Even as the whole country is upset with reports of thousands of people finding themselves out of work following a general recession in the economy, Tamil Nadu Chief Minister Edappadi Palaniswamy has sprang a surprise by signing Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) worth Rs 2,780 crore with US based industrial giants which is expected to generate 20,000 jobs in the State.
According to officials accompanying the Chief Minister in his official tour to US, the MoUs signed in Manhattan on Wednesday with US-based companies have the potential to make Tamil Nadu a hub of aerospace, defence industries and also the capital of electrical vehicles manufacturing in India.
The Central government’s proposed Defence Corridor linking Salem and Bangalore via Coimbatore is expected to boost Tamil Nadu’s industrial dreams. Palaniswamy, who is always under criticism by the Leader of the Opposition M K Stalin of the DMK has given a befitting reply to the latter by roping in US based industrialists like Warren Knapp, Melissa Kessler, Mark Johnson and Manish Bhandari.
The two day gathering held at Manhattan in US on Wednesday and Thursday attracted more than 200 prospective investors who were looking for avenues to invest in India. The chief minister explained to them that his government has earmarked 8,000 acres of land along the Defence Corridor and also announced details of the single-door window system introduced by his government to make the process of doing business in Tamil Nadu an easy proposition. A portal exclusively meant for the Tamil diaspora wishing to invest in the State too was dedicated by Palaniswamy.
As part of his mission to set up a world class dairy unit in his constituency of Edappady in Salem, the Chief Minister visited an animal farm in Buffalo in US on Tuesday. Accompanied by dairy development minister Rajendra Bhallajee, the chief minister enquired with the farm management about the good practices being pursued by the animal farm to increase the output as well as the science behind preserving the native breeds and how to create breeds that are resistant to diseases.