Award hiked for marrying disabled in pondy state

Pondicherry

April 17 2002

The Pondy govt’s award of Rs 5,000 to anyone marrying a disabled person has been raised to Rs 10,000.

This was announced in the Territorial Assembly today by Social Welfare Minister M Chandrakasu while replying to members’ views on industries and welfare.

He said 24 couples had benefited during last year when the award amount was Rs 5,000. He said 30 couples would benefit under the enhanced scheme.

The free house site pattas given to Dalit families would hereafter be executed in the names of the husband and wife as the property would be a joint asset for the family instead of registering the document only in the name of the male member.

Two hundred Dalit families would get the house site pattas this year, he said.

Anganwadi workers court arrest

Pondy

April 18 2002

More than 600 staff and workers of Anganwadi centres courted arrest here yesterday when they attempted to picket the Assembly to press their demand for regularisation.

The protestors, who were already staging a fast in Bharathi Park, were held when they commenced a rally to picket the Assembly, police said.

In another protest, a batch of Group D workers of various govt departments was held when they too attempted to picket the Assembly in support of their demand for revision of pay scales on par with Fifth Pay Commission scales.

'No spying on Sonia'

Chennai

Apr 18 2002

PWD Minister O Paneerselvam today denied the allegation of the TNCC president E V K S Elangovan that the Intelligence Wing of the Tamilnadu police was spying on the Congress president Sonia Gandhi in New Delhi.

In a statement here, the Minister said the TNCC chief ' s charge was totally baseless and it was nothing but a figment of imagination.

Referring to the statement of Elangovan that spying on Sonia by the Tamilnadu Intelligence personnel was illegal and that appropriate action should be taken against it, Paneerselvam categorically said the State police had never, at any stage, kept a watch on Sonia.

The Minister strongly condemned the TNCC chief for making such allegations.