Tamil Nadu Government

Maruti Suzuki commissions 7 automated driving test tracks in Tamil Nadu

Maruti Suzuki India on Friday said it has partnered with the Tamil Nadu government to commission seven automated driving test tracks in the state. The initiative is part of the Memorandum of Agreement signed between Maruti Suzuki and the Transport Department, Government of Tamil Nadu, to automate a total of ten driving test tracks across the state. The company said with the latest addition, it has automated all ten automated driving test tracks (ADTTs) in the state. "Equipped with high-definition cameras and advanced analytics, these ADTTs enable a comprehensive, efficient, and transparent assessment process. It eliminates any human bias and ensures that only skilled drivers are awarded a license," Maruti Suzuki India Senior Executive Officer Corporate Affairs Rahul Bharti said in a statement. According to data shared by the Ministry of Road Transport & Highways, India witnessed 1.77 lakh road accident deaths in 2024, he noted. Promoting disciplined driving practices and ensuring

Expelled AIADMK leader, 3-time Tamil Nadu CM O Panneerselvam joins DMK

OPS, who had functioned as AIADMK Treasurer and also held the erstwhile top position of party coordinator, joined the DMK along with his son, P Ravindhranath Kumar and supporters

FM tables Interim Budget, accuses Centre of 'unfairly' treating Tamil Nadu

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 ...

TN signs MoUs for ₹5900 cr investment in semiconductor, aerospace sectors

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

TN must join hands with Centre to boost startup ecosystem: Jitendra Singh

Union Minister Jitendra Singh on Saturday urged the Tamil Nadu government to work closely with the Centre to further strengthen the state's startup ecosystem, noting that despite significant progress, it still has immense untapped potential. Addressing the inaugural session of the two-day Research, Industry, Start-up and Entrepreneurship (RISE) Conclave here, the Minister of State (Independent Charge) for Science & Technology and Earth Sciences highlighted India's exponential growth in the sector, which has increased from 350 startups in 2014 to over 2 lakh today. "Tamil Nadu has contributed 34,000 registered startups, but there is still significant untapped potential. We need to create an enabling ecosystem, particularly in tier-II and tier-III cities, to accelerate innovation-driven entrepreneurship," Singh said. He encouraged youth in growth hubs like Chennai and Coimbatore to leverage central initiatives to scale up their ventures, pointing out that startups have already ...

Tamil Nadu received investment commitments of ₹2.07 trn in 2025: Minister

Tamil Nadu has signed a total of 270 MoUs with several corporates committing investments to the tune of Rs 2.07 lakh crore in 2025, Minister for Industries TRB Rajaa said. The Memoranda of Understanding (MoUs) signed were expected to generate over 4 lakh job opportunities in the State, he added. Detailing about the significant achievements made in 2025, Rajaa said, "It (2025) was another fantastic year of the Dravidian Model in focused execution. Over 270 MoUs worth a total of Rs 2.07 lakh crore of committed investments were signed in 2025 alone and these MoUs have opened up over 4 lakh new job opportunities." The growth was distributed across Tamil Nadu as investment conclaves were held beyond Chennai and the regional spread of investments improved in 2025, he said, in a social media post late on January 1. Many new TIDEL Neo parks (mini IT Parks) took Information Technology closer to the homes of aspiring youths, while the first-ever State Industries Promotion Corporation of Tami

Tamil Nadu in 2025: Double-digit growth and steady industrial progress

Known for its vibrant industrial ecosystem, Tamil Nadu continued to make steady strides in the sector in 2025, witnessing record IT exports, besides focusing on aerospace with new investment proposals and marching into 2026 with a double digit growth. Ford's re-entry in to the state brought cheers, even as fears have emerged in the hosiery hub Tirupur following the revised US tariffs aimed at Indian imports into that country. Touching an all time high, the state clocked a 11.19 per cent growth rate, which Chief Minister M K Stalin attributed to the sustained economic policies of the DMK government that assumed office in 2021. According to industry department officials, TN had previously recorded its highest growth rate of 9.69 per cent during the 2010-11 financial year when the late DMK patriarch M Karunanidhi was the CM. "We are not saying this. As per the Union ministry of statistics and programme implementation's revised estimates, during 2024-25, Tamil Nadu has achieved 11.19 p

