INFORMATIVE

Sriperumbudur election results on May 23 saw the DMK’s TR Baalu emerge the winner. He beat his nearest rivals Vaithilingam A (PMK) and Sridhar M (MNM) with a comfortable margin. Sriperumbudur is one of the largest parliamentary constituencies in Tamil Nadu. It is a manufacturing hub and is home to many automobile production units. Sriperumbudur parliamentary constituency consists of Maduravoyal, Ambattur, Alandur, Sriperumbudur(SC), Pallavaram and Tambaram assembly constituencies. According to the Election Commission of India’s website, the constituency has a total of  2253041 voters. The constituency went to polls on April 18, 2019, in the second phase of the 17th…

Meet South Chennai MP elect: Thamizhachi Thangapandian promises to be a strong voice for women South Chennai had been a DMK bastion for a long time, until 2014. J Jayavardhan, son of AIADMK MLA, D Jayakumar became one of the youngest MP’s by winning against DMK’s T K S Elangovan. With the victory of first-time contestant Thamizhachi Thangapandian, DMK reclaimed South Chennai, which has had leaders such as C N Annadurai and Murasoli Maran. Thamizhachi Thangapandian secured over 5.6 lakh votes and won against Jayavardhan with a margin of 2.6 lakh votes. Hailing from a family with a political background,…

P C Mohan has emerged as the winner again from Bangalore Central parliamentary constituency, scoring a hat-trick. Bangalore Central comprises eight assembly constituencies – Rajajinagar, Chamrajpet, Gandhinagar, Shivajinagar, Shantinagar, Sarvagnanagar, CV Raman Nagar and Mahadevapura. The majority of voters in this constituency are linguistic and religious minorities. Large slums, the Central Business District, gated communities in newer areas like Bellandur and Whitefield, are all part of Bangalore Central. The voter turnout in the constituency was only 45.34 percent this election. Mohan won the seat with 50.35 percent of the vote share, which accounted for over six lakh votes. Rizwan Arshad…

An RSS swayamsevak and lawyer at the Karnataka High Court, 28-year-old Tejasvi Surya is the winning candidate from Bangalore South constituency. Known for being the General Secretary of the Karnataka state Yuva Morcha, Surya has also been part of BJP’s national social media team. He is also the nephew of Ravi Subramanya, the BJP MLA from Basavanagudi. Bangalore South parliamentary constituency is a BJP stronghold. For the longest time, it was held by six-time MP late Ananth Kumar. The seat had remained vacant since Kumar's demise last November. It was widely reported that BJP’s national leadership had chosen Surya over Ananth…

D V Sadananda Gowda of Bharatiya Janata Party has retained his Bangalore North seat, becoming an MP for the fourth time. Gowda got 8.2 lakh votes or 52.83 percent of the total votes polled. His closest rival, Congress candidate Krishna Byre Gowda - MLA and Minister in Karnataka’s ruling coalition - trailed behind Gowda by over a lakh votes. Sadananda Gowda had handled three portfolios in the Modi cabinet - Minister of Railways, Minister of Law, and eventually Minister of Statistics and Programme Implementation. Straight match Bangalore North has been BJP’s stronghold since 2004. Sadananda Gowda had won the 2014 elections…

Saritha M, a 26-year-old from Kodungaiyur suffered from skin infections for as long as she could remember. Multiple visits to hospitals would bring temporary respite, but permanent recovery remained elusive. "Two years ago, I shifted from Kodungaiyur after my marriage. Soon afterward, my skin infection was completely cured," said Saritha, concluding that the polluted groundwater in her locality was the reason behind the infections. "My doctor is certain that the infection had been caused by dangerous chemicals in the water. Even today, if I stay at my mother's house for more than ten days, the infection reappears. It takes a…

Miyawaki is a technique pioneered by Japanese botanist Akira Miyawaki, that helps build dense, native forests. The approach is supposed to ensure that plant growth is 10 times faster and the resulting plantation is 30 times denser than usual. It involves planting dozens of native species in the same area, and becomes maintenance-free after the first three years. This article shares the basic steps to create such forests in small urban spaces, as small as 30 square feet. This guide is an abridged version of the DIY guide shared by Afforest, a service provider for creating natural, wild, maintenance-free, native…

Translated by Sandhya Raju சென்னையில் மென்பொருள் பொறியாளராக வேலைக்கு வரும் முன், மேகலா குமாரியின் வாழ்க்கைத்தரம் சவால்கள் நிறைந்ததாகவே இருந்தது.  ஏழ்மையான குடும்பத்தில் பிறந்த இவர், தனது படிப்பை தொடர இளம் வயதிலேயே பகுதி நேர வேலைக்கு செல்லும் நிர்பந்த்ததில் இருந்தார்.  சமூக சான்றிதழ் பற்றி அவர்  அறிந்திருந்தால் கடினமான சூழலில் வளர நேர்ந்திருக்காது. "என்னிடம் சமூக சான்றிதழ் இருந்திருந்தால், கல்வி கட்டணத்தில் சலுகை கிடைத்திருக்கும், இலவச சீருடை, புத்தகப்பை கூட கிடைத்திருக்கும்" என்று கூறும் மேகலா தன் பட்டப்படிப்பு போது தான் சாதி சான்றிதழை பெற்றிருக்கிறார். மேகலா போன்று ஆயிரக்கணக்கானோர் சமூக சான்றிதழின் முக்கியத்துவத்தை பற்றி இன்னும் அறியாமல் தான் இருக்கிறார்கள். மிகவும் பிற்படுத்தப்பட்ட, பிற்படுத்தப்பட்ட சமூகத்தை சேர்ந்தவர்கள், பழங்குடி இனத்தவர்கள் ஆகியவர்கள் அரசின் சலுகைகளை பெற சமூக சான்றிதழ் எனப்படும் சாதி சான்றிதழ் மிகவும் அவசியம். மத்திய மற்றும் மாநில அரசுகளில் இப்பிரிவனர்களுக்காக ஒதுக்கப்பட்டுள்ள வேலை வாய்ப்பினை…

Waste management has been an issue that the city has grappled with unsuccessfully in the past. But that might soon change with the Chennai Corporation’s blueprint for reduction of the quantum of waste sent to landfills under a new decentralized system to be implemented city-wide in the coming six months. Corporation Commissioner G Prakash gave us an overview of the changes that can be expected: What are the ongoing efforts in wet waste management in the city? The idea is to make the system of waste management as decentralized as possible. It will reduce the quantum of waste being handled…

What if you had a say in where the public toilets in your ward are situated? Would you like to know exactly how much funds have been allocated for the creation of new civic amenities in your ward? Would you like to meet your corporator and civic authorities to put forth your grievances directly to them? This might seem like a pipe dream for the residents of Chennai (and elsewhere in Tamil Nadu) but a coalition of citizens' groups such as Voice of People, Satta Panchayat Iyakkam, Arappor Iyakkam, Thozhan, Makkal Paadhai and Thannatchi have come together to explore the…