Good morning, Chennai!
☀️ Today’s weather: More of the same with sunny weather.
🧐 Did you know? Chennai had its first double-decker bus in 1969 with its maiden trip. It ran on city roads and on the Madras-Tiruchi route.
🏞️ Where are the fences?
There are no signs of fences supposedly built by the government to protect the city’s forests.
What happened? The state forest department supposedly spent ₹22 crore on fencing around Chennai’s forests to protect them from garbage dumping and encroachments. But there’s no sign of the fencing.
- No compound walls or fencing have been built at the Nanmangalam forest reserve. Only some work was done in the Tambaram range which comprises areas in Vandalur, Madurapakkam, and other areas. ₹7 crore was spent on compound walls.
- One official said fences were set up but not for ₹22 crore. A compound wall was built at the Guindy National Park (GNP) but with central funds. Funds for forest reserves can’t be diverted to other projects.
Budgets: Per the state budget, in 2019-20, the forest department spent ₹8.74 crore for fencing. The following year, it spent ₹9.58 crore. In 2021-22, it was ₹2.08 crore.
👷 ICF felicitates employees
The Integral Coach Factory (ICF) has launched a scheme for retirement and promotion benefits simultaneously.
What’s it about? Government staff and retirees usually have to go through a cumbersome process to get benefits. For ICF employees, it’s not the case. The manufacturer of the Vande Bharat trains has a scheme where retirement benefits and promotion orders are given simultaneously.
- A retiree hands over the promotion order to their immediate subordinate instead of the head of the department. When an employee retires, the next eligible subordinate is given a promotion.
- Recently, 106 retirees handed over promotion orders to 130 eligible subordinates on the same day. Since technical positions require trade tests, they can be planned in advance.
Personal experiences: For those who retired, like V Mathesvaran, handing over the promotion order to his junior clerk was a matter of pride. For B Anuradha, who received a promotion order, it was like a blessing to receive it from her superior.
🏧 Voice banking technologies
IIT Madras and RBI are working on creating voice-enabled banking solutions.
What’s it about? IIT Madras Research Park (IITMRP) and the Reserve Bank Innovation Hub (RBIH) have partnered to create voice-based banking solutions for basic transactions through voice commands. The goal is to increase accessibility and address the language barriers to facilitate financial inclusion.
- English, Tamil, Hindi, and Telugu will be the first languages. This will help people who are illiterate or visually impaired. IITMRP hosted a voice banking hackathon, ‘Vaulter Voice’, where students and startups participated.
- Nine final teams were shortlisted and invited for a 6-hour hackathon to work on their ideas. The apps they developed were ideated upon and tested before being presented to an expert panel.
Potential: With over 600 million low and middle-income citizens with no access to digital banking, this technology will benefit them. A pilot project could be done in 12-18 months.
🖌️ Popularity of Mandala Art
Mandala art has seen its popularity grow thanks to its therapeutic benefits.
What’s it about? Art therapy, particularly Mandala art, has gained popularity for people to express themselves. There has been increased enrollment in online classes as it became popular during the pandemic. Varalakshmi Bharanidharan conducts mandala workshops in schools and for corporates.
- Mandala art therapy offers a medium for the release of pent-up emotions and anxiety or anger. While basic sessions can be done in group settings, individual sessions are most beneficial to help people express themselves.
- Architect-turned-artist Lakhsmi Dharshini, who started mandala art as a form of therapy, conducts physical classes in Chennai. In dot mandala, patterns evolve naturally and aren’t pre-determined.
Barriers: More people need to know about how mandala art can be helpful for mental health. Some people also confuse mandala art with doodling, and for this, as Varalakshmi stated, it’s important to teach it properly in the correct format.
📊 Today’s Poll
(Only subscribers can participate in the polls)
Have you travelled on the Vande Bharat Express?
- Yes, I have travelled on the Vande Bharat Express.
- No, I haven’t travelled on the Vande Bharat Express.
❓ Today’s Question
(Only subscribers can submit their answers)
What store do you frequent the most?
Reply to this email with your answers.
🗞️ In other news…
- Chennai Corporation will soon digitise burial bookings to curb corruption.
- 500 Mahabalipuram residents submitted a petition to the Collector requesting pattas for their land.
- Segregated garbage collected is of no use since the Chennai Corporation doesn’t have separate bins.
- Japan’s Omron Healthcare will set up its first India facility for medical devices near Chennai.
- Metrowater strike could affect mobile water supply in south and some parts of north Chennai.
🛋️ Local Lounge
Yesterday’s Poll:
- I have ordered food from a food truck: 0.0%
- I haven’t ordered food from a food truck: 100.0% 🏆
Answers to Yesterday’s Question:
What’s one thing you would change about your neighbourhood?
Chitra: “Smooth potholes-free roads and walkable pavements.”
That’s it for today. Have a great day!