Class XII: pass percentage up to 84.4

The overall pass percentage of students who took the State Board Class XII (HSC) examinations this year has gone up to 84.4 per cent. An increase of 3.4 percentage points from last year’s 81 per cent, this is the highest pass percentage recorded in the State since 2003.

Declaring the results here on Friday, Director of Government Examinations Vasanthi Jeevanandam said 87.3 per cent of the girls had passed, while boys recorded a pass percentage of 81.3.

A total of 5,87,994, students appeared for the Class XII examinations this year in schools across the State.

School Education Minister Thangam Thennarasu told The Hindu that he was very happy with the results. “We have had a series of subject-wise review meetings since the time quarterly examinations got over. Teachers have been focussing on students who did not perform too well in those examinations and have helped them score high.”

227 Indians died during Haj

As many as 221 Indian pilgrims died during the Haj this year due to natural causes, while six others were killed in road accidents.
An Indian official said that India had sent 1.57 lakh pilgrims that included 1.1 lakh who came through the Haj Committee of India and while the rest arrived through the travel operators from various Indian cities.
Suhel Ajaz Khan, the Indian Haj consul, said that so far around 20,000 pilgrims who came through the Haj committee had left.
Some 86 Indian pilgrims are still in hospitals receiving treatment for various aliments, he was quoted as saying in Arab News.
Indonesians, followed by Indians, top the list of pilgrims who died during Haj this year.
The Indonesian Consulate General in Jeddah announced 317 pilgrims had died in the holy cities of Makkah and Madinah.
According to a report from the Central Haj Committee in Makkah, most of the deaths during the pilgrimage were due to natural causes.
The report said that 778 traffic accidents were reported during the season. Overall 11,700 pilgrims were admitted to different hospitals due to accidents and various illnesses, out of which 10,900 were discharged.
More than 800 pilgrims are still recuperating in hospitals.

Ashok Leyland to launch ALTRUX in more states

Terming as a 'thumping success' its pre-owned trux business "ALTURX", heavy vehicle maker Ashok Leyland Limited, the flagship company of the Hinduja Group, plans to extend it across the country.
The pre-owned trux business, wherein used Ashok Leyland vehicles would be purchased from the market, re-conditioned and sold by the company with a six month guarantee, had been a thumping success in Rajasthan, Kerala and Tamil Nadu, Special Director, Customer Support Group, V M Homabli said here on Tuesday.
The company registered an annual turnover of Rs.331 crores by way of selling original spare parts in 2006-07 and the target for the current fiscal was Rs.450 crores.