Monday, 18 September 2017

Karaikudi

Karaikudi is a municipality in Sivaganga district in the Indian state of Tamil Nadu. It is part of the area commonly referred to as "Chettinad" and has been declared a heritage town by the Government of Tamil Nadu, on account of the palatial houses built with limestone called karai veedu.
Karaikudi comes under the Karaikudi assembly constituency, which elects a member to the Tamil Nadu Legislative Assembly once every five years, and it is a part of the Sivaganga (Lok Sabha constituency), which elects its member of parliament (MP) once in five years. The city is administered by the special grade Karaikudi municipality, which covers an area of 33.75 km2 (13.03 sq mi). As of 2011, the city had a population of 106,714. Roadways are the major mode of transportation to Karaikudi and the nearest airport is Madurai Airport, located 80 kilometres (50 mi) away from the city.History
The interior of Chettinad Palace in Karaikudi
The town derives its name from thorny plant Karai referred in ancient literature as Kareekudi, which in modern times became Karaikudi. The town was established in the 19th century, and the oldest known structure is the Koppudaiya Nayagi Amman Temple Mahatma Gandhidelivered two speeches in Karaikudi in 1927 and Bharathiyar visited Karaikudi in 1919 to participate in a function. Post independence, the town registered significant growth in the industrial sector. Karaikudi and surrounding areas are generally referred as "Chettinad".The town is home to Nagarathar, a business community and Chettiars, financiers and trade facilitators.

Demographics
According to 2011 census, Karaikkudi had a population of 106,714 with a sex-ratio of 1,000 females for every 1,000 males, much above the national average of 929. A total of 10,619 were under the age of six, constituting 5,405 males and 5,214 females.The average literacy of the town was 81.48%, compared to the national average of 72.99%. The town had a total of 27504 households. There were a total of 40,069 workers, comprising 244 cultivators, 314 main agricultural labourers, 1,303 in household industries, 30,836 other workers, 7,372 marginal workers, 62 marginal cultivators, 496 marginal agricultural labourers, 345 marginal workers in household industries and 6,469 other marginal workers.

Geography

Karaikudi is located in Sivagangai district of Tamil Nadu State. The Trichy–Rameswaram Highway passes through Karaikudi. The Thennar River flows through South Karaikudi. Karaikudi is located at 10.07°N 78.78°E. It has an average elevation of 82 metres (269 ft). The terrain of Karaikudi is predominantly flat. Rocky areas are found in the surrounding areas of Karaikudi town and intensity of rocks is more towards western side of the town. The soil is hard red lateritic type and is not suitable for cultivation. The water table in the area is generally at depths of 3 to 6 ft (0.91 to 1.83 m) and rises to nearly 1 m (3 ft 3 in) below the ground level during rainy seasons. Since the 1970s, the water supply for the Karaikudi residents has been dependent on the deeper aquifers.[11] The average maximum temperature is about 34 °C (93 °F), and average minimum temperature is about 24 °C (75 °F). The annual average rainfall in Karaikudi is about 920 millimetres (36 inches).

