TN This Week: CM Asks Centre to Expedite Supply of Essential Food Commodities, Instructs Officials to Curb Hoarding

Spinning mills in the Micro Small and Medium Scale Enterprises (MSME) sector in Tamil Nadu have stopped production since Saturday as they are incurring heavy losses.

Textile, turmeric and other goods worth Rs 200 crore are stagnated due to a strike by load men demanding a hike in wages in Erode.

Mango farmers in the Vellore district are distressed because they are forced to sell fruits at a low cost to traders in neighbouring Andhra Pradesh. They are seeking immediate intervention from the government, and demanding the establishment of a juice factory to sell their produce.

Tamil Nadu coconut farmers are in dire straits due to the fruit’s falling prices. They broke coconuts and held protests in more than 50 places across Tamil Nadu on Wednesday urging state ministers to raise their voices in Parliament to stop the fall in coconut prices. Read more

Scores of weavers gathered outside the commissioner's office at Arani on Monday, demanding protection of the handloom silk weaving industry in Tiruvannamalai district. Due to the non-observance of handloom law, more power loom sarees are produced in the Arani and Cheyyar circles of Tiruvannamalai district and handloom silk sarees remain unsold. Read more

Thousands of sanitation workers blocked roads across Tamil Nadu on Monday against the steps taken by the state government to outsource work to the local bodies. Under the guise of reforms, permanent jobs in the urban local bodies will become non-existent, given the fast pace of outsourcing, with the state government issuing three government orders (GO) for the same, they alleged. Read more

A ‘queer art festival’ named ‘Ticket 9’ held in Chennai on June 23 has received backlash from LGBTQIA+ groups for using a slur targeting transgender persons.

Tamil Nadu BJP chief K Annamalai on Friday appeared before the Magistrate Court in Saidapet, Chennai in connection with the defamation case filed against him by DMK MP TR Baalu. The case was filed over 'DMK files' which were released by the state BJP chief levelling corruption allegations against the senior DMK leader and his family members.

NewsClick brings you a round-up of the developments in Tamil Nadu in the last week.

SOARING PRICE OF ESSENTIALS

As a part of its ongoing efforts to control the rise in prices of essential commodities, the state government has commenced procurement of palmolein oil and Tur Dal at a cost of Rs 928 crore for sale at the PDS outlets.

Considering the price hikes for certain types of grocery items and vegetables, Tamil Nadu Chief Minister MK Stalin on Monday ordered the Civil Supply - Crime Investigation Department to pay more attention to the hoarding of essential commodities and take appropriate action against the violators under the Essential Commodities Act.

Stalin on Wednesday asked the Union government to expedite the import of essential food commodities to control domestic food inflation and supply 10,000 metric tonnes each of wheat and tur dal per month from the central stock for sale in cooperative outlets in Tamil Nadu.

Vegetable supply has again been disrupted in Chennai resulting in a spike in the prices of tomatoes, ginger, shallots, garlic, and green chillies. Ginger has crossed the Rs 200 per kg rate for the first time.

Meanwhile, the state sells tomatoes through select public distribution system outlets at controlled prices.

OPPOSITION TO UCC

The principal Opposition of Tamil Nadu, the AIADMK, a BJP ally, on Wednesday, reiterated its opposition to the Uniform Civil Code (UCC).

Tamil Nadu Chief Minister M K Stalin on Thursday expressed his state’s “strong” opposition to the proposed UCC, arguing against a “one-size-fits-all approach”, and flagged his concerns in a detailed letter to the Chairperson of the Law Commission of India.

Warning that the UCC will affect the harmony in the country and will take the rights of minority communities, MDMK general secretary Vaiko and PMK president Anbumani Ramadoss sent separate letters to the Law Commission opposing the Code.

ED CAN ARREST SENTHIL BALAJI: HC

The Madras High Court on Friday held that the Enforcement Directorate (ED) had the right to subjugate minister Senthilbalaji into police custody under the PMLA act in the cash-for-jobs scam case after hearing the Habeas Corpus Petition (HCP) filed by Senthilbalaji's wife Megala.

However, earlier in the week, Megala filed a caveat petition with the Supreme Court.

Meanwhile, raids continued and IT sleuths raided the premises of Minister V Senthilbalaji’s supporters and relatives in Coimbatore on Wednesday.