Tele-counselling and guidance centre

The Centre for Women's Studies of Avinashilingam University will start a counselling and guidance centre from June 1.The centre, which will provide free telephonic counselling, will have experts speaking on various topics including healthcare, education, career guidance and legal awareness.Initially targeted at the self-help group women in the villages in and around Coimbatore, the service will gradually be of help to the rest of the public, which will include students, professionals and homemakers, says K.C. Leelavathy Shekar, Director of the Centre for Women's Studies.

Pamphlets regarding the topics to be discussed on each day have been distributed to more than 250 SHGs in 27 villages.The women can get their doubts cleared in terms of banking, availability of loans and the various types of financial assistance available to SHGs from the Government and banks.Once the university reopens after summer vacations, the number will also be circulated among the students.Providing psychological counselling will also be one of the major functions of the centre, Ms.Leelavathy says.Callers will be given an identification number so that even personal problems relating to health, relationships or psychological problems can be discussed without the fear of being identified, she adds.The centre will be inaugurated by Chancellor of the university, T.K.Shanmuganandam.The centre can be contacted at 0422-2433408.

Eco-tourism at Parambikulam

A gaur (Bos gaurus) in Parambikulam where the eco-tourism package is being launched on Sunday. Kerala Forest Department is launching an eco-tourism package to improve living conditions of tribals in Parambikulam Sanctuary (near Topslip along the Tamil Nadu border). Deputy Conservator of Forests and Wildlife Warden Sanjayan Kumar told that Kerala Forest Minister Benoy Viswam would launch the package on Saturday.

The Chief Conservator of Forests, Conservators and the elected representatives would participate in the function aimed at emancipating 1,300 tribals living in about 285 sq km sanctuary. Forest Development Agency and Eco Development Committees have evolved the package. Under the project, seven tented niches would be established at Anaippady, the sanctuary headquarters along the Tamil Nadu border where the Indira Gandhi Wildlife Sanctuary (Top slip) boundary ends. The seven tents would accommodate 14 persons (with a centralised dining hall). The project would provide the tribals jobs such as cooks and guides. The entire revenue generated from this project would be pumped back into various tribal welfare measures.

The packaged tourism includes accommodation, food, trekking, guided tourism and tribal symphony in the evenings, connemara safari, bamboo rafting, bird watching and visits to orientation and interpretation centres and film shows on the flora and the fauna of Parambikulam sanctuary. All these facilities could be experienced in one day.The function would also mark the launch of a website http://www.parambikulam.org/ giving an insight into the sanctuary. The eco-tourism package would also include the launch of branded forest honey, balm and marketing of filtered, purified and packed water from the natural water resources in the jungles. Plastics, including bottles, will be banned in the sanctuary. Tourists could contact 04253-245025 for advance booking .

PAT appealed Govt for VAT benefit

The Planters Association of Tamil Nadu (PAT) has appealed to the State Government to extend the benefit of reduced Value Added Tax rate on teas of all producers.The association said in a release that several associations connected with the tea industry in the State had appealed to the State Government to reduce the Value Added Tax on tea and the Government had brought it down to one per cent from four per cent.

However, the Government Order on the benefit was restricted to the teas sold by the Bought Leaf Tea Factories and the Co-operative Tea Factories, both mainly confined to the Nilgiris district."It is unfortunate that the Corporate sector of the tea industry had been excluded from this benefit."The new arrangement would result in a dual form of taxation in respect of the different classes of tea producers in the same market and would lead to "unwanted competitiveness and confusion among the buyers," the release said.The situation required a reconsideration, it said.

Moderate rain till June 3 @ Coimbatore

The Department of Agricultural Meteorology of the Tamil Nadu Agricultural University has forecast light to moderate rain till June 3.A university release said Coimbatore could expect 6.2 mm of rain with temperatures ranging between 23.4 and 33.3 degree Celsius. The humidity would range between 53 per cent and 83 per cent, with wind speed at seven km an hour.As light to moderate rain has been forecast, the university has advised farmers to postpone irrigation for all garden land crops.

