The Hindu : Other States / Pondicherry News : B Two status for Pondy in two weeks

Online edition of India's National Newspaper
Tuesday, Jun 15, 2004

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Other States - Pondicherry

B Two status for Pondy in two weeks

By Our Staff Reporter

PONDICHERRY, JUNE 14. The Pattali Makkal Katchi Member of Parliament, M. Ramadoss, today said there were strong indications that the Centre would accord B Two status to Pondicherry in two weeks, which will enable the government staff here to get enhanced house rent allowance among other benefits.

Mr. Ramadoss told presspersons that the Integrated Finance Committee of the Centre was persuaded to sanction the status at a meeting he had with the committee last week.

The MP said that the matter has now been forwarded to the Secretary in-charge of Expenditure in the Centre and there were strong indications that the B Two status would be accorded in two weeks.

(The demand for B Two status is more than 20 years old and employees have been making fervent appeals for the upgradation of Pondicherry).

Mr. Ramadoss said he had requested the Ministry of Social Justice and Empowerment to approve of the Pondicherry administration's proposal to extend benefits of reservation to the Most Backward Classes. The cultural similarity between Tamil Nadu and Pondicherry was sufficient ground for justifying extension of the reservation to MBC here, although it was the general stand of the Centre that as a Union Territory, Pondicherry could not claim for the reservation as such reservation was not available in Central sector.

He said he had urged the Centre to ensure that a one per cent reservation quota for Scheduled Tribes residing in Pondicherry was also introduced. The Pondicherry University had already identified five classes of people as falling under the STs in the Union Territory.

Mr. Ramadoss said he had also urged the Union Health Ministry to raise the number of MBBS seats in JIPMER here from 75 to 100. The additional seats could be proportionately distributed to benefit students having Pondicherry nativity.

The MP said he had also urged the Union Textiles Minister that the Swadeshi Cotton Mill be handed over to Pondicherry Textiles Corporation.

The MP would convene a meeting of members of trade and industry, farmers associations and political parties here on June 20 to enlist their suggestions, which would be passed on to the Union Finance Minister for including them in the union budget.

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