Pudukkottai: The Pudukkottai district unit of the Tamilnadu Viswakarma Munnetra Sangam extended its greetings to AIADMK Supremo J Jayalalithaa on becoming Chief Minister of the state for the fifth time.The Sangam’s Pudukkottai district secretary V. Suresh said that a resolution to this effect was adopted at its “Mupperum Vizha” here on Sunday.The meeting appealed to the Tamil Nadu government to include them in to the Most backward class (MBC) list, adding, as an interim step, as per the Ambashankar committee’s recommendations, they should be given 3.5 per cent exclusive reservation.
It also pointed out that the ‘Viswakarmas’ represented 10 per cent of the country’s total population and urged the Union Government to provide 3 per cent exclusive reservation for them from the OBC’s reservation quota.It also urged the Union Government to declare National holiday on ‘Viswakarma Jayanthi day’, falling on September 17, establish a sculpture academy, celebrate former President Zail Singh’s 100th birth anniversary as government function and to establish the Union Government’s proposed AIIMS-like hospital at Pudukkottai.
Another resolution felt that though the ceiling on gold was lifted, because of online trade, the livelihood of traditional gold smiths numbering about 15 lakh has become a question mark, and urged the central and state Governments to arrange subsidised bank loans for them to go for alternative ventures, he added. The Sangam also requested the state government to erect a statue for poet-cum-actor M.K. Thiyagaraja Bhagavathar at Chennai.
