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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Petrol pump worker killed as SUV hits motorcycle head-on in Gurugram
Gurugram (PTI): A petrol pump worker died after an SUV rammed into his motorcycle in the Sushant Lok area here, police said on Thursday.
The accused driver fled the scene, leaving the vehicle after the accident. An FIR has been registered at the Sushant Lok police station, they said.
According to police, the accident occurred on Wednesday afternoon when Mukesh was travelling from Sector 44 to Sushant Lok on Vyapar Kendra Road for some work.
Near Vyapar Kendra, a white Thar coming from the wrong side at high speed hit his motorcycle head-on, leaving him critically injured, they said.
The driver fled the scene, leaving the vehicle behind, police added.
Eyewitnesses claimed the vehicle had no number plates either at the front or rear.
Locals took Mukesh to a private hospital, where he died during treatment, police said. He was a resident of Rohta Patti in Palwal and worked at a petrol pump in Sector 44.
An FIR was registered against the unidentified driver, based on a complaint lodged by his brother Ashok. The body was handed over to the family after a post-mortem on Thursday, police said.
“The Thar vehicle has been seized from the spot. CCTV footage from the area is being examined, and the driver will be arrested soon,” a Gurugram police spokesperson said.
