1. Expansion of free breakfast scheme launched in T.N.
Tamil Nadu Chief Minister M.K. Stalin launched the expansion of the State government’s flagship Tamil Nadu Chief Minister’s Breakfast Scheme in Nagapattinam district, to benefit 17 lakh students of classes 1 to 5, studying in 31,008 government schools across the State, at a cost of ₹404.41 crore.
The scheme that was launched on September 15 last year was initially devised to provide nutritious breakfast to 1,14,095 students of classes I to V studying in 1,545 government schools.
Speaking at the event, Mr. Stalin called it a special day and said he took immense pride in launching the expansion of the scheme at the Thirukkuvalai Panchayat Union Middle School where his father and former Chief Minister M. Karunanidhi studied. The objective of the breakfast scheme was to eradicate hunger by enhancing the nutritional status, and reducing malnutrition among children, he added.
2. Madras HC refuses to interfere in the election of EPS as AIADMK general secretary
In a big boost for AIADMK general secretary Edappadi K. Palaniswami, a Division Bench of the Madras High Court refused to interfere with his election to the party post. The Bench also refused to interfere with the expulsion of former coordinator O. Panneerselvam and three of his supporters from the party that took place through a special resolution passed at the party’s July 11, 2022 general council meet.
The third Division Bench comprising Justices R. Mahadevan and Mohammed Shaffiq dismissed all original side appeals preferred by Mr. Panneerselvam, P.H. Manoj Pandian, R. Vaithilingam and J.C.D. Prabhakar against the March 28 refusal of Justice K. Kumaresh Babu, to grant them any kind of interim relief in their civil suits.
Celebrating the judgement, Mr. Palaniswami distributed sweets to AIADMK cadres at his native village, Siluvampalayam in Salem district. Later speaking to the reporters, Mr. Palaniswami said that, through the Madras High Court verdict, truth and dharma won.
3. Remand of jailed Minister Senthilbalaji extended by three days
A special court trying the cases relating to MPs and MLAs of Tamil Nadu extended the remand of jailed DMK Minister V. Senthilbalaji till August 28 (Monday).
Special Judge Sivakumar, before whom Mr. Senthilbalaji was produced through video conferencing, extended the Minister’s remand to judicial custody by three days and directing the jail authorities to produce him physically before the court during the next hearing.
The Minister without portfolio was arrested by the Directorate of Enforcement (ED) on June 14 in a money laundering case linked to a cash-for-jobs scam when he was the Transport Minister during the earlier AIADMK regime.
