<span style="color: rgb(44,47,52);background-color: rgb(255,255,255);font-size: 20px;font-family: -apple-system, BlinkMacSystemFont, "Segoe UI", Roboto, Oxygen, Oxygen-Sans, Ubuntu, Cantarell, "Helvetica Neue", "Open Sans", Arial, sans-serif;">Chennai: <span style="color: rgb(44,47,52);background-color: rgb(255,255,255);font-size: 20px;font-family: -apple-system, BlinkMacSystemFont, "Segoe UI", Roboto, Oxygen, Oxygen-Sans, Ubuntu, Cantarell, "Helvetica Neue", "Open Sans", Arial, sans-serif;">Kuruvai farmers of Mayladuthurai and other coastal districts of Tamil Nadu are worried that their crops would be lost if the free power subsidy being given now is revoked following the Central Electricity (Amendment ) Bill 2022 tabled in Parliament.
<span style="color: rgb(44,47,52);background-color: rgb(255,255,255);font-size: 20px;font-family: -apple-system, BlinkMacSystemFont, "Segoe UI", Roboto, Oxygen, Oxygen-Sans, Ubuntu, Cantarell, "Helvetica Neue", "Open Sans", Arial, sans-serif;">While speaking to IANS, Madanasamy, a Kurvai farmer at Mayladuthurai said, “We are not certain what is in store for the subsidised electricity power for us Kuruvai farmers. We are dependent largely on groundwater pumping for the water sources for our farming rather than water from Cauvery river. Our crop is from April to August and with groundwater being the main source for our water needs, if the government revokes subsidy, then I fear that our crops would be lost.”&nbsp;
<span style="color: rgb(44,47,52);background-color: rgb(255,255,255);font-size: 20px;font-family: -apple-system, BlinkMacSystemFont, "Segoe UI", Roboto, Oxygen, Oxygen-Sans, Ubuntu, Cantarell, "Helvetica Neue", "Open Sans", Arial, sans-serif;">According to the agriculture department of Tamil Nadu, more than 90 percent of the farming was dependent on groundwater and borewell and for this power is required.
<span style="color: rgb(44,47,52);background-color: rgb(255,255,255);font-size: 20px;font-family: -apple-system, BlinkMacSystemFont, "Segoe UI", Roboto, Oxygen, Oxygen-Sans, Ubuntu, Cantarell, "Helvetica Neue", "Open Sans", Arial, sans-serif;">While speaking to IANS, K.R. Kannan, a farmer said, “We have been cultivating our Kuruvai crop from April to August and Rabi from October to January. If free power is revoked, then we will be forced to totally depend on Cauvery water which will be available only in June. This means our crops are destroyed in the days to come.”
<span style="color: rgb(44,47,52);background-color: rgb(255,255,255);font-size: 20px;font-family: -apple-system, BlinkMacSystemFont, "Segoe UI", Roboto, Oxygen, Oxygen-Sans, Ubuntu, Cantarell, "Helvetica Neue", "Open Sans", Arial, sans-serif;">It may however be noted that the Union government has categorically stated that there won’t be any provisions that affect existing agriculture subsidies.
<span style="color: rgb(44,47,52);background-color: rgb(255,255,255);font-size: 20px;font-family: -apple-system, BlinkMacSystemFont, "Segoe UI", Roboto, Oxygen, Oxygen-Sans, Ubuntu, Cantarell, "Helvetica Neue", "Open Sans", Arial, sans-serif;">Farmers also said that paddy is a crop that requires a regular water supply and if the power subsidy is revoked, then the farmers may have to skip the Kuruvai crop and move ahead towards the Rabi crop depending on river water for irrigation.&nbsp;
—IANS

Kuruvai farmers of Mayladuthurai and other coastal districts of Tamil Nadu are worried that their crops would be lost if the free power subsidy being given now is revoked following the Central Electricity (Amendment ) Bill 2022 tabled in Parliament.

 Paddy farmers in TN worried over revoking free power

Tamil Nadu

Chennai:&nbsp;The Tamil Nadu government has requested the public to provide inputs on the proposed legislation on online games.The government wants input from stakeholders, including the parents, students, teachers, youth, psychologists, political leaders, and online game providers, before Friday.The state government in a statement on Monday said that all the political leaders, psychologists, and social activists have cited the negative impacts of online games in the lives of people. The critics have also pointed out that several people including women were taking their lives due to addiction in online games and were unable to pay the huge debts that they incur by playing the games without holds.It may be noted that Tamil Nadu has witnessed 20 deaths in the recent past due to the rising debts caused owing to the loss of playing online games including rummy.The Tamil Nadu government had formed a panel headed by Justice( rtd) K. Chandru to provide recommendations on new online gaming legislation. The state government will be considering the report of the Justice Chandru committee after getting inputs from the stakeholders.The state government in the statement said that the general public can provide inputs to homesec@tn.gov.in before Friday. Organisations, who want to personally meet the concerned authorities, are to submit a request before 5 p.m. on Tuesday. These organisations will be provided with time slots and their consultation will commence from Thursday and the organisations will be permitted to meet the concerned authorities only after they reserve their time slots.—IANS

The Tamil Nadu government has requested the public to provide inputs on the proposed legislation on online games.

