CHENNAI: Even as he paraded the strides Tamil Nadu made in the recent years in industrial development and job creation, Industries Minister TRB Rajaa urged the Union government to see the talent that is available in the State and take measures to ensure that the strengths of each State is identified and nurtured for the benefit of the country.
Inaugurating the 15th edition of ‘Source India’ organised by ELCINA in Chennai on Tuesday, Rajaa cited the example of the Union government’s efforts to nurture different sports in various parts of the country where each sport is traditionally strong to advocate a similar approach in industrial development as well.
“I want Delhi to hear and see us clearly and see the talent that is available in Tamil Nadu and make full use of it. Every State has a special advantage, let's all play together for each other's advantage… and make India better,” he said.
Quoting the example of Production-Linked Incentive (PLI) scheme unrolled by the Centre, over and above which Tamil Nadu offered additional package to attract investors to set up units in Tamil Nadu, Rajaa acknowledged the proactive measures by the Union government. “I'm sure they will also appreciate the fact that states are also adding value to the Government of India's efforts to make sure that these sectors grow by leaps and bounds,” he said.
However, he added, Tamil Nadu was not seeking any special help. The State was only asking Delhi to give what it deserves, which can add value to Tamil Nadu, and consequently, India.
The electronics export from Tamil Nadu was $14.65 billion in 2025, which is about 41 per cent of the exports from India, and is poised to cross $18 billion in 2026, he said. This, Rajaa said, was benefitting the whole country. “Everything Tamil Nadu does is for India. Our leadership in electronics exports is strengthening India’s position globally,” he said.
While the investment that Tamil Nadu secured is among the best among states, that was not the number that the government was focusing on, he said. “Jobs are what matters to us... We have created fantastic jobs.
These are not everyday jobs [but high-end engineering jobs],” he said. The State was able to create them because of the large pool of engineering talent, with around 1,50,000 engineers passing out of colleges here every year, Rajaa said, adding, “We're not just replacing, we're recreating a whole ecosystem here.”
With India targeting $500 billion in electronics output, Rajaa said Tamil Nadu would aim to maintain its present share – which works out to $150 billion – by leveraging its export leadership. He also proposed expanding Source India into a Global South-focused sourcing platform, backed by the State government. “Tell the world that India’s electronics exports are being powered from Tamil Nadu... for India, and for the world,” he said.
The minister said the State was shifting focus from scale to quality-led growth, positioning itself as a global hub for the Global South. “Cheap does not work anymore. The world wants quality, and Tamil Nadu wants to stand for quality. We have the expertise in manufacturing, we have the expertise in services and the next big thing to do is R&D,” he said, pitching for large investments in R&D, design, and advanced manufacturing.
The State government has earmarked Rs 500 crore for the Tamil Nadu Semiconductor Mission, while building a new semiconductor ecosystem around Coimbatore, alongside chip design promotion and fab-linked training with IIT-Madras. Anchor investments such as Tata Jaguar Land Rover’s luxury EV manufacturing plant at Ranipet are expected to deepen electronics and component clusters, he said, pointing to the distributed industrial growth across districts.