The sluice gates of the Mettur Dam will be thrown open for irrigation on June 6 and the uniform system of school education sought to be introduced by the previous regime will not be implemented in the current academic year.
These were the major decisions taken at the first Cabinet meeting of the All India Anna Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam government, chaired by Chief Minister Jayalalithaa here on Sunday.
According to an official statement, the decision to release water from the Mettur Dam was made after taking into consideration various factors, including the request of the delta ryots that timely release of water in the Cauvery would help ‘kuruvai,' the short-term paddy crop. Besides, the dam had adequate storage and the southwest monsoon was expected to be normal. In addition, the State was hopeful of getting Cauvery water released by Karnataka as per the Cauvery Tribunal award.
The statement also pointed out that this was the first time since the country became a Republic that the dam would be opened for irrigation ahead of the customary date of June 12. Hence, it was a “historic decision,” it added.
The Cabinet also decided to defer the implementation of the “Samacheer Kalvi” (uniform syllabus for various streams of school education under the State government), saying the proposed syllabus would not improve the standard of students.
“The current uniform syllabus will not help pave the way for improving the standard of education on the whole,” it said.
While the resolution said the government did want to implement the uniform system, it would constitute an expert committee for improving the standard of education. Hence, during the current academic year, the old textbooks could be followed. As it would take some time to print the books, the schools would be reopened on June 15.
The Cabinet also made some policy decisions to be announced in the Governor's address to the Assembly scheduled for June 3.
In a separate resolution, the Cabinet thanked the people of Tamil Nadu for voting the AIADMK to power under Ms. Jayalalithaa.
