Mega investment projects in state to be fast-tracked, assures Pandiarajan

Pandiarajan said that all the 98 projects which came through the Global Investor Meet are still alive and 68 pc of them have taken off at the ground level. He said that the Government would aim to double the investment under Vision 2023 as compared to the Rs.2.42 lakh crore garnered through TN GIM earlier. 

He said that Tamil Nadu with only 4 pc of land area and 6 pc of population has contributed 10 pc of GDP which was an impact of tremendous human resource potential in the State. 

Speaking on the industrial scenario in the State, Pandiarajan said that the Industrial Estate as a concept got originated in Tamil Nadu. The State has 54 industrial clusters which are well structured with rich entrepreneurial talent.

Commenting on the strength of Tamil Nadu in higher education, Pandiarajan said that during Former Chief Minister of Tamil Nadu K Kamaraj period, the gross enrolment ratio of higher education has moved from 10 to 60 pc when the average of India was only 20 pc. Over last 6 years, when India’s gross enrolment ratio is 23 pc, Tamil Nadu is at 46 pc. The ratio of pursuing higher education has been on steady growth in the State, he added.

He also mentioned that Tamil Nadu is close second to Karnataka in developing venture capital models and in building right ecosystem for industries. During the interaction with CII members, the minister assured industry on fast tracking mega investment projects in the State. He also said that the Government would provide the necessary support for the existing industries in improving their global competitiveness, especially the MSMEs. 

Ramesh Datla, Chairman, CII Southern Region said, “Tamil Nadu is a leading industrialised State with a strong base in auto components, textiles, IT, leather and heavy engineering sectors.”

This was possible only because of the proactive approach of the Government by launching path breaking measures including the new industrial policy and various sectoral policies announced in the last few years, he added. 

Ramesh Kymal, Chairman, CII Tamil Nadu State Council and P Ravichandran, Vice Chairman, CII Tamil Nadu State Council also spoke.