Author: TELO Admin

MK Stalin sworn in as new Chief Minister of Tamil Nadu; here is the list of other top ministers

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MK Stalin, the chief of DMK, today took the oath of office as Tamil Nadu’s Chief Minister. The oath-taking was held at Raj Bhavan in Chennai, where the new CM was sworn in by Governor Banwarilal Purohit.

The 68-year-old Stalin’s swearing-in gives the state a DMK government after a gap of 10 years. This is the sixth time in all that the party has formed government in Tamil Nadu.

The party had bagged an absolute majority — 133 seats in the 234-member assembly — in the recently concluded polls, which it had contested in tow with a number of allies including Congress.

As many as 33 other election winners from the party were also sworn in along with Stalin. These include 15 new entrants. Among those sworn in, there were two women ministers.

According to reports by news agencies, the DMK supremo will hold a number of portfolios. These include Home General Administration, Special Initiatives, Special Programme Implementation and Welfare of Differently-Abled Persons.

Here follows a list of prominent ministers who were sworn in today*.

Ma Subramanian: Medical and Family Welfare
S Duraimurugan: Water Resources
Anbil Mahesh Poyyamozhi: School Education.
S Raghupathy: Law
R Sakkarapani: Food and Civil supplies
T Mano Thangaraj: Information Technology
Palanivel Thiagarajan: Finance and Human Resources.
K N Nehru: Municipal Administration
I Periasamy: Minister for Cooperation
K Ponmudi: Higher Education
EV Velu: Public Works
MRK Panneerselvam: Agriculture and Farmer’s Welfare
KKSSR Ramachandran: Revenue and Disaster Management
Thangam Thennarasu: Industries
S Muthusamy: Housing and Urban Development
K R Periakaruppan: Rural Development
T M Anbarasan: Rural Industries
MP Saminathan: Information and Publicity
P Geetha Jeevan: Social Welfare and Women Empowerment
Anitha S Radhakrishnan: Fisheries, Fishermen Welfare and Animal Husbandry
SR Rajakannappan: Transport
K Ramchandran: Forests
V Senthilbalaji: Electricity, Prohibition and Excise
R Gandhi: Handlooms and Textiles
P Moorthy: Commercial Taxes and Registration
SS Sivasankar: Backward Classes Welfare.
PK Sekarbabu: Hindu Religious and Charitable Endowments
SM Nasar: Milk and Dairy Development
Ginjee KS Masthan: Minorities Welfare and Non-Resident Tamils welfare
Siva V Meyyanathan: Environment-Climate Change and Youth Welfare and Sports Development
C V Ganesan: Labour Welfare and Skill Development
M Mathiventhan: Tourism
N Kayalvizhi Selvaraj: Adi Dravidar Welfare.

Scarborough MPP’s bill passes, declaring Tamil Genocide Education Week in Ontario

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Ontario on May 6 became one of the first jurisdictions in the world to recognize a genocide against Tamils in Sri Lanka as a Scarborough MPP’s private bill passed third reading in the legislature.

Bill 104, the Tamil Genocide Education Week Act, establishes seven days each year, May 11 to 18, during which Ontarians “are encouraged to educate themselves about, and to maintain their awareness of, the Tamil genocide and other genocides that have occurred in world history.”

On Twitter, Scarborough-Rouge Park MPP Vijay Thanigasalam called the passage of his bill “a historic event for Tamil people in Ontario and across the world.”

The Progressive Conservative MPP – who as a child fled the decades-long civil war in Sri Lanka his bill describes as a genocide against its Tamil population – said Ontario is the first government worldwide to pass such a law.

Sri Lankan-Canadians objected to the word “genocide” – a word Canada and the United Nations have not applied to the conflict, which ended with the defeat of the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam on May 18, 2009 – and urged MPPs not to pass the bill, but Tamil-Canadian groups supported it.

Having waited since passing second reading in 2019, Bill 104 appeared at the Standing Committee on Regulations and Private Bills on May 5. It was put to a third legislature vote the next day.

“Ontario is sending a loud and clear message, as the first jurisdiction to acknowledge the Tamil Genocide,” said Sinthughan Shanmugalingam, vice president of campaigns for the Canadian Tamil Youth Alliance, a group Shanmugalingam said lobbied for Bill 104’s passage through meetings with politicians and email and letter campaigns since 2019.

“With the passing of this Bill, Tamils can begin the healing process, and encourage Ontarians to learn about the Tamil genocide, and other genocides that have taken place around the world.”

The bill must still receive royal assent before becoming law.

Source:Toronto.com

Acting Solicitor General Sanjay Rajaratnam likely to be new AG

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Acting Solicitor General Sanjay Rajaratnam is likely to be appointed as the new Attorney General (AG).

Rajaratnam’s name has been nominated to the Parliamentary Council to replace outgoing AG Dapulla de Livera.

In 2019 he was been appointed as the Acting Solicitor General by the Public Service Commission (PSC).

Rajaratnam had replaced then Solicitor General Dilrukshi Dias Wickramasinghe who was interdicted by the PSC over an alleged incriminating telephone conversation with Avant-Garde Chairman Nissanka Senadhipathi.

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Tamil MPs upbeat after discussion with Minister Rajapksa

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Tamil MPs were convinced that a positive outcome could be achieved over instances where Mahaweli Authority officials were taking over private lands belonging to the Northern residents, ITAK Kilinochchi District MP S. Sritharan said yesterday after a meeting with Minister of Irrigation Chamal Rajapaksa.

