The Hindu : Tamil Nadu News : Help Government implement schemes: Karunanidhi

Online edition of India's National Newspaper
Monday, Oct 22, 2007
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Tamil Nadu

Tamil Nadu

Help Government implement schemes: Karunanidhi

Special Correspondent

Photo: S. Thanthoni

THANKSGIVING: Chief Minister M. Karunanidhi receiving a memento from Tamil Nadu Ilanilai Asiriyar Peravai president K. Thiyagarajan at a teachers’ meet at Valluvar Kottam in Chennai on Sunday. (From right) School Education Minister Thangam Thennarasu, PWD Minister Durai Murugan, Electricity Minister Arcot N. Veeraswamy and Higher Education Minister K. Ponmudy are in the picture. —

CHENNAI: Chief Minister M. Karunanidhi has urged the people to join hands with the Government in helping it implement schemes for the progress of the State.

Addressing the Tamil Nadu Ilanilai Asiriyar Peravai in Chennai on Sunday, Mr. Karunanidhi said the Government’s vision could be achieved only with the full cooperation of the people. Even if those who opposed the Government hatched any conspiracy against it, the Government could not be toppled since it had the support of the people, he said.

Referring to the rationalist philosophy of Periyar, Mr. Karunanidhi pointed out that rationalism was not the same thing as knowledge.

He called upon teachers to inculcate philosophy of rationalism in students. Higher Education Minister K. Ponmudy urged the teachers to teach principles of rationalism. Those who opposed the Sethusamudram canal project were not applying the principles of rationalism, he said. School teachers were responsible for moulding the next generation, and therefore they needed to be careful and ensure that they were teaching correct values, he said.

School Education Minister Thangam Thennarasu assured the teachers that the Government would support them. Asserting that the Chief Minister had specialised in granting requests even before they were made, he announced that teachers who attended Sunday’s meeting in Chennai would be given a day’s casual leave on Monday.

In response to the request of the teachers that those who had been regularised in 2006 be given benefits with retrospective effect from their date of appointment in 2003-04, the Chief Minister said he would grant their requests at an appropriate time. He asked them to wait and see what was announced in the State budget. The teachers had expressed their disappointment with the new pension scheme, and asked that it not be implemented.

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