It has also urged them to apply fertilizer for perennial crops such as coconut.It has warned against increase in wind speed and the need to take suitable protection measures for susceptible crops.It has also asked the farmers to watch out for powdery mildew in vegetables to take required control measures.Tomato and turmeric could be found in all stages of growth, while groundnut and grapes could be found in the harvesting stage.Sugarcane could be found in the vegetative stage, while banana would be in the vegetative as well as the maturity stages.Those desiring to obtain immediate weather forecast, can contact the department at 0422-2430657.

Tirupur educational district outshines Coimbatore and Pollachi

The overall pass percentage has gone up in the district in the State, Matriculation and Anglo Indian Class X results published here on Thursday.The total pass percentage registered by State board schools in the Coimbatore revenue district is 88.96 compared with 87.71 last year.In the Matriculation category, the pass percentage has gone up to 97.74 from 94.69 last year, Chief Educational Officer S. Karmegam told presspersons.

Out of 294 State Board schools in the district, 58 had secured centum. And, out of the 280 Matriculation Board schools, 170 had registered cent per cent results, he added.In the State Board schools, 39,763 students appeared for the examinations out of which 35,374 passed.In the Matriculation category, 11,662 students appeared out of which 11,398 passed.D. Surendran of Sri Ramakrishna Mission Vidyalaya Swami Shivananda Higher Secondary School was the district topper in the State Board category with a total of 483 on 500.J. Padmapriya from the same school who scored a close 481 came second. N. Arun Kumar of Government Boys Higher Secondary School, Udumalpet, who scored 480 bagged the third rank (first in Pollachi educational district - State Board).

E. Abbinaya, of Bharathiya Vidhya Mandir Matriculation Higher Secondary School, Mahalingapuram, Pollachi, bagged the first place in the district in the Matriculation Board category with a total of 1068 out of 1100 (also first in the Pollachi educational district).V. Balachandar of Sri Ramakrishna Vidya Matriculation Higher Secondary School, Ammapalayam, came second with 1066 (first in Tirupur educational district) and V. Bhoomika of S.B.O.A Matriculcation Higher Secondary School, was third with 1063 (first in Coimbatore educational district - matriculation).

The Anglo Indian Schools, three in the district, had registered a pass percentage of 65.77.R. Naresh of Sri Gopal Naidu Higher Secondary School, S. Shanthini of PSGR Krishnammal Girls Higher Secondary School, S.P. Sathyapriya of Avinashilingam Girls High School and R.Naveen Kumar of Mani Higher Secondary School who scored 478 out of 500 under the State Board category shared the third place in the Coimbatore educational district.S. Abinaya of Avila Convent Matriculation Higher Secondary School who scored 1061 out of 1100 bagged the second rank in the Coimbatore educational district under the Matriculation Board. A.V. Abhinaya of Chavara Matriculation Higher Secondary School came third with 1058.On the whole, Tirupur educational district outshone Coimbatore and Pollachi educational districts by recording a pass percentage of 91.71.Coimbatore had recorded 88.60 and Pollachi, 85.98 per cent.

In the State Board category, G. Muthukumar of Government Higher Secondary School, Ketanur, came first in Tirupur educational district with 476.M. Karthik of Government Higher Secondary School, Periyayipalayam, came second with 475 and R.Nivetha of Government Higher Secondary School, Velliyankadu, came third with 474.R. Karthika of Kongu Vellalar Matriculation Higher Secondary School, Karumathampatty, came second in the Tirupur educational district with a total of 1052.

B. Shri Bharat of Vivekananda Vidyalaya MHSS came third with a total of 1051.In the Pollachi educational district, G. Dhanalakshmi of S.V.Higher Secondary School, Kaniyur, came second with 478 followed by Sampath Selvi of RKR School, Udumalpet, who scored 476 in the third place in the State Board category.In the Matriculation category, G. Dhashrath of PKD Matriculation HSS, came second with 1061 marks and B. Sakthi Preethi of Srinivasa Vidyalaya Matriculation HSS, Udumalpet, came third with 1056.