Tamil Nadu marks 21st anniversary of 2004 tsunami with silent tributes

Hundreds of people gathered at the beaches and offered milk and flowers to the sea, and those from the affected villages in Tamil Nadu took out silent processions on Friday in remembrance of thousands of lives lost during the devastating Tsunami in 2004. Commemorations were held in Nagapattinam, Kanyakumari, Cuddalore, and Chennai coastal areas which were among the worst affected when a massive tidal wave triggered by an undersea earthquake in Indian Ocean off Sumatra, Indonesia, lashed the coastal Tamil Nadu, 21 years ago. The people from 25 affected fishing villages in Nagapattinam district observed the 21st anniversary by taking out silent processions. Floral tributes were paid at the memorial sites in Kanyakumari, Nagapattinam, Cuddalore and Chennai. Over 8,000 lives were said to have been lost due to the impact of the tsunami in the state. In Tuticorin, fishermen gathered on the coast and paid their respects and later held a commemoration. In Chennai, the BJP members joined t

TN govt agrees to regularise 723 protesting nurses, consider their demands

Tamil Nadu government on Monday announced that it will consider the demands of the striking nurses and would take steps to immediately regularise 723 of them on seniority basis by Pongal (mid-January) 2026. Also, a key demand to provide them maternity leave with pay will also be considered positively, state Health Minister Ma Subramanian said as the strike by the government nurses appointed on consolidated pay entered the fifth day today. "Chief Minister M K Stalin has directed to consider the plea for maternity leave with pay and also other demands included in their ten-point charter," Subramanian told reporters here after holding parleys with representatives of the nurses' associations. He assured that the government would take immediate steps to resolve their problems. The nurses have been on strike since December 18 throughout the state and over 500 of them were arrested in Chennai on the third day of their agitation. Braving the nippy weather, some of them had brought their ki

TN urges SC to scrap CBI probe into Karur stampede, backs SIT investigation

The Tamil Nadu government has urged the Supreme Court to lift its October 13 order directing a CBI probe into the Karur stampede in which 41 people were killed and permit an investigation by the SIT constituted by the Madras High Court. The local police and the Special Investigation Team are fully competent to conduct a "fair, thorough, and impartial investigation" and no exceptional circumstances exist to direct central agency intervention, the state government said in a reply filed before the apex court. The state government submitted that the October 13, 2025 interim order directing a CBI probe under the monitoring of three-member supervisory committee has "virtually allowed the writ petition" even before notice on maintainability could be decided. The stampede on September 27 during a rally of Tamilaga Vettri Kazhagam chief Vijay claimed 41 lives and left over 60 injured. According to the state government, the allegation of negligence or dereliction of duty on part of the Karur

Cyclone Ditwah nears Tamil Nadu coast, red alert issued for delta districts

Cyclone Ditwah was slowly moving closer towards the Tamil Nadu coast and it was likely to bring heavy rainfall, the weather office said on Friday, as the state government reviewed its preparedness to face the second such weather system in a month. The weather office forecast heavy rains in the southern and Cauvery delta districts of the state, between November 29 and 30. The name, 'Ditwah', referring to a lagoon, was suggested by Yemen. It is likely named after Detwah Lagoon, a large, saline lagoon on the northwest coast of the island of Socotra in Yemen. In a bulletin on Friday evening, the India Meteorological Department (IMD) said the cyclonic storm 'Ditwah' over the coast of Sri Lanka and adjoining southwest Bay of Bengal moved slowly northwards with a speed of 3 kmph during past 6 hours and lay centred at 2.30 hrs of today, November 28 over the same region. It is located about 300 km south-southeast of Karaikal, 410 km south-southeast of Puducherry and 510 km south-southeast o

