Read extensively about leaders like Ambedkar, Periyar: Actor Vijay tells students at Chennai event
Chennai, Jun 17: Popular Tamil film actor Vijay, amidst speculation that he may make an electoral debut, on Saturday urged students to ask their parents to vote in elections without accepting bribes and see the transformation for themselves.
His passionate appeal appeared to have earned the appreciation from Tamil Nadu Youth Welfare and Sports Development Minister Udhayanidhi Stalin.
"He has said a good thing. What's your problem," Udhayanidhi shot back when reporters sought for his reaction to Vijay's appeal.
Asked about the actor's debut into politics, the Minister said anyone has a right to enter the political arena.
Viduthalai Chiruthaigal Katchi (VCK) chief Thol Thirumavalavan, an ally of the ruling DMK, welcomed the actor's request to students to acquire knowledge on the social reformers.
Felicitating toppers of Classes 10 and 12 from the state at a function in Neelangarai here, Vijay said: "Ask your parents to vote without accepting bribe during the elections. Try, you may succeed and see the change."
The students who will soon become first-time voters should realise the merits of electing a leader without accepting cash for votes. "When this happens, your education becomes complete," he said.
Vijay cautioned them "against poking their own eyes with their hands" by accepting money for votes.
"Consider a politician who gives Rs 1,000 to a voter in a constituency that has 1.5 lakh voters. How much he must have given as bribe -- nearly 15 crore? If a person gives a bribe of Rs 15 crore, think how much he must have earned before that. I want all this to be a part of your educational system," the popular actor said as the the students who had gathered gave a rousing applause.
Also, he exhorted the young minds not to stop with acquiring bookish knowledge but go beyond it and learn about all the leaders including B R Ambedkar, E V R Periyar, K Kamaraj and imbue only their good aspects.
"I have one small request to make. Do spend time with those who could not succeed in their exams. Tell them passing in exams is easy and encourage them," he said.
"Also never take wrong decisions, take bold decisions. As you go up in life, handle the freedom that you get with self-discipline, have fun in life but don't give up your identity. Our life is in our hands," Vijay advised.
Unlike the toppers, the actor mentioned that he was never a bright student. "I was not a bright student like you but only an average just pass student. My journey has been in the direction of cinemas...remember, education will be complete only if you give importance to your character and thinking ability," he added.
His fans association -- Thalapathy Vijay Makkal Iyakkam -- which transformed into a welfare organisation, contested the 2021 civic polls in the state and won 115 seats out of 169 it contested.
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Noida International Airport appoints Nitu Samra as interim CEO
New Delhi (PTI): Noida International Airport on Friday announced the appointment of its Chief Financial Officer Nitu Samra as the interim Chief Executive Officer after authorities denied permission for foreign national Christoph Schnellmann to be at the helm.
"This change follows directions issued by the Bureau of Civil Aviation Security (BCAS) that the Chief Executive Officer of an airport in India is required to be an Indian national," NIA said in a statement.
Samra will replace Schnellmann, a Swiss national who has led Noida International Airport (NIA) as the CEO since August 2020.
The regulatory issue related to the requirement of having an Indian national as CEO has been delaying the start of commercial operations of the airport, which was inaugurated by Prime Minister Narendra Modi on March 28.
Schnellmann will join the airport's Board of Directors as Executive Vice Chairman. In this role, he will continue to support the project and its transition to operations, the statement said.
With immediate effect, NIA said Samra has been appointed as the CEO on an interim basis until the Board of Directors can conclude a formal selection process.
Samra has been serving as the CFO since October 2021 and was closely involved in the airport’s development journey, overseeing financial stewardship, governance, and strategic planning during a key phase of the project, the statement added.
NIA will be operated by Yamuna International Airport Pvt Ltd (YIAPL), a subsidiary of Zurich Airport International AG, under a public-private partnership.
Originally scheduled to commence passenger services in September 2024, NIA is being developed in four phases, along with a dedicated cargo terminal. It received an aerodrome license from the aviation regulator Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) in March.
YIAPL Chairman Daniel Bircher said that since the inauguration of the airport by the Prime Minister, the goal was to enable the start of operations as early as possible.
"This management change brings the airport into compliance with Bureau of Civil Aviation Security requirements while maintaining continuity in the airport’s leadership team. The newly structured team will support a smooth transition into operations, guided by clear and transparent governance and a strong corporate culture," he said.
On March 28, Civil Aviation Minister K Rammohan Naidu said commercial flight operations from the airport would start in the next 45 to 60 days.
Among the largest greenfield airport projects in the country, NIA will initially have a capacity to handle 12 million passengers per annum.
Once fully developed, the airport will have a total passenger handling capacity of 70 million.
The first phase of NIA has been developed at an investment of around Rs 11,200 crore. 'DXN' is the code for the airport.
The airport features a 3,900-metre runway capable of handling wide-body aircraft, along with modern navigation systems, including Instrument Landing System (ILS) and advanced airfield lighting.
The peak handling capacity in the first phase will be 30 flights per hour.
In the first phase, there will be 28 aircraft stands, and the projected cargo capacity is around 2.5 lakh tonnes.
Terminal 1 of the airport is spread across 1,37,985 square metres with 48 check-in counters. Over 40 acres of land have been earmarked for developing MRO (Maintenance, Repair and Overhaul) facilities at the airport.