The MP said that the meeting with Minister Rajapaksa on Wednesday had been extremely fruitful and his attitude was commendable.

“We informed him of the actions of Mahaweli Authority officials and he immediately stopped it. He also ordered an investigation into the allegations. These are commendable actions and we are extremely pleased with the way it was handled,” MP Sritharan said.

The TNA said that the Minister had also responded positively to the request for making the Northern Kalmunai sub-divisional secretariat, a fully-fledged secretariat. The residents in Kalmunai had staged continuous protests over that issue, the MP said. Some 29 Grama Servaga Divisions come under the Northern Kalmunai sub-divisional secretariats. “Many sub-divisional secretariats have been converted to divisional secretariat but for some reason Kalmunai sub-divisional secretariat has been left out.”

TELO MP’S Leader Selvam Adaikalanathan,Govinthan Karunakaran and Vinoharathalingam,ITAK MP’s M.A. Sumanthiran, S. Sritharan and Charles Nirmalanathan, Tamil National People’s Front’s Leader Gajendrakumar Ponnambalam and Selvarajah Kajendran, Thamil Makkal Thesiya Kuttani’s Leader C.V. Wigneswaran met Minister Rajapaksa.

President talks to WHO Chief. Says it was useful

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President Gotabaya Rajapaksa said in a tweet that he had useful Zoom discussion with Head of the World Health Organisation, DrTedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus.

At the meeting it transpired that approval would be given in another 2-3 days for Sinopharm to be used for emergency use. With that approval, we will be able to start vaccinating our people with the current stock of 600,000 Sinopharm doses in hand.

While commending our control of the pandemic during the first wave, he was hopeful that the current surge would be soon brought under control. I registered my appreciation of the support the WHO has been providing at regional and Colombo office level.

The President further said. “I believe WHO will make an effort to fulfil the need for 600,000 doses of AstraZeneca needed for the 2nd dose of vaccination for those who have already been vaccinated.

Globally, there is a need for 20 million doses of the AstraZeneca for the 2nd dose”.

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Schools, pre-schools, tuition classes, universities will remain closed: Minister

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All schools, pre-schools, universities and tuition classes will remain closed until further notice, Minister of Education Prof. G.L. Peiris announced today (May 07).

The decision was jointly taken by the education and health authorities, after taking into account the prevailing COVID-19 pandemic situation in the country exacerbated by a third wave.

On April 27, an announcement from the Education Minister stated that all schools across the country will be closed until the April 30 due to the recent upsurge in COVID-19 figures.

However, reopening of schools was then postponed until today as the country has been seeing a consecutive increase in virus infections following the Sinhala and Tamil New Year last month.

Daily coronavirus cases reported in Sri Lanka have been staying above 1,000 since the 27th of April.

Sri Lanka has registered as many as 119,424 infections since the pandemic’s outbreak last year. According to official data, more than 17,700 active cases are under medical care at present.

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Attorney General Turns Down Diplomatic Posting To Canada

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Attorney General Dappula de Livera has politely turned down the offer to be appointed the Sri Lankan High Commissioner to Canada.

The post has been offered to the Attorney General, who is due to retire soon, by President Gotabhaya Rajapaksa.

The Attorney Feneral has conveyed to the President he prefers to remain in Sri Lanka to serve the public, AG’s Coordinating Officer Nishara Jayaratne said.

There is still no clarity about the capacity in which de Livera intends to “serve the public” in the future.

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SLPP wants Provincial Council elections to be postponed

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The district leaders of the SLPP have urged Prime Minister Mahinda Rajapaksa not to hold the Provincial Council election, citing the prevailing situation in the country.

It is reported that SLPP district leaders have submitted a proposal to postpone the Provincial Council elections at a meeting presided over by premier Rajapaksa on May 04.

Political sources say the SLPP leaders are of the view that the amending of the provincial council act and as well as the demarcation of electors should be completed before the elections.

However, the media has reported that the leaders of other political parties of the government did not attend the particular meeting. Amongst the leaders who boycotted the meeting were Wimal Weerawansa, Udaya Gammanpila, Vasudeva Nanayakkaara, Tissa Vitharana, Dr. G. Weerasinghe, A.L.A.M. Athaullah, Tiran Alles, Asanka Nawarathna and Ven. Athuraliye Rathana thera.

Speaker receives SC’s determination on Port City Economic Commission Bill

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The Supreme Court’s determination with regard to the Colombo Port City Economic Commission Bill will be presented to the House on the 18th of May, the Department of Communications of the Parliament said.

Speaker Mahinda Yapa Abeywardena has received the Supreme Court’s determination on Colombo Port City Economic Commission Bill on Wednesday evening (May 05).

The Committee on Parliamentary Business on Tuesday (May 04) decided not to proceed with the parliamentary debate on the relevant draft billscheduled for Wednesday, as the Supreme Court’s determination was yet to be received by the Parliament.

On April 23, the Supreme Court concluded the consideration of petitions challenging the Colombo Port City Economic Commission Bill.

The petitions were taken up before a five-member bench consisting of Chief Justice Jayantha Jayasuriya, and Supreme Court Judges Buwaneka Aluvihare, Priyantha Jayawardena, Murdu Fernando, and Janak de Silva.