Centre not imposing Hindi in Tamil Nadu: Nirmala Sitharaman
Chennai: Union Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman Saturday said the Union government was not making any attempts to impose Hindi in Tamil Nadu and was trying to promote Tamil as well.
Sitharaman's response to queries of reporters here came in the backdrop of state political parties protesting the conduct of recent Postal department exams in English and Hindi only.
They had alleged that it was a form of "Hindi imposition" in Tamil Nadu, which incidentally had witnessed a successful anti-Hindi agitation in the 1960s spearheaded by the Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam.
One can question the government if such things were done knowingly or not, but should not jump to a conclusion that it was imposition of the language, she said.
"Central government does not do Hindi imposition," she asserted.
"If somewhere, at an administrative level, if something happens, don't come to a conclusion that it is imposition. Definitely there is no imposition (of Hindi). We are also involved in development of Tamil," she said.
As part of the Centre's 'EK Bharat Shreshta Bharat' scheme, efforts have been made to popularise Tamil in northern states of the country, she added.
"There is no Hindi imposition," the Union Minister reiterated.
Earlier, political parties, including the ruling AIADMK, had protested against questions in the postal department's examination for appointments of postmen and assistants in rural areas held last week being only in Hindi and English, and not Tamil.
After the issue echoed in Parliament, Union Minister Ravi Shankar Prasad assured the Rajya Sabha that the examination would now be held in all local languages, as per the notification of May 10, 2019 of the department concerned with examination, including in Tamil.
To a question on views from certain quarters against the budgetary proposal on Zero Budget Farming vis-a-vis agriculture, Sitharaman said it has already been tried out in some states.
"This is a free country and people can give their opinions. But there are states which have done it at the ground level-- Himachal Pradesh, Madhya Pradesh, Sikkim and Karnataka-- zero budget farming has been helpful to farmers (in these states)," she said.
The proposal was part of the government's endeavour to double farmers' incomes, she added.
Zero Budget Farming involves total lack of dependence on chemicals and fertilizers and using natural ingredients including herbs in the farming process.
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15 IAS officers transferred in Haryana
Chandigarh (PTI): The Haryana government transferred 15 IAS officers with immediate effect on Wednesday.
Among those who have been transferred are Vineet Garg, Chairman, Haryana State Pollution Control Board. He has been posted as the additional chief secretary to the government's printing and stationery department, relieving Raja Shekhar Vundru of the charge, a government order said.
Ajay Kumar, Deputy Commissioner, Gurugram, has been transferred and posted as the deputy principal secretary-II to the chief minister against a newly-created post.
Pankaj Agarwal, Principal Secretary, Irrigation and Water Resources Department, has been posted as the principal secretary in the architecture department, relieving Apporva Kumar Singh of the charge.
Saket Kumar, Additional Principal Secretary to Chief Minister, Commissioner and Secretary, Development and Panchayats Department, has been transferred and posted as the commissioner and secretary in the archives department, relieving Shekhar Vidyarthi of the charge.
Mani Ram Sharma, Registrar, Cooperative Societies, has been posted as the secretary in the health department, relieving Rippudaman Singh Dhillon of the charge.