Tamil Nadu politics not regionalism, but Tamil 'exceptionalism', says Guv

Tamil Nadu politics is not regionalism, it is essentially Tamil "exceptionalism", which insists that Tamil is "distinct" from other languages, Governor R N Ravi has said. As Tamil Nadu Governor, Ravi has repeated stand-offs with the DMK government led by M K Stalin. "This Tamil exceptionalism is articulated by hatred against other languages, even those that belong to Dravidian family like Telugu, Kannada and Malayalam. It is not just Hindi," the governor said. He also criticised that Tamil politicians do not really love Tamil, as they haven't done anything for the promotion of Tamil language or Tamil culture. "The reality is that, every year, students are moving away from Tamil medium to English medium. The number of students pursuing their studies in Tamil is declining steadily and steeply," he said in an interview to a TV channel. Ravi said the Tamil Nadu government has given "zero budget for research" in Tamil language and culture. "There are over 11 lakh palm leaves manuscrip

Tamil Nadu CM slams Centre over rejection of plea on paddy moisture norms

Tamil Nadu Chief Minister M K Stalin on Thursday slammed the BJP-led Union government for rejecting the state's request to relax moisture norms for paddy procurement and urged Prime Minister Narendra Modi to immediately intervene to protect the state's farmers. In a social media post, Stalin said the Centre had turned down Tamil Nadu's plea to allow procurement of paddy with a higher moisture content in view of heavy northeast monsoon rains in the Cauvery delta and other districts. Only on Wednesday did the Prime Minister attend a farmers meet in Coimbatore, after the Centre had denied a Metro rail project for the western city, besides Madurai. "Even before the dampness of his visit has dried, the union BJP government has rejected our request for relaxation of moisture norms in paddy procurement," the CM said. According to him, the state has been pressing the Centre to raise the permissible moisture level in paddy from the existing 17 per cent to 22 per cent for the current Kharif

Kovalam beach near Chennai earns Blue Flag certification for fifth year

The famous Kovalam beach, one of the popular tourist spots near Chennai, has secured the prestigious International Blue Flag Certification for the fifth consecutive year 2025-26. In a social media post on Tuesday night, State Minister for Finance and Environmental Climate Change, Thangam Thennarasu expressed pride in the achievement and highlighted the commitment of the state government and the local community in maintaining the beach's global eco-standards. He also congratulated the Chengalpattu district administration and the Department of Environment, Climate Change and Forests. Building on this success, Additional Chief Secretary, Department of Environment, Climate Change and Forests, Supriya Sahu said the state government has selected 10 other beaches in Tamil Nadu to pursue global certification. These include four beaches in Chennai, two in Cuddalore, and one each in Villupuram, Nagapattinam, Ramanathapuram, and Tuticorin. She noted that Kovalam's recognition is the fruit of

Tamil Nadu leads with ₹4,271 crore under electronics component scheme

State secures five of seven projects cleared under the Centre's Electronics Component Manufacturing Scheme and aims for 30 per cent of total investments

TN sanctions ₹186 cr to provide free meals to Chennai sanitation workers

The Tamil Nadu government has accorded administrative sanction for Rs 186.94 crore towards providing free meals to the sanitation workers in the Greater Chennai Corporation for three years. The move will facilitate the GCC to provide meals to about 29,455 conservancy workers, including staff working under the private contractors, at 512 locations, a government order issued by the Municipal Administration and Water Supply Department said. The announcement comes close on the heels of prolonged agitation by the sanitation workers protesting against the privatisation of waste management operations in two zones under the GCC, and regularisation of jobs. The free meal scheme is among the six special welfare initiatives announced by the government on August 14. The civic body will hire a catering agency on contract for three years to prepare food in designated kitchens. The meals prepared in compliance with the Food Safety and Standards Authority of India norms, will be packed and ...

