After their release from Sri Lankan custody, 11 fishermen from Rameswaram returned to Chennai, providing relief to their families and communities.

Tamil Nadu Fisheries Department officials received them at the Chennai airport and arranged transport to Rameswaram on Friday night.

The fishermen were detained on February 2, 19, and 23 near the Indian maritime border close to Rameswaram.

The Sri Lankan Coast Guard intercepted their boats, seized the vessels, and took the fishermen into custody.

Following legal proceedings, they were jailed in Sri Lanka.

The National Broadband Mission (NBM) has helped bridged the digital divide in rural areas in the country and Tamil Nadu leads in broadband rollout with over 10,000 Gram Panchayats now service-ready, the government has said.

The National Broadband Mission (NBM) 2.0 starts from April 1 and builds upon the strengths and experiences gained from the NBM 1.0 and aims to propel India into a new era of digital transformation and global competitiveness, said Dr Pemmasani Chandra Sekhar, Minister of State for Communications And Rural Development, in a written reply in the Rajya Sabha.

To improve broadband connectivity in rural areas, the government launched the Gati Shakti Sanchar Portal on May 14, 2022, thus streamlining Right of Way (RoW) permissions for Optical Fiber Cable (OFC) laying and telecom tower installation.

In a major operation against drug trafficking, the Greater Chennai Police arrested two individuals and seized 102 kg of ganja, a Honda City car (KA 01 MD 2866), and two mobile phones, police said on Thursday.

The arrests were made following a tip-off from an informant in Andhra Pradesh.

Acting swiftly, the police intercepted the suspects near Maduravoyal Bypass Road in Anagaputhur

Nine tourists were injured on Thursday in a road accident in Jammu and Kashmir’s Kulgam district.

Officials said that a minibus carrying tourists went out of the driver’s control at Nipora, Mirbazar in Kulgam district earlier in the day.

“The vehicle turned turtle on the road resulting in injuries to nine persons. The injured were immediately shifted to the government medical college (GMC) hospital in Anantnag town," the officials said.

The injured have been identified as Vikram Kumar from Rajasthan, Avala Krishna Chaitanya from Andhra Pradesh, Aftab Ahmad from Uttar Pradesh, Shambo from Mumbai, Chota Ram from Rajasthan, Ramlal from Mumbai, Vabak Kumar from Mumbai, Anil Kumar from Kalwa Mumbai, and Rahul from Rajasthan.

As part of an intensified crackdown on organised crime, the Gujarat Police's State Monitoring Cell (SMC) has identified 15 major bootleggers and gambling offenders across the state, compiling a list of their illegal properties slated for demolition, the police said on Wednesday.

An official statement from the SMC confirmed that under the directive of the Minister of State for Home Harsh Sanghavi, Gujarat's Director General of Police (DGP) Vikas Sahay, has ordered a 100-hour operation to take strict legal action against anti-social elements.

Hyderabad police have begun the probe into a case registered against 11 social media influencers for allegedly promoting betting apps.

Deputy Commissioner of Police, West Zone, S.M. Vijay Kumar told media persons on Tuesday that an FIR has been registered against the social media influencers.

"We are checking their social media accounts to see what videos they have posted. After collecting the evidence, we will take action as per law," he said.

The police officer said social media influencers should not indulge in such an illegal activity.

Four family members were rescued after a massive fire broke out in their showroom in Udaipur's Bapu Bazaar on Tuesday.

Thick black smoke billowing from the showroom was visible for several kilometres, triggering panic in the area.

Several fire brigade vehicles rushed to the scene to douse the flames and rescue the trapped family who was stuck on the third floor of the building.

Speaking to IANS, DSP Chhagan Purohit confirmed that the fire emanated from the ground floor and soon spread to higher floors in the building.

Showroom owner Nikesh Valwani and his family residing on the third floor of the building were stuck as the fire spread and the exit route was blocked, leaving them trapped.

Surajpol Police Station Officer Bhavesh Gurjar and SI Veeram Singh led the rescue efforts.

A woman pilgrim was arrested after a pistol was recovered from her possession at the Mata Vaishno Devi shrine in Jammu and Kashmir’s Reasi district, said officials on Tuesday.

The officials said that Jyoti Gupta, claiming to be a retired police constable, belonging to Delhi was arrested after a pistol and six rounds of ammunition were recovered from her at a checking point on the night between March 14 and 15.

“The licence of the weapon had expired a few years back. An investigation has been started in the incident," the officials said.

J&K’s most revered Hindu shrine, the Mata Vaishno Devi temple is located atop the Trikuta Hills in Reasi district at an altitude of 1500 metres.

The Sri Lankan Navy arrested three fishermen from Thangachimadam in Tamil Nadu's Ramanathapuram district on Tuesday accusing them of crossing the International Maritime Boundary Line (IMBL).

Their mechanised fishing boat was also seized.

According to sources, the fishermen had set sail from Rameswaram on Monday night.

In the early hours of Tuesday, while patrolling near Neduntheevu, the Sri Lankan Navy intercepted the boat for allegedly crossing the IMBL.

The arrested fishermen have been identified as A. Shankar (53), D. Arjunan (35), and S. Murugesan (49).

National Convener of Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) Arvind Kejriwal on Monday said that the state government has resolved a major problem faced by the industrialists from the last 32 years by introducing the One Time Settlement (OTS) scheme.