Latest news with #Ravichandran
The Hindu
2 days ago
- Politics
- The Hindu
Thoothukudi Collector's absence at grievances redress meeting irks farmers; stage sit-in protest
Farmers from Thoothukudi district staged a sit-in protest at the Collectorate on Thursday (June 19, 2025), following the absence of the District Collector at the monthly grievances redress meeting. The meeting, which was presided over by District Revenue Officer (DRO) A. Ravichandran witnessed a brief commotion, when a section of farmers sat on the floor of the meeting hall, raising concerns about the absence of the District Collector. The DRO explained that senior officials had arrived in Tiruchendur regarding the consecration ceremony of the temple and this had prompted the Collector to attend their visit. However, the farmers argued that the meeting must be conducted under the leadership of the District Collector and claimed that any proceedings without the Collector would be ineffective. They also pointed out the absence of Revenue Divisional Officers (RDO's) of Kovilpatti, Tiruchendur and Thoothukudi and noted that divisional-level grievance meetings had not been conducted for the past two months. The DRO assured that RDO's would be instructed to attend all future meetings, and directed the officials to ensure that the divisional-level meetings are conducted regularly. Meanwhile, another section of farmers urged that the meeting should continue. This led to a brief commotion and officials tried to pacify the agitated farmers. Despite the efforts to calm the situation, the agitation continued. The officials further contacted the Collector, who spoke to one of the farmers over the phone and it helped to diffuse the situation. The meeting resumed after a delay of 45 minutes. At the meeting, the farmers raised several key demands which included an integrated plan to control weeds in agricultural lands and measures for the distribution of relief assistance to crops affected by the 2024 monsoon. They demanded that milk producers be paid fair and fixed price and wage of the employees at the milk producers cooperative society to be increased. Farmers from Kulathur and Sivagnanapuram sought insurance compensation for shallots crops for the 2023-2024 season to be released. Additionally, they called for a Forest Extension Centre in Sathankulam, proper water flow to the tail end of the Korampallam tank and strengthening of the bunds along the 'Uppar' canal. They also demanded the speedy completion of works at Maruthur 'Melakaal' canal. Addressing the grievances, the DRO said that a subsidy of ₹800 is currently being provided for farmers for summer ploughing and for weed control measures. He added that flood damage assessments have been completed and that necessary audit work have also been finalised for the distribution of relief funds. The Forest Extension Centre at Sathankulam would be inspected and necessary action would be taken accordingly, noted Mr. Ravichandran. He further said that subsidised chilli and jasmine saplings would be distributed through the Horticulture Department.
The Hindu
02-06-2025
- Business
- The Hindu
Commerce institutes oppose computerisation of typewriting examinations
The Tamil Nadu Commerce Institutes Association (TNCIA) has opposed the government decision to combine typewriting examination with the Certificate Course in Computer on Office Automation (COA). In a petition submitted to the district administration here on Monday, the association said that the decision would affect around 5,000 typewriting institutes in the State. The decision to conduct the typewriting examination on using computers from 2027 would affect the livelihoods of a large number of teachers and mechanics employed in these institutions. The association demanded that the typewriting examinations were held on typewriters. 'Conducting the typewriting examination on computers would make typewriting obsolete. The computer keyboard layout for Tamil is different from the one used in typewriters. This would affect the livelihood of teachers working in typewriting institutes,' said J. Ravichandran, Liaison Officer, TNCIA.
New Indian Express
31-05-2025
- New Indian Express
Speeding SUV kills eight sheep, dog in Coimbatore
COIMBATORE: Eight sheep and a dog were killed in Coimbatore on Friday morning, after a speeding car collided into the herd on Thanneerpandhal-Vilankurichi Road. Twelve sheep and a shepherd were also injured. The incident occurred at 3 am on the wee hours of Friday. The driver fled from the crime scene without responding to the mishap. The Traffic Investigation Wing (TIW- East) police of Coimbatore city formed a team to trace the car and driver. Police sources said, P Subramaniam (47) of Pappampatti in Coimbatore district was rearing 500 sheep. S Ravichandran (60) of Neikkaranpatti near Palani, was working under Subramaniam as a shepherd. Ravichandran and four other shepherds took the sheep to Athipalayam from Pappampatti for grazing on Friday morning. At around 3 am, when the flock was at Kalaivani Nagar on Thanneerpandhal-Vilankurichi Road, a speeding car hit the herd and killed eight of the sheep and an escort dog on the spot. 12 of the sheep sustained severe injuries. The car also hit Ravichandran, who was admitted to Coimbatore Medical College Hospital (CMCH), said police sources. The TIW police arranged for a postmortem on the sheep and dog. The injured sheep were sent to a nearby veterinary hospital. Police booked a case for further investigation. Police sources said the herd was hit by a white Sports Utility Vehicle. While checking CCTV footage, the registration number of the vehicle was not visible, as there was poor visibility due to the rain.
