction.

The Board decided to introduce Srivari Vaidya Seva soon on the lines of Srivari Seva voluntary service, inviting experts in the medical field to offer services to the patients.

The system may hit the Tamil Nadu coast on April 30 and can cause heavy rains in Kerala and Karnataka.

A low pressure system south of Bay of Bengal is likely to turn into a cyclonic storm, Indian Meteorological Department said. The system is likely to develop in the southeast of Sri Lanka and it may transform into a depression in the next 36 hours. If it develops into a cyclone, there is a possibility that it can cause damage on the coast of Tamil Nadu, the agency added.

Here are ten points on cyclone warning in Bay of Bengal:

1. “The low pressure area over east Equatorial Indian Ocean and adjoining southeast Bay of Bengal lies as a well marked low pressure area over the same region. It is very likely to intensify into a depression during the next 36 hours over east Equatorial Indian Ocean and adjoining central parts of south of Bay of Bengal. It is very likely to intensify into a cyclonic storm subsequently,” the release stated.
2. The system may hit the Tamil Nadu coast on April 30 and can cause heavy rain in Kerala and Karnataka.
3. On April 29, 30 and May 1, there is a possibility of severe rainfall in many parts of Kerala.
4. “On April 29, 30 and May 1, the possibility of severe rainfall in many parts of Kerala has been predicted. Strong winds (from 30-40 km/hour and gusting upto 50 km /hour) are expected in Kerala from 26-4-2019,” a Kerala State Disaster Management Authority  release said.
5. The Kerala State Disaster Management Authority – the nodal agency during natural calamities in the state – has issued an alert to fishermen not to venture into the Indian Ocean, in the southeast and adjoining areas of Bay of Bengal and the Tamil Nadu coast.
6. “Fishermen are advised not to venture into these areas. Fishermen at deep sea were advised to return to respective coasts by 12 am of 26th April 2019.  The fishing villages are being informed to take necessary precautions,” the Chief Minister’s Office has tweeted.
7. According to the state body, a yellow alert has been issued in Ernakulam, Idukki, Thrissur, Malappuram districts for April 29.Yellow alert means –“be watchful”.
8. People in Kerala have been warned to refrain from night travels between 7pm to 7am  to hilly terrains and districts like Ernakulam, Idukki, Thrissur, Malappuram, Pathanamthitta, Kottayam, Wayanad, Kozhikode and Palakkad districts – where landslides are a possibility.
9. People living in coastal areas, and low lying areas, have been asked to keep their documents in easily accessible place and emergency kits ready after Cyclone Fani warning. 
10. People have also been advised not to cross rivers as water levels may rise.

Covid-19 lockdown: Tamil Nadu has reported over 1,800 coronavirus cases and 22 deaths so far with 452 cases in state capital Chennai, 141 in Coimbatore, 110 in Tirupur, 56 in Madurai 56 and 30 in Salem

Vegetable shops and grocery stores in Tamil Nadu remained open till 3 pm, two hours beyond scheduled closing time, as per the orders of Chief Minister Edappadi K Palaniswami after panic buying of essential goods was witnessed in major cities ahead of an “intense lockdown” starting 6 am Sunday.

Earlier thousands flocked to vegetable shops and grocery stores, desperate to stock up on groceries, vegetables and other basic goods, resulting in violations of social distancing rules in place during the coronavirus outbreak.

On Friday Tamil Nadu announced an “intense lockdown” for four days in state capital Chennai as well as Madurai and Coimbatore. Two smaller cities – Salem and Tirupur – will be shut for three days, the government said.

During this period all grocery shops and private establishments, which had earlier been allowed to function between 6 am and 1 pm, will be shut, the government directed, adding that only mobile vegetable outlets and home delivery of food from restaurants would be allowed. 

Hospital pharmacies and medical shops will, however, be allowed to function, the government said.

Two disinfection drives will be carried out across containment zones in locked-down cities, the government added, noting that ATMs and state-run Amma canteens (providing food at subsidised rates) will also remain open.

The “intense lockdown” announced by the Tamil Nadu government comes in the middle of a nationwide lockdown ordered by Prime Minister Narendra Modi last month and extended last week to May 3. Under the nationwide restrictions, all shops and commercial establishments except those selling groceries, vegetables and medicines had been shut.

Since April 20, however, the centre has been slowly relaxing restrictions for some sectors and types of economic activities, in an effort to re-start the stuttering Indian economy.

Late Friday night the centre said shops in residential areas across the country – except those in the malls – could open from today, so long as they adhered to social distancing guidelines and use of gloves and face masks for shop owners and employees.

However, the centre has also said that relaxation of lockdown restrictions can be vetoed by individual states if the government felt it necessary to curb the spread of the virus.

Election Results 2024: The counting is underway for the Lok Sabha polls 2024 to decide the electoral fate of several key leaders.

The counting is underway for the Lok Sabha elections 2024 to decide the electoral fate of several leaders across the political spectrum. The seven-phased voting took place in 543 Lok Sabha seats between April 19 and June 1.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi, Union Home Minister Amit Shah, and Union Defence Minister Rajnath Singh were among the senior BJP leaders in the contest, while key opposition leaders include former Congress chief Rahul Gandhi, Samajwadi Party boss Akhilesh Yadav and AIMIM supremo Asaduddin Owaisi.

