In a momentous decision, the Greater Chennai Corporation (GCC) has unanimously voted to rename Ramakrishnapuram 1st Street in West Mambalam in honour of celebrated cricketer Ravichandran Ashwin. This resolution was announced during the GCC’s budget meeting on March 21, 2025, and was presided over by Mayor R. Priya at the Ripon Buildings.

The proposal to rename the street stemmed from a request by Carrom Ball Event & Marketing Pvt. Ltd., headed by Chief Operating Officer S. Karthik. He emphasized Ashwin’s extensive contributions to Indian cricket, which have earned him wide acclaim both nationally and internationally. In addition to Ramakrishnapuram 1st Street, Aryagowda Road in West Mambalam was also discussed as a potential site for renaming, highlighting the GCC’s commitment to honouring local sports heroes.

The GCC resolution praised Ashwin’s illustrious career, stating, “Mr. Ashwin has represented India and Tamil Nadu in numerous matches, winning several awards and accolades. He is widely recognized as one of the world’s best all-rounders.” With such accolades, renaming a street after him resonates with the pride he has brought to Chennai and the sport of cricket.

Prior to passing the resolution, the GCC sought and received approval from the government to recognize Ashwin’s contributions more formally. The initiative was initially presented to the Standing Committee on Taxation and Finance, which recommended it for approval at the council meeting, reflecting broad support for recognizing local heroes.

Ravichandran Ashwin, known for his exceptional skills as an off-spinner, officially announced his retirement from international cricket on December 18, 2024, following the conclusion of the third Test match against Australia in Brisbane. He exits the sport as India’s second-highest wicket-taker in Tests, having claimed 537 wickets in 106 matches.

In recognition of his remarkable career, Ashwin was honoured with the prestigious Padma Shri award by President Droupadi Murmu on January 25, 2025. As he prepares to represent Chennai Super Kings in the upcoming 18th season of the Indian Premier League, set to commence on March 22, Ashwin’s legacy continues to inspire cricket fans and future generations alike.

Ahead of elections, one BJP worker and two others were detained with Rs 4 crore cash by Tamil Nadu Police at Tambaram railway station in Chennai, as per the reports.

The BJP member, identified as S Sathish (33), along with his brother Naveen (31) and one driver, Perumal (26), were carrying Rs 4 crore in eight bags, the report suggests, the flying squad team with police detained them when they were set to travel to Tirunelveli by Nellai Express train.

The report further suggests that the team of Tirunelveli BJP MP candidate Nainar Nagenthiran instructed Sathish to reach Tirunelveli with Rs 4 crore.

The police conducted search operations in Kilpauk, Triplicane, and Saligramam, as well as the locations linked to Tirunelveli BJP candidate Nainar Nagendran. According to the report, the passengers had stored the cash at places associated with the BJP leader before transporting it to Egmore railway station.

The police detained all three suspects and informed the income tax department. The IT teams will interrogate the accused now.

Currently, there is an ongoing investigation to determine if the passengers had planned to distribute the cash in the Tirunelveli Lok Sabha constituency before the upcoming Lok Sabha elections. The elections are scheduled to take place in seven phases starting on April 19th.

In the first phase of the 2024 general elections, voting in Tamil Nadu’s 39 constituencies is scheduled for April 19, with counting on June 4.

As the Model Code of Conduct (MCC) is currently in effect following the announcement of the 2024 Lok Sabha elections, the Election Commission of India (ECI) has strictly mentioned its guidelines for the politicians and their party members.

Earlier, the ECI  instructed the Union Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology (MeitY) to immediately halt delivering Viksit Bharat messages on WhatsApp.

The poll body has also asked the Ministry to provide a compliance report on the subject, it added. The Commission claimed it had received multiple complaints alleging that even after the election results were announced and the MCC went into effect, messages intended to promote the Central government’s activities under the Viksit Bharat Sampark were still being delivered to citizens’ phones.

Tamil Nadu Chief Minister M K Stalin on January 26, handed over the Kottai Ameer Communal Harmony Award 2024 to Alt News co-founder Mohammed Zubair during the 75th Republic Day celebrations in Chennai. Governor R.N. Ravi and other dignitaries were also present at the event.  

The fact-checker Zubair has been working to debunk the fake news, circulating on social media platforms. Zubair through his Alt News portal has been analysing the veracity of the news coming out on social media and his work helps to prevent the occurrence of violence in society likely to be caused by fake news, the statement read.

The statement further brought attention to a specific incident during March 2023, where social media was loaded with misinformation that the migrant workers were being attacked in Tamil Nadu.  

It was noted that his website Alt News published the video after verifying the authenticity of the video footage. The footage in the video posted on social media had not actually taken place in Tamil Nadu and thus stopped the spread of rumours against Tamil Nadu and acted to prevent violence caused by caste, religion, race and language in the state, the citation said.

During the ceremony, CM Stalin also presented the Chief Minister’s Special Award to U Aayi Ammal, also known as Pooranam. Pooranam, who resides in Madurai district, donated 1.52 acres of her land to upgrade the Madurai East Panchayat Union Middle School to a High School in Y. Kodikulam. She made this generous donation in memory of her daughter Janani.

The Chief Minister awarded the Anna Medal for Gallantry, 2024 to three individuals. These included fisherman Yasaar Arafat from Kayalpattinam in Thoothukudi district, D. Daniel Selvasingh from Thadiveeran Koil in Tirunelveli, and Tahsildar S. Sivakumar from Srivaikundam in Thoothukudi district. Arafat led a group of over a dozen fishermen from Singithurai to rescue around 250 people who were stranded in the unprecedented floods on December 17 and 18 last year in Thanneerpandal village.