Pooja Kulkarni, MD-Guidance Tamil Nadu
It is a matter of pride that even during the COVID years while economies around the world shrunk, Tamil Nadu registered a nominal growth of 5.2 per cent. It’s a testimony to the fact that the state has gone beyond what it needs to do. It has kept manufacturing going, without which this growth would not have been possible.
We are land rich…
There are few underlying factors as to why investors prefer the state. Ready availability of industrial land is what industry wants. After an industry comes to a state seeking land to set up their unit we cannot go scouting for land. We need to have land and infrastructure ready in place. And that is what this state offers. The Industrial Park Rating Survey released by the Government of India has independently confirmed that in terms of availability of industrial land, Tamil Nadu ranks the highest. We have 57 operational industrial parks, not just of SIPCOT but even a large number of private parks. Both are promoted and we support the industry setting up operations as long as it is located in the state.
We are talent rich…
Time and again Tamil Nadu has proven to have the best talent pool. With the highest gross enrolment ratio in higher education, at about 53 per cent, we are twice the national average and much higher than the US too. Â This is not just a question of numbers; quality also matters. According to the latest National Institutional Ranking Framework (NIRF) report, 19 of the top 100 institutes are in the state. Several independent surveys reaffirm the quality of graduates who come out of the state colleges.
We are well-connected…
The state is not just a hub for exports but it’s a market by itself. Intra state connectivity is as good as the connectivity with the outside world. The three ports close to Chennai, the one in Thoothukudi and the upcoming one in Karaikal, ensure connectivity across the globe. More than 3 million TEUs and 70 million tonnes of bulk cargo are handled through the ports per annum. The ports are undergoing continuous development. Bids have been put out to develop the Tuticorin port. We expect global players to participate. This port will support development happening in the southern districts. Such connections to the global supply chain kept manufacturing going during the pandemic.
We also have a very good air, rail and road network. In terms of length of roads per lakh of population we are the highest in the country. We are well-connected across the state through good network of national and state highways. This has helped SMEs connect to the large industry.
New age investments…
We have started to diversify industry to new areas. With one-third of all investments in electric vehicles(EVs) made in the state, TN is the EV capital. Exciting start-ups like Ather and now Arrow which have been incubated right here in the IIT Madras Research Park, are now setting up manufacturing units. We also house big names like Ola and our homegrown TVS. A few more players are coming in the charger, battery and component sector too further expanding the EV ecosystem.
We are also diversifying within the electronic hardware across sub domains in IoT hardware, mobiles, telecom and consumer electronics. Top companies like Samsung, Mitsubishi, Hitachi, Toshiba, Sanmina, Salcomp, Foxconn are already here and are also further expanding.
Renewable energy is another focus area. We have several major players in wind energy. Solar energy is gaining traction with investments by First Solar, Vikram Solar, Tatas and others. We also see tremendous potential for offshore wind energy production. And when that kicks off, it will trigger another manufacturing revolution. This is expected to happen in a very short time.
We recognise that manufacturing alone cannot be the backbone of a state. We have started to promote startups in Fintech sector.
From the point of ease of doing business, we are not looking at just making things go online. We are doing process re-engineering which simplifies the process itself. We are benchmarking with other states as well as countries that have excelled in this and strive for improvements.
We are looking to update the electric vehicle policy very soon. We will be coming out with a policy for life sciences, for the footwear sector and R&D.
Your partner in progress
Tamil Nadu Guidance is a partner in progress for companies that come to the state. It’s there to support the industry right from the point of first contact to facilitating progress and ensuring that the investment gets grounded and the industry runs without any hurdles.
We recently won the best investment promotion agency award for the Asia Oceania region at the annual investors meet at Dubai. This is a stepping stone we intend to build upon this, to bring in greater investments to the state. The goal is not to win awards but ultimately to bring in investments and to expand employment. Video link: https://youtu.be/FiGmN1gaUKs
