DINDIGUL | Jan 4, 2016: The Democratic Youth Federation of India (DYFI), the youth wing of the Communist Party of India (Marxist), has appealed to the State government to protect waterbodies and natural resources and prevent illegal mining of sand and minerals.

It has also urged the Centre to grant statehood to Puducherry. Resolutions to this effect were adopted at the DYFI’s 15{+t}{+h}State-level conference held here on Sunday.

Puducherry would benefit from financial autonomy if it is granted statehood. At present, most of its revenue went to the Centre and Puducherry was dependant on the Union government to implement all the welfare schemes. It has been crippled by financial crisis. Statehood would improve economy and offer concession to industrial development in Puducherry, a resolution said.

Once, Tamil Nadu had 16,477 small tanks, 3,936 medium size tanks, 3,267 irrigation tanks and 9,886 private tanks. More than 50 per cent of them have vanished now.

Both the DMK and the AIADMK governments have been destroying waterbodies, forests and farmlands. The State should protect at least the existing waterbodies to avoid disasters in the future.

The DYFI has also appealed to the State government to implement the Right to Service Act.

In his special address, Carnatic vocalist T.M. Krishna said that humanism was the ultimate religion and socialism was essential to establish humanism in society.

Actress Rohini appealed to the youth to become civil servants to provide clean administration . Good governance alone would bring a change in society, she said.

(Source: http://www.thehindu.com/)