Rain lashes TN, red alert issued in 8 districts; CM reviews situation

As the Northeast monsoon intensified across Tamil Nadu, the regional weather office on Tuesday issued heavy rainfall alert to a number of districts, while Chief Minister M K Stalin reviewed the situation with officials and directed that precautionary measures be put in place in view of the downpour. A 'red' alert was issued for 8 districts and an orange alert for Chennai for Tuesday, even as widespread rains lashed various parts of the state, according to the Met department. Stalin reviewed precautionary measures being undertaken in the city and its surrounding districts and the Cauvery delta districts that have been witnessing steady downpour. A red alert was issued to Villupuram, Cuddalore, Mayiladuthurai, Nagapattinam, Tiruvallur, Thanjavur, Pudukottai and Ramanathapuram, an official from the Regional Meteorological Centre (RMC) said. Similar alert was sounded for neighbouring Puducherry union territory as well. "Heavy rain is likely in the entire north coastal belt, but extreme

Await Presidential Reference before challenging Guv's referral: SC to TN

The Supreme Court on Friday told the Tamil Nadu government to await the outcome of the Presidential Reference to decide its plea challenging Governor R N Ravi's decision to refer the Tamil Nadu Physical Education and Sports University (Amendment) Bill, 2025 to the President instead of granting his assent. A bench of Chief Justice B R Gavai and K Vinod Chandran said the matter will be heard after the Constitution bench judgement on the issue. "You will have to wait for the outcome of the Presidential Reference.You will have to wait hardly for four weeks.The reference has to be decided before November 21 (Gavai's retirement)," the bench said. The apex court on September 11 reserved its judgement on the presidential reference, which asked if a Constitutional court can impose timelines for governors and President to assent to bills passed by state legislatures. During the hearing, senior advocate Abhishek Singhvi, submitted that the Governor cannot refer the bill to the President after

TVK district secretary arrested over Karur rally stampede that killed 41

Actor-politician Vijay-led Tamilaga Vettri Kazhagam's Karur West district secretary was arrested in connection with the stampede at the party president's rally, police said on Monday night. Karur West district secretary V P Mathyiyalagan was among the three TVK office bearers named in the FIR into the stampede that occurred on Saturday in which at least 41 people died and 60 were injured. TVK state general secretary Bussy Anand and party deputy general secretary Nirmal Kumar are the other two party office bearers named in the FIR. Mathyiyalagan was picked up near the Karur-Dindigul border, an official said. The three TVK functionaries have been booked under sections 105 (culpable homicide not amounting to murder), 110 (attempt to commit culpable homicide), 125 (endangering life of others), and 223 (disobedience to order), of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita. Section 3 of the Tamil Nadu Public Property (Prevention of Damage and Loss) Act, 1992, has also been levelled against them, a pol

Karur stampede: Nirmala Sitharaman, L Murgan visit injured at hospital

Union Minister Nirmala Sitharaman on Monday reached the site of the September 27 stampede in Karur in Tamil Nadu in which 41 people lost their lives.The Union Minister then visited the Government Medical College Hospital in Karur.Earlier today, she arrived at the Coimbatore International Airport before proceeding to the site of the stampede that took place during a public event of TVK (Tamilaga Vettri Kazhagam) chief and actor Vijay.Sitharaman was accompanied by Minister of State for Information & Broadcasting and Parliamentary Affairs L Murugan.Meanwhile, the Madurai Bench of the Madras High Court will hear later today a case filed by TVK in the stampede.The Tamil Nadu government has today appointed Additional Superintendent of Police (ASP) Premanandan as the new investigating officer to lead the probe into the stampede that occurred during the TVK president's rally.The death toll rose to 41 today, with two more victims succumbing to injuries, while 67 others continue to ...