Administration and politics

Municipality officials
ChairmanKarpagam Ilango[12]
CommissionerP.Mariappan[13]
Vice-ChairmanS.Meyappan[14]
Elected members
Member of Legislative AssemblyK.R.Ramasamy[15]
Member of ParliamentSenthilnathan[16]
Karaikudi was constituted as a municipality in 1928 and was upgraded to Grade II Municipality in 1973, to Selection Grade in 1988 and special grade in 2013. The area of municipality is about 13.75 km2, comprising the revenue villages of Kalanivasal, Sekkalai kottai, Elappakudi Area, Ariyakudi Area and Senjai. The Karaikudi municipality has 36 wards and there is an elected councillor for each of those wards.The functions of the municipality are devolved into six departments: general administration/personnel, Engineering, Revenue, Public Health, city planning and Information Technology (IT). All these departments are under the control of a Municipal Commissioner who is the executive head. The legislative powers are vested in a body of 36 members, one each from the 36 wards.The legislative body is headed by an elected Chairperson assisted by a Deputy Chairperson.
Karaikudi is a part of the Karaikudi assembly constituency and it elects a member to the Tamil Nadu Legislative Assembly once every five years. From the 1977 elections, All India Anna Dravid Munnetra Kazhagam (AIADMK) won the assembly seat four times (in 1977, 1984, 1991 and 2009 elections), two times by Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam (DMK, 1980 and 1989), once by Tamil Maanila Congress (TMC, 1996) and twice by Indian National Congress (INC) won during 2006, 2016 elections. The current member of the constituency is K. R. Ramasamy from the Congress party Karaikudi is a part of the Sivaganga Lok Sabha constituency. The current Member of Parliament from the constituency is P. R. Senthilnathan from the AIADMK. From 1967, the Sivangang parliament seat was held by the Indian National Congress for eight times (during 1980, 1984, 1989, 1991, 1999, 2004 and 2009 elections), ADMK once (during 1977 elections), Tamil Maanila Congresstwice (during 1996 and 1998 elections) and Dravid Munnetra Kazhagam twice (during the 1967 and 1971 elections).
Law and order in the city in maintained by the Sivaganga sub division of the Tamil Nadu Police headed by a Deputy Superintendent. There are three police stations in the town, one of them being an all-women police station. There are special units like prohibition enforcement, district crime, social justice and human rights, district crime records and special branch that operate at the district level police division headed by a Superintendent of Police.

Culture

Chettinad Cuisine originated in the areas around Karaikudi
Kundrakudi Shanmuganathan Temple, located 8 km (5.0 mi) away, Ariyakudi Thiruvengamudayan Temple located 3 km (1.9 mi) away, Pillayarpatti Karpagavinayagar temple located 10 km (6.2 mi) away, Thirumayam Permual Temple located 22 km (14 mi) away from Karaikudi are the prominent temples around the town. Kannadasan Mandapam, Kamban Manimandapam, Thousand windows house and Chettinad Raja Palace are other visitor attractions in Karaikudi. The first Temple for Mother Tamil is located in Karaikudi and was established in 1993. Chettinad cuisine originated in the areas around Karaikudi.

Economy

Karaikudi is a developing urban center in Sivaganga district in Tamil Nadu. UNESCO has offered to set up a Chettinad Heritage Museum in Sivaganga district recognizing the unique style of architecture in the region. Chettinad Kottan are Palm leaf baskets woven by the women of the region. Chettinad Kottan has been noted for its unique style and colors and was granted a Geographical Indication tag in 2013. Chettinadu Kandangi sarees are a popular type of sarees produced in the region. Athangudi tiles are basically cement tiles like mosaic used for building the palatial houses in the town and in modern times, is a source for handicraft industry. Indian Overseas Bank was founded on 10 February 1937 in Karaikudi by M. Ct. M. Chidambaram Chettyar.

Transport

The town has two bus terminals namely "Old Bus-stand" and "New Bus-stand". Buses that connect the nearby villages and smaller towns terminate at the Old bus-stand. The State Transport Corporation run moffusil buses terminate at the New bus-stand. Karaikudi Junction railway station is the major railhead serving the town. Nearby airports include Tiruchirapalli International Airport (95 kilometres (59 mi)) and Madurai International Airport (100 kilometres (62 mi)).

Education and utility services

As of 2011, there were 18 government and private schools in Karaikudi and five colleges in the town. Alagappa Chettiar College of Engineering and Technology is the oldest college and was established in 1953. Electricity supply to Karaikudi is regulated and distributed by the Tamil Nadu Electricity Board (TNEB). The town along with its suburbs forms the Sivaganga Electricity Distribution Circle.[51] Water supply is provided by the Karaikudi Municipality from seven borewells is located at Sambai Oothu (Artesian aquifer). As per the municipal data for 2011, about 45 metric tonnes of solid waste were collected. There is no underground drainage system in the town and the sewerage system for disposal of sullage is through septic tanks, open drains and public conveniences The municipality maintained a total of 46.55 km (28.92 mi) of storm water drains in 2011. As of 2011, there was one government hospital and 13 private hospitals in the town. The municipality operates two markets, namely the Anna Daily Market and Uzhavar Santhai that cater to the needs of the town and the rural areas around it.

