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Tamil Nadu
Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Sunday paid glowing tribute to late chief minister of Tamil Nadu J Jayalalithaa, whose birth anniversary falls two days later, saying she lives in the hearts of people for her efforts towards the welfare of women and maintenance of law and order. In his monthly radio broadcast Mann Ki Baat, Modi said just a mention of "Amma" -- as Jayalalithaa was often called -- brings a glow to the faces of the people of Tamil Nadu. In India, those who have worked for the welfare of society, those who have prioritised the public in their noble deeds, always remain in the hearts of the people, the prime minister said, paying tributes to the AIADMK leader ahead of her birth anniversary on February 24. Jayalalithaa was one such popular leader, Modi said, adding that he still feels the deep affection the people of Tamil Nadu had for her when he visits the state. Modi said the country's 'Nari Shakti's' connection with her has been even more special due to her commendabl
Tamil Nadu Chief Minister M K Stalin on Saturday inaugurated the Phase 2 of Global Engineering Centre of Excellence of Pinnacle Infotech here. The Chief Minister, on the occasion, also laid the foundation stone for a dedicated employee housing facility, Guidance, the state government-backed investment promotion agency, said. The expansion would see an addition of 1.60 lakh sq ft of advanced workspace and recruitment of 2,000 professionals, taking the overall capacity to 4,000 people, a press release said. "In a significant milestone for Tamil Nadu's expanding global engineering ecosystem, Chief Minister M K Stalin inaugurated Phase 2 of Pinnacle Infotech's Global Engineering Centre of Excellence and laid the foundation stone for a dedicated employee housing facility," the release said on Saturday. The expansion of Pinnacle Infotech reflects the State's continued emergence as a global destination for engineering innovation and digital construction excellence. "With Phase II the com
The Election Commission, led by Chief Election Commissioner (CEC) Gyanesh Kumar, will visit Tamil Nadu and Puducherry from February 25 to 27 to assess poll preparedness in the state and the Union territory where assembly elections are likely to be held in April. Besides Tamil Nadu and Puducherry, assembly polls are due in Assam, Kerala and West Bengal. The Election Commission (EC) visited Assam this week to assess poll preparedness. CEC Kumar told reporters in Guwahati that the EC would finalise the poll schedule for the northeastern state keeping in mind the festival of Bihu, which falls on April 14. It is usual for the EC to visit states where polls are due before announcing the election schedule. The terms of the five assemblies end on different dates in May and June. While the five-year term of the Puducherry Assembly ends on June 15, the terms of Assam, Kerala, Tamil Nadu and West Bengal assemblies end on May 20, 23, 10 and 7, respectively. Last time, assembly polls in West
The Tamil Nadu government has earmarked Rs 47,248 crore for the Agriculture Department in the Interim Budget for 202627, and welfare schemes for farmers will continue, Minister MRK Panneerselvam said on Tuesday. In 202526, the government had allocated Rs 45,661 crore, he said while presenting the Agriculture Budget in the State Assembly. The ruling DMK government, after assuming office in May 2021, introduced a separate Agriculture Budget for 202122. Panneerselvam said that, based on inputs received from various stakeholders, a total allocation of Rs 1.94 lakh crore has been made for the agriculture and allied sectors over the last five Agriculture Budgets. "As the agriculture sector forms the foundation of Tamil Nadu's economic growth, this government is making sustained and determined efforts to modernise the sector, enhance farmers' incomes, increase production and productivity, and ensure food and nutritional security," he said. The state minister for agriculture and Farmers'
Presenting the Interim Budget for 2026-27 in the Assembly, Tamil Nadu Finance Minister Thangam Thenarasu on Tuesday said the union government appears to leave no stone unturned to artificially precipitate a fiscal crisis in Tamil Nadu. Making Budgetary allocations and explaining the flagship schemes of the government and its impact, the Minister said in a federal polity, there were several instances in the past where states had been unfairly treated by the union government. He further said: "However, I firmly believe that the extent of challenges faced by this government is unprecedented. In every field, be it denial of sanction of major infrastructure projects for Tamil Nadu, withholding of release of funds for centrally sponsored schemes, curtailment of tax revenues without due consultation, or unfair imposition of conditions to mandate expenditure, the union government appears to leave no stone unturned to artificially precipitate a fiscal crisis in Tamil Nadu." He listed the ...
