1. ‘No evidence to prove existence of Lord Ram’
Tamil Nadu Transport Minister S.S. Sivasankar contended that there was no archaeological evidence or historical records to prove the existence of Lord Ram.
“We celebrate the birthday of Rajendra Chola, an emperor of the Chola dynasty, because we have archaeological evidence such as inscriptions, the temples built by him and the lake created by him. But there is no evidence to trace the history of Ram,” Mr. Sivasankar said at a function held at Sri Brihadeeswara Temple at Gangaikondacholapuram to mark the birth centenary of Rajendra Chola.
2. Rameswaram fishermen begin indefinite strike
A day after an Indian fisherman from Rameswaram died in Sri Lankan waters died, two others were arrested and one went missing, the fishermen associations in Rameswaram announced an indefinite strike with immediate effect. They said they would resume work only when their grievances were redressed by the Tamil Nadu and Union governments.
In another development, the Madras High Court disposed of a public interest litigation petition which complained of frequent arrests of Indian fishermen by the Sri Lankan Navy, after recording the submission of the Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) that steps are underway to hold a meeting of India-Sri Lanka Joint Working Group (JWG) on Fisheries at the earliest.
3. State to foot higher education expense of students from govt. schools in prestigious institutions
The Tamil Nadu government would bear the expenses for the higher education of students from the State government schools who have secured admissions in prestigious institutions in various parts of the country, Chief Minister M.K. Stalin announced during an event in Chennai.