Mint
28-05-2025
- Climate
- Mint
Farmers to get weather updates on feature phones with IMD's upcoming AI service: Earth Sciences Secretary M. Ravichandra
New Delhi: The India Meteorological Department (IMD) is set to launch an AI-powered app called Mausam GPT that will to provide accurate local weather information in regional languages through both text and audio within six months. A key focus of this initiative is to make the system accessible on both smartphones and basic feature phones, enabling even small farmers to get timely weather forecasts at the press of just two or three buttons, earth sciences secretary M. Ravichandran told Mint. The initiative aims to benefit farmers by offering localized weather forecasts to help them decide the best time to sow crops. Travellers can also get advisories, improving planning and safety. India has around 145 million farmers in total. The number of title holders or land-owning farmers is around 86 million, according to recent agricultural census data. Ravichandran also revealed that the IMD plans to acquire two multidisciplinary oceanographic research vessels at a cost of ₹ 1,000 crore each. Additionally, a new Antarctic research station, 'Maitri-2,' will be built near the existing Maitri base, with a total project cost of ₹ 2,000 crore, including a ship with icebreaker by 2029. Ravichandran emphasized that the goal is to deliver weather information that truly benefits people, especially in rural areas. 'Simply saying it may rain or may not rain, like in the city, is of little use,' he said. He explained an early version called 'Monsoon GPT' has already been developed but needs enhancement to work on feature phones as well as smartphones. 'For example, a small farmer should be able to get weather forecasts by pressing just two or three buttons, even on a basic phone." The system will use telecom towers to determine the caller's exact location. It will then provide a simple forecast in local language, both in text and voice. For instance, the message could say: 'Day 1 – no rain, Day 2 – no rain, Day 3 – light rain.' Voice messages will aid those who cannot read. In 2024, the rural tele-density in India, which measures the number of telephone subscribers per 100 people, was 58.29%. Travelers with smartphones can simply enter the date and city to receive weather predictions and advice on suitable clothing, Ravichandran added. The first version of Mausam GPT will support five languages with plans to expand to 10 and, eventually, 25 languages. On the ocean economy front, IMD is aiming to increase its contribution to India's national economy from 4% to 8%. This will involve expanded activities in fisheries, marine tourism, and resource extraction. The ministry of earth sciences is collaborating with other departments to realize this vision. Regarding the new research vessels, Ravichandran said, 'Each vessel will be capable of carrying researchers up to six kilometres deep into the ocean to explore both living and non-living resources. Currently, we know only about 1% of the deep ocean floor.' The vessels will support deep-sea scientific surveys and sampling as part of the ministry's deep ocean mission. Equipped with advanced laboratories and scientific equipment, these vessels will be truly multidisciplinary.
Al Etihad
27-05-2025
- Business
- Al Etihad
India forecasts above average rains in boost to economy
27 May 2025 17:39 NEW DELHI (REUTERS)India is likely to see above average monsoon rains for the second straight year in 2025, the government said on Tuesday, maintaining its forecast from April and keeping alive the possibility of higher farm output and economic rains will help bring down food prices, keep inflation within the central bank's comfort band, and allow the world's biggest rice exporter to ship more of the monsoon is expected to total 106% of the long-term average this year, said M. Ravichandran, secretary in the Ministry of Earth India Meteorological Department defines average or normal rainfall as ranging between 96% and 104% of a 50-year average of 87 cm (35 inches) for the four-month season from June to monsoon delivers nearly 70% of the rain needed to water crops and replenish reservoirs and aquifers in India. With nearly half of the country's farmland not having any irrigation, it depends on the June-September rains to grow a number of rainfall is most likely over the central and southern India, while southwestern parts of the country could receive average rainfall, Ravichandran states are likely to receive below average rainfall, he country is likely to receive 108% rainfall of the long-term average in June, Ravichandran monsoon, which usually arrives over the southern tip of Kerala state around June 1, hit the coast of Kerala on Saturday, eight days earlier than usual, marking its earliest arrival in 16 covering Kerala, it quickly moved to most parts of the west coast, including the financial capital Mumbai, nearly two weeks earlier than forecast of above-average rainfall will lead to higher planting of water-intensive crops such as rice and sugarcane, a New Delhi-based dealer with a global trade house said. India is the world's biggest exporter of rice and onions, and the second-biggest producer of sugar. Following surplus rainfall in 2024, India lifted curbs on rice and onion exports but allowed limited sugar exports of 1 million tons.
