Dhinakaran questions DMK government for awarding textbook printing contract to presses in Andhra Pradesh

AMMK's T.T.V. Dhinakaran criticizes DMK government for outsourcing textbook printing to Andhra Pradesh, impacting Tamil Nadu workers.

AMMK founder T.T.V. Dhinakaran on Sunday (January 19, 2025) criticised the DMK government for partially handing over the contract for the printing of textbooks meant for school students to printing presses in Andhra Pradesh. He contended the move would affect several hundred printing press workers employed in Tamil Nadu.

Citing media reports, Mr. Dhinakaran said about 30% of the printing of textbooks meant to be distributed for students in State-run and government-aided schools have been awarded to printing presses in Andhra Pradesh. It was condemnable that printing presses in Sivakasi have been boycotted to favour those in Andhra Pradesh.

“The Tamil Nadu government’s decision has affected the proprietors and thousands of employees in printing presses in Tamil Nadu, who depend on these contracts for specific months in a year,” Mr. Dhinakaran contended in a social media post. He further endorsed the queries by proprietors as to why the Tamil Nadu government was choosing printing presses in Andhra Pradesh when all of the textbooks could be printed within Tamil Nadu.

The AMMK general secretary further called for cancelling the works awarded to printing presses in Andhra Pradesh and further award them to those in Tamil Nadu so that proprietors and livelihood of several thousand workers employed in Tamil Nadu could be benefitted.