Tamil Nadu

Infrastructure, Transport & Connectivity

MRTS–Chennai Metro Rail Limited (CMRL) Merger Approved:
- The Railway Board officially cleared the merger proposal of the Mass Rapid Transit System (MRTS) with CMRL.
- Under the draft MoU, Southern Railway will hand over assets, general operation, and maintenance (including 19 of the 21 stations) to CMRL over a 2-year transition window.
- The coordinating officer for the transition committee is the convener of the Chennai Unified Metropolitan Transport Authority (CUMTA).

Chief Minister’s Road Safety Mission:
- Public Works and Sports Development Minister Aadhav Arjuna announced the launch of the Chief Minister’s Road Safety Mission with an outlay of ₹500 crore per annum to curtail fatal road accidents.
- ANPR Surveillance: Automatic Number Plate Recognition (ANPR) cameras capable of reading vehicle speed and registration plates will be installed along all State and National Highways.
- CARE Programme Expansion: Under the Corridor Accident Response and Emergency (CARE) scheme, 25 government hospitals/PHCs across 25 accident-prone locations will be upgraded to emergency response hubs.
365-Day Maternity Leave for Third Child:
- Maternity leave for Tamil Nadu government employees was extended from 12 weeks to 365 days (1 full year) for the third child as well (matching the 365 days already granted for the first two children).

SDAT Talent Research Wing & Olympic Infrastructure:
- The State government is establishing a Talent Research Wing under the Sports Development Authority of Tamil Nadu (SDAT) to identify and train sports talent aged 8 to 18 for international events.
- Setting up 10 Olympic Centres of Excellence, a Paralympic Centre of Excellence in Chennai, and an SDAT ‘Olympic House’ to coordinate international sports administration.