 TN govt invites public input on online games ban

Chennai:&nbsp;A 400-year-old idol, believed to be of King Sethupathi's clan of Sivaganga and being offered for sale clandestinely, was seized by the Tamil Nadu Police's Idol Wing and four people arrested, official said.Acting on a tip-off that two men - P. Arumugaraj, 56, and M. Kumaravel, 36, of Thoothukodi were in the process of selling an idol, police laid a trap. A police officer posed as a decoy and agreed to buy the idol for a few crores. He was told that the idol was with Musthafa of Uriyur in Tiruchi district.The duo contacted Mustafa and the three agreed to bring the idol to a secluded place at Tiruchi-Madurai Kalapatti Road junction. Mustafa met the decoy customer, along with Kumaravel and Arumugaraj, and the idol police squad who were hiding in the surroundings pounced on them and arrested the three along with the idol.On interrogation, Mustafa revealed that he got the idol from a person named Selvakumar of Sivaganga. A police team went to Sivaganga and arrested Selvakumar who revealed that his father was an astrologer and during his travels, he got the idol from a coconut merchant.A senior officer of the idol wing police told IANS that they will approach the Archeological Survey of India for determining the exact period of the idol and then would try to ascertain from where it was stolen.—IANS

A 400-year-old idol, believed to be of King Sethupathi's clan of Sivaganga and being offered for sale clandestinely, was seized by the Tamil Nadu Police's Idol Wing and four people arrested, official said.

 TN Police seize 400-year-old idol, arrest four

Chennai:&nbsp;Tamil Nadu Electricity Regulatory Commission (TNERC) will conduct a public hearing in Chennai on August 22, regarding the hike in power tariff proposed by the power utility, Tamil Nadu Generation and Distribution Company (TANGEDCO).The TNERC, in a statement on Sunday, said that the hearing will be conducted in Coimbatore on August 16, in Madurai on August 18, and in Chennai on August 22. TNERC in the statement said that people interested in airing their grievances could register between 9 to 10.30 am.It is to be noted that the tariff revision proposals of TANGEDCO have been uploaded to the websites of both TANGEDCO and TNERC. TNERC has also intimated the public to respond before August 22 to the proposals uploaded by TANGEDCO.The TNERC will be giving a green signal to the proposal of TANGEDCO only after the public hearings and response from the public on the proposals. It is likely to give a go-ahead to the proposals on September 1 and after that, there is an imminent power tariff hike in Tamil Nadu.—IANS

Tamil Nadu Electricity Regulatory Commission (TNERC) will conduct a public hearing in Chennai on August 22, regarding the hike in power tariff proposed by the power utility, Tamil Nadu Generation and Distribution Company (TANGEDCO).

 TN power tariff hike: Public hearing on August 16, 18, 22

Chennai:&nbsp;After the Bhavanisagar reservoir released 1.89 lakhs cusecs of water, the delta districts of Tamil Nadu are on high alert.Officials from the state's water resource department told IANS that of the 1.89 lakh cusecs of water released from the Bhavanisagar reservoir, 59,661 cusecs were released into the Cauvery river and 1.29 lakh cusecs into the Kollidam river.Tiruchi, Thanjavur, and Karur are on high alert and the district administrations have warned locals to stay alert over the possibility of rising water levels in these rivers which may lead to houses being inundated.As the Bhavanisagar reservoir reached 102 feet as against its maximum level of 105 feet, the water resources department released 25,863 cusecs of water into the Bhavani river on Saturday.Water released into Bhavani generally traverses through the river for some time and later joins the Cauvery.The department officials told IANS that the water level will increase once the water released from the Bhavanisagar reservoir reaches the Upper Anicut.Tiruchi district collector M. Pradeep Kumar told IANS that the district administration, police, and fire and rescue department are geared up for any eventuality.The district authorities have already deployed personnel in 27 vulnerable spots in Tiruchi district and flood inputs are shared with them every hour.More than 300 people have been evacuated and moved to camps in Srirangam, Manachanallur, and Lalgudi and 159 new shelters will be formed soon, the district authorities told IANS.Karur district collector, Prabhu Shankar told IANS that more than 150 families have been evacuated and accommodated at safe relief camps.—IANS

After the Bhavanisagar reservoir released 1.89 lakhs cusecs of water, the delta districts of Tamil Nadu are on high alert.