Anbil Mahesh Poyyamozhi, Minister of School Education, Government of Tamil Nadu (TN), has introduced the “Friends of Library” scheme, which would personally deliver books to people who are unable to visit state-run libraries.
Key Points:
i.The scheme will benefit differently abled people, senior citizens, children, and hospital in-patients, among others, who are unable to visit a library, and the help of volunteers will be employed for this objective.
- Beneficiaries must be registered with the appropriate library.
ii.The scheme will involve 2,500 libraries in its initial phase, including 31 district libraries.
- The aim of such a project was to foster a knowledge-based society.
TN CM Stalin Launches Scheme to Protect Welfare of Sanitation Workers
Muthuvel Karunanidhi Stalin (M.K. Stalin), Chief Minister (CM) of Tamil Nadu (TN), inaugurated the “Sanitation Workers’ Development Scheme” to protect the welfare of conservancy workers in TN during a ceremony held at the Arignar Anna Complex, headquarters of Madurai Corporation, in TN.
- The CM also introduced a sanitation worker logo and launched a mobile app called SHWAS (Sanitation Workers Health Welfare and Safety) to assist in the identification and collection of sanitation worker census data.
Tamil Nadu is the second state in India to implement such a scheme and a mobile application for sanitation workers after Odisha.
Key Points:
i.The scheme will benefit about 53,301 sanitary workers—18,859 regular workers and 34,442 temporary workers—across TN in urban local bodies, as well as all informal workers involved in conservancy efforts in the private sector.
ii.With the assistance of urban local governments and Urban Management Centre (UMC), a non-profit organisation in Ahmedabad (Gujarat), the scheme will focus on the overall development of sanitation workers and their families.
iii.The scheme was launched in 5 urban local bodies in the first phase: zone 6 of the Chennai corporation, zone 3 of the Madurai corporation, Pollachi municipality, Pudukkottai municipality, and Cheranmahadevi town panchayat.
- It will be extended to all other local bodies in Tamil Nadu.
Recent Related News:
i.In August 2022, the Government of India (GoI) has developed a National Action Plan for Mechanized Sanitation Ecosystem – NAMASTE scheme to achieve zero sanitation fatalities in India and to ensure that all sanitation work is undertaken by skilled workers.
ii.The NAMASTE project is a collaboration between the Ministry of Social Justice and Empowerment (MoSJE) and the Ministry of Housing and Urban Affairs (MoHUA).
About Tamil Nadu (TN):
Chief Minister – Muthuvel Karunanidhi Stalin
Governor – Ravindra Narayan Ravi (R.N. Ravi)
National Parks – Guindy National Park; Gulf of Mannar Marine Park
Wildlife Sanctuaries (WLS) – Mudumalai WLS; Mundanthurai WLS
