Voice of Tamil Nadu MPs in Parliament
Tamil Nadu: Here we present questions raised by Tamil Nadu MPs in both Houses of Parliament, answers given by the respective ministers, and key points raised by members.
In the Lok Sabha…
Teachers exempted from eligibility criteria!
Speaking under Rule 377, DMK member T. Malayarasan from the Kallakurichi constituency said that the Right to Education Act came into force in Tamil Nadu on August 23, 2010. Subsequently, the Teacher Eligibility Test (TET) was introduced as a mandatory qualification. However, before the TET was implemented, a large number of teachers were legally appointed according to the recruitment rules in force at that time. Despite this, such teachers are being forced to take the TET, which causes job insecurity, denial of promotion, disruption of salary benefits, and mental distress. He stated that teachers appointed before 2012, including those working in government, government-aided, and panchayat union schools, were appointed according to existing rules and procedures, and therefore, the REA Act should grant such teachers permanent exemption from the TET regulations.
Has the number of linguistic minorities decreased?
Regarding this, Union Minority Affairs Minister Kiren Rijiju, in response to questions raised by Thol Thirumavalavan, leader of the Viduthalai Siruthaigal Party and member from the Chidambaram constituency, stated that neither the Constitution nor any law provides a definition for ‘linguistic minorities.’ Linguistic minorities are identified by the respective states and union territories. The concept of linguistic minorities emerged only after the States Reorganization Commission report was released in 1956. He stated that language-wise data is included in the 2011 census. It has been published on the Registrar General of Population’s website.
What is the status of the Amrit Bharat Railway Station Project in Tamil Nadu?
Responding to questions raised by DMK member from Vellore constituency T.M. Kathir Anand, Railway Minister Ashwini Vaishnav said, “Under the Amrit Bharat Railway Station Projects, 77 stations in Tamil Nadu, including Chennai Beach, Chennai Park, Guindy, and Kuduvanchery, have been identified for development. So far, 19 stations, including Chennai Park, Chidambaram, Chinna Salem, Karaikudi, Manapparai, and Mannargudi, have been developed. Work on other stations has been expedited.”
Will the Postal Savings Scheme be digitized?
In response to questions raised by T. Ravi Kumar, Viduthalai Siruthaigal Party member from Villupuram constituency, Union Minister of State for Telecommunications Pemmasani Chandrasekhar said, “The postal network has 450 million post office savings account holders across 164,000 post offices. Core banking systems have been developed to modernize and digitize the post office savings scheme. Several services are being offered to customers, such as insurance services, online payments for post office savings schemes, digitized life certificates (TLCs), and an Aadhaar-linked payment system. All of these services help facilitate access, improve transparency, and financial inclusion.”
