Tamil Nadu

History, Art & Culture

• Saiva Tirumurais & Tamil Spiritual Heritage:
  • Speaking at the 34^th Deiva Sekkizhar Festival in Chennai, Union Finance Minister highlighted that the 12 Saiva Tirumurais democratised Tamil literature and preserved traditional musical ragas derived from ancient panns (performed with instruments like yazh, udukkai, and kottu).
  • Sekkizhar’s Periyapuranam chronicles key historical events, including the conversion of King Mahendra Pallava to Saivism.

National

Central Legislation & Governance

• Public Examinations (Prevention of Unfair Means) Amendment Bill, 2026:
  • President Droupadi Murmu gave assent to the Act, which establishes fast-track courts for paper leak cases, mandates investigations to be completed within 2 months, and prescribes 5 to 10 years imprisonment along with fines up to ₹50 lakh.

Infrastructure, Science & Trade

• Bhogapuram Greenfield Airport: PM Modi dedicated the Alluri Sitarama Raju International Airport at Bhogapuram in Vizianagaram district, Andhra Pradesh (built by GMR under PPP mode).
• First Semiconductor OSAT Facility in South India: Foundation laid for ASIP Technologies’ ₹2,500-crore OSAT facility at Tarluvada (Visakhapatnam) under the India Semiconductor Mission.
• Shipki La Border Trade Resumption: India-China cross-border trade through Shipki La (Kinnaur district, Himachal Pradesh) resumed after 6 years via a barter trade system, with the inauguration of the Chhuppan Trade Mart.