Lok Sabha Election 2024 Results LIVE: A Look At Key Seats

Narendra Modi: The Prime Minister won the Varanasi Lok Sabha seat for a third time. He defeated the Congress’ Ajay Rai by over 1.5 lakh votes.

Amit Shah: The Union Home Minister won the Gandhinagar Lok Sabha seat in Gujarat by defeating his nearest Congress rival Sonal Patel by a margin of more than 7.44 lakh votes.

Rahul Gandhi: The former Congress chief bettered his mother Sonia Gandhi’s 2019 victory margin from the Rae Bareli constituency in Uttar Pradesh and won by 3,90,030 votes. He is also contesting the Lok Sabha election from Wayanad in Kerala, where he is currently leading.

Akhilesh Yadav: Former Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister and Samajwadi Party supremo is currently leading from the Kannauj Lok Sabha seat. He is facing incumbent MP and BJP leader Subrat Pathak.

Asaduddin Owaisi: Four-time MP and All India Majlis-e-Ittehadul Muslimeen (AIMIM) chief retained the Hyderabad parliamentary constituency. He defeated his nearest rival, BJP’s actor-turned-politician Madhavi Latha, by more than three lakh votes.

Rajnath Singh: The Defence Minister secured a third term from Lucknow Lok Sabha seat. He defeated his nearest rival and SP’s Ravidas Mehrotra by more than 1.35 lakh votes.

Smriti Irani: The Union minister has lost to Congress’ Kishori Lal Sharma, a Gandhi family loyalist, by a margin of 1,66,022 votes.

Omar Abdullah: Former chief minister of Jammu and Kashmir lost the Baramulla seat by 2,04,142 votes. He was defeated by independent candidate Abdul Rashid Sheikh, who secured more than 4.72 lakh votes. 

Shashi Tharoor: Senior Congress leader and former Union Minister retained his Thiruvananthapuram Lok Sabha seat in Kerala for the fourth time. He won against Union Minister Rajeev Chandrasekhar with a margin of 16,077 votes.

Hema Malini: The actor-turned-politician, who has represented the Mathura constituency since 2014, again won from the UP Lok Sabha seat. She defeated Congress’ Mukesh Dhangar by nearly three lakh votes.

Adhir Ranjan Chowdhury: The Congress MP is currently trailing former Indian cricketer Yusuf Pathan, the TMC’s face in West Bengal’s Baharampur, by over 85,000 votes.

Piyush Goyal: The Union Minister of Commerce and Industries is currently leading by more than three lakh votes from the Mumbai North Lok Sabha.

Officials from the Tamil Nadu fisheries department told IANS that the British Navy detained the fishermen while they were fishing for tuna during the early morning hours of Monday.

Even as Tamil Nadu’s coastal communities continue to face challenges due to the regular arrests of fishermen by the Sri Lankan Navy, another group of ten fishermen from Thothoor village in the state has been allegedly arrested by the British Navy near Diego Garcia Island in the central Indian Ocean.

Officials from the Tamil Nadu fisheries department told IANS that the British Navy detained the fishermen while they were fishing for tuna during the early morning hours of Monday.

The fishermen were reportedly arrested for allegedly crossing the International Maritime Boundary Line (IMBL).

Sources from the fisheries department revealed that the same boat used by the fishermen had previously been seized on two separate occasions for allegedly crossing international borders.

The Tamil Nadu Fisheries Department has already informed the Ministry of External Affairs, Government of India, about the incident.

It may be recalled that eight fishermen from Rameswaram and Thangachimadam in Tamil Nadu were arrested by the Sri Lankan Navy early on January 12.

Two mechanised boats were also impounded by Sri Lankan naval authorities.

According to the Sri Lankan Navy, the arrests were made for allegedly crossing the IMBL and poaching near the Neduntheevu islet during the early hours of Sunday.

The fisheries department officials stated that they had issued tokens to 169 mechanised boats from Rameswaram jetty on Saturday morning. These boats were scheduled to return to shore on Sunday evening.

Sources further added that the arrested fishermen were taken to a naval port in Sri Lanka, where they are being questioned.

The impounded mechanised boats are also being towed to the port. The two impounded boats belong to Mukesh Kumar of Rameswaram and Maria Retrisan of Thangachimadam, with registration numbers IND TN 10 MM 879 and IND TN 10 MM 159, respectively.

Leaders of fishermen’s associations across coastal Tamil Nadu have condemned the midnight arrests.

Antony John, a leader from Rameswaram, told IANS that repeated pleas from fishermen’s associations to the Union government regarding such incidents have not resulted in redressal.

Expressing concern, he stated that it is no longer safe for fishermen to operate in the Palk Bay.

“We have not only lost our livelihoods but also our properties to Sri Lankan authorities. Around 270 trawlers have been impounded since 2018. Many fishermen have lost their jobs and are burdened by debts they cannot repay,” he said.

Welcome to WordPress. This is your first post. Edit or delete it, then start writing!