Chennai: Tamil Nadu Chief Minister M K Stalin on Friday unveiled a statue of Nobel laureate Rabindranath Tagore, who composed the national anthem, to honour his rich contribution to the nation. The life-sized statue was erected on behalf of the state Information and Public Relations department on the premises of Queen Mary's College (QMC), which is the city's first women's college, founded in 1914.
The state government had announced, during the demand for grants to the Information department in 2012-22, that a statue of Tagore would be erected on QMC premises to honour his contribution to the country. Accordingly, the chief minister, accompanied by his cabinet colleagues and senior officials, unveiled the statue and paid floral tributes to a portrait of Tagore kept at the statue.
Later, participating in a function held at the Secretariat here, Stalin inaugurated three godowns of the Tamil Nadu Warehousing Corporation established at a total cost of Rs 7.20 crore at Pudukottai, Ranipet, and Madurai, and laid the foundation stones for constructing two warehouses at Tiruppur and Thirupathur districts with an outlay of Rs 6.40 crore.
He handed over letters appointing 53 persons on compassionate grounds on the occasion. The CM also flagged off the VEERA (Vehicle for Extrication in Emergency Rescue and Accidents) vehicle of the Greater Chennai Traffic Police, to be used to rescue road accident victims.
"In an effort aimed at making the roads safe, a unique and pioneering attempt has been made to rescue road accident victims trapped in crashed vehicles. This is the first such initiative in the country," an official release here stated. This will be executed as part of the corporate social responsibility (CSR) initiative of Hyundai Glovis and Isuzu Motors Pvt Ltd and the state highways department, with IIT Madras extending its expertise and technical support, the release added. (PTI)
