Deputy Chief Minister O. Panneerselvam, who is currently on an official visit to the United States, has invited investors to fund projects in Tamil Nadu.
Addressing a meeting at the office of the Consul General of India in Chicago on Monday, Mr. Panneerselvam explained the various advantages the State had to offer, and termed Tamil Nadu the “second largest State economy” in the country, according to the text of his speech, which was released here.
Pointing out that the State was the “automobile capital of India”, the Deputy Chief Minister said various steps had been taken to promote the manufacturing of e-vehicles. Referring to Chief Minister Edappadi K. Palaniswami launching Kona, the country’s first electric SUV, he said the vehicle was manufactured by Hyundai at the company’s plant in Chennai, which had been billed as the firm’s second largest plant.
The State was seeking to “build further on its diversified industrial base”, especially in the hi-tech sector, as the automobile industry was in the midst of a “challenging phase”. It was in Tamil Nadu that the home-made fastest train and the cryogenic engine for propelling the GSLV rocket used in the recent Moon mission were made. This was besides the State having the highest number of skilled workers in the country in the aerospace and defence industrial sector, he explained, calling upon people of Tamil origin and others to do business in Tamil Nadu.
Over the last few days in Chicago, Mr. Panneerselvam was given the ‘International Rising Star of the Year-Asia’ award, instituted by a private organisation, at an event organised by the Multi Ethnic Advisory Task Force, and another award instituted by the Tamil Sangam. He also received the ‘MAFS Gandhi Sesquicentennial Medallion of Excellence’ award.