The Tamil Nadu government on Monday signed two separate Memoranda of Understanding (MoUs) with Japanese electronics major MinebeaMitsumi and Bengaluru-based Aequs Group, involving a combined investment of Rs 5,980 crore. The agreements, signed in the presence of Chief Minister M K Stalin at the Secretariat, here, are expected to generate employment for 8,400 people across the semiconductor and aerospace sectors, an official release said. NMB Minebea India Private Limited, a subsidiary of Japan's MinebeaMitsumi, has committed an investment of Rs 1,980 crore to establish a manufacturing and research and development centre in Tiruvallur district. The facility, to be located at the Mahindra Origins Industrial Park, will focus on a complete manufacturing ecosystem for high-value semiconductors, including Insulated-Gate Bipolar Transistors (IGBT) and Integrated Circuits (IC), as well as motors and sensors. This project is slated to create 1,400 jobs, with more than 40 per cent of the role
Tamil Nadu is leading the way in hiring professors of practice (industry experts) in its Higher Education Institutions (HEIs), followed by Maharashtra and Gujarat, according to UGC data. Professors of practice (PoP) are distinguished industry experts and professionals appointed by HEIs to teach, mentor and bring real-world experience into the classroom, aiming to bridge the gap between academia and industry. The University Grants Commission (UGC) in 2022 released guidelines to hire PoPs to inject professional acumen into classroom environments. The position is strictly temporary and does not displace sanctioned posts. Eligibility demands a minimum of 15 years of relevant experience - ideally in senior positions. According to the data, 1,841 PoPs have been hired by 349 HEIs so far, the maximum of them being in Tamil Nadu (395). While 193 PoPs have been hired in Maharashtra (193), Gujarat and Karnataka have appointed 179 and 170 professionals, respectively. Leading the way in hiring
Tamil Nadu Chief Minister M K Stalin on Friday said the state government has deposited Rs 5,000 each to 1.31 crore women beneficiaries of the government's women entitlement scheme. Also, he announced to double the monthly grant to Rs 2,000 if his DMK party was voted to power in the upcoming Assembly election. Noting that Rs 5,000 has been directly deposited into the bank accounts of the beneficiaries of Kalaignar Women's Entitlement scheme, he said, "You would have received Rs 5,000 this morning. I have decided to provide the sum in view of an attempt (by vested interests) to freeze the scheme citing upcoming elections." So, in order to counter the move to prevent the women from receiving the monthly financial assistance due for them, he had decided to provide the sum for three months from February and in addition provide Rs 2,000 to meet their expenses during summer, he said in a video message posted on his social media platform 'X.' "Further, the monthly entitlement of Rs 1,000 w
Tamil Nadu Chief Minister M K Stalin on Thursday asserted that the state's economic growth has significantly outpaced the national average with a growth rate of 11.19 per cent. "Today, Tamil Nadu's economic growth is higher than the national average, at 11.19 per cent. To be more specific, while India's manufacturing sector growth last year was 4.5 per cent, Tamil Nadu's growth was three times higher at 14.7 per cent," the Chief Minister said. Speaking at the Conversion Conclave 2026, a unique initiative held to demonstrate the transformation of investment agreements into operational projects, Stalin described this achievement as a "deed-based answer" to critics of the Dravidian Model of governance. "In this conclave alone, we are celebrating achievements with the inauguration of 52 companies, foundation stone laying for 71 companies, and Memorandums of Understanding (MoUs) with two new companies," he added. In his address, Stalin also highlighted the state's industrial prowess, ..
Amid some apparent strains in ties with the Congress over power-sharing, ruling DMK president and Tamil Nadu Chief Minister M K Stalin on Wednesday asserted that the alliance was "intact," but firmly ruled out accommodating allies in the cabinet. Congress MP from Tamil Nadu's Virudhunagar, Manickam Tagore, a vocal proponent of power-sharing, said that it was up to the people to decide whether it was single party or coalition government. Actor Vijay-led TVK said allies being denied cabinet representation was "against social justice" as they play a key role in the alliance' victory Stalin maintained that the alliance with the grand old party was free from confusion. In the past months, this is the first time the chief minister has asserted that there is no possibility of sharing power, a concept alien to Tamil Nadu's political history that has been dominated by the Dravidian parties since 1967. Amid a war of words between a section of leaders from the DMK and the Congress over ...
The Centre has rejected Tamil Nadu's request to relax moisture norms for paddy saying procurement with high moisture content causes significant storage risk, Parliament was informed on Wednesday. Minister of State for Food and Public Distribution Nimuben Jayantibhai Bambhaniya, in her written reply to the Lok Sabha, said the southern state had requested for relaxing the moisture norms for paddy from 17 per cent to 22 per cent. However, the request of the Tamil Nadu government "has not been considered due to the following facts," she said. Paddy can be dried before milling; procurement of excessively moist paddy introduces significant operational risk, including loss of stock during storage and compromised milling recovery. The minister said paddy with high moisture content is susceptible in terms of rapid deterioration, fungal growth, discolouration, and infestation. The state governments have been repeatedly advised to develop drainage facilities at the procurement stages. "The
Tamil Nadu Chief Minister M K Stalin on Sunday wrote to Prime Minister Narendra Modi, seeking his urgent intervention to direct the Ministry of Railways to expedite sanctioned projects in the state by releasing required funds and reviving those kept in abeyance. Stalin highlighted that the progress of several crucial railway projects is being hindered by "delays in releasing funds by the Ministry of Railways" and the practice of providing partial funding for individual projects. He noted that while the state government has granted administrative approval for acquiring 2,500.61 hectares for various federal railway projects, the Railway Department is yet to allocate funds for 931.52 hectares, an official release said. "The delays in releasing funds and the piecemeal allocation... have hindered the progress of railway projects in Tamil Nadu," the chief minister stated, adding that this has created a state of "prolonged uncertainty" for affected landowners. Stalin pointed out that land