The King returns to Chennai


Alagappa University DDE

The Directorate of Distance Education was established in the University during the year 1992. The Directorate offers Under Graduate and Post Graduate Programmes in the disciplines of Arts, Science, Education and Management.
The Directorate offers various innovative, job-oriented and socially relevant academic programmes in the field of Arts, Science, Education and Management. It has an excellent network of many Learning Centres for providing effective service to the student community.
Salient Features
  • Modern up-to-date Curriculum
  • Bilingual programme in Tamil and Hindi
  • Standard Study Material
  • Moderate Fee structure
  • Students Login for accessing their profile
  • SMS alert  for fresh candidates, due payments and PCP Schedules
  • Lateral Entry for diploma holders in the related degree programmes
  • Wide network of Study Centres
  • Effective Personal Contact Programme
  • Adequate hands-on training for Science Practicals
  • Mobile Learning facilities
  • On-line Payment of Examination Fee
  • Examinations Centres available all over Tamil Nadu
  • Fixed Examination Schedule
  • Examination conducted twice a year
  • Quick declaration of results
The Directorate in addition to general MBA, offers more specialised sector-specific management programmes such as
  • MBA (International Business),
  • MBA (Banking and Finance),
  • MBA (Corporate Secretaryship),
  • MBA (Project Management),
  • MBA (Hospital Management),
  • MBA (Tourism),
  • MBA (Education Management),
  • MBA (Human Resource Management),
  • MBA (Retail Management),
  • MBA (Logistics Management),
  • MBA (Corporate Management),
  • MBA (Technology Management)
  • MBA (Marketing Management),
  • MBA (Financial Management),
  • MBA (System Management),
  • MBA (Production and Operations Mangement),
  • MBA (Co-operative Management)
  • MBA (5 Year Integrated) and
  • also offers MSW, MCA, and PGDCA Programmes
under Semester pattern.
The Directorate has adopted the e-technology that has modernized the learning process and the students have direct access to internet facilities. With the campus wide networking, it would be possible to organize learning with the satellite facilities. This would help the University to update its instructional modes and open new vistas of e-learning for the students.

Alagappa University

Alagappa University Accredited with 'A+' Grade by National Assessment and Accreditation Council (NAAC) is located at Karaikudi in Tamil Nadu is accessible from Madurai and Tiruchirappalli Airports within two hours. The 440 acre green and lush campus houses all the academic activities. This University has emerged from the galaxy of institutions initially founded by the great philanthropist and educationist Dr. RM. Alagappa Chettiar.
Alagappa University was brought into existence by a Special Act of the Government of Tamil Nadu in May 1985 with the objective of fostering research, development and dissemination of knowledge in various branches of learning. Alagappa University is recognized by the University Grants Commission (UGC) of India. The University has 34 Departments, 7Centres and 2 Constituent Colleges on its campus. 40 Affiliated Collegeslocated in the districts of Sivaganga and Ramanathapuram are part of the University. Of which one Autonomous College and one Alagappa University Model College of Arts and Science are located in Kilakkarai and  Paramakudi respectively.
The University offers education through Regular, Week-end, Distance and Collaborative modes. Through all modes of education, the University caters to the needs of the student community of around 1,00,000.The Distance Education Directorate offers 66 programmes to the student community. 
As a member of the Association of Indian Universities (AIU), as well as the member of the Association of Common Wealth Universities (ACU), it has rewarding relations with other academic institutions, research laboratories and industrial establishments that promise a spectacular feature
The University is having International Collaborations with Universities / Institutions of Higher Learning in countries like China, Malaysia, West Indies, U.S.A. and South Korea. Innovative programmes  are designed and offered at the University for the foreign students. 40 international   exchange programmes attract the attention of the teachers and students from abroad.
The University's motto is "Excellence in Action" and the University keeps before it the vision of excellence in all spheres of its action.

Important Websites

Name
Website
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Pan Card
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Ration Card
Health Insurance Card

Driving License
IRCTC
SETC
BSNL
VISA
AGRI
EMPLOYMENT

TNEB

TNSTC


Name of the Bank
Website
Bank of Baroda
Bank of India
Canara Bank
City Union Bank
Central Bank of India
HDFC Bank

ICICI Bank
Indian Bank
Indian Overseas Bank

Karur Vysya Bank

Punjab National Bank

State Bank of India
South Indian Bank



Thursday, 24 November 2016