Tamil Nadu CM Stalin to visit UAE, garner fresh investments for state

Undertaking his first foreign visit after assuming office, Tamil Nadu Chief Minister M K Stalin on Thursday left for the United Arab Emirates (UAE) to participate in the Dubai Expo and invite industrialists in Gulf country to invest more in the southern state.

Stalin, accompanied by a high-level delegation consisting of Industries Minister Thangam Thenarasu, Industries Secretary S Krishnan, and Guidance CEO Pooja Kulkarni, will inaugurate the Tamil Nadu pavilion at the Dubai Expo on March 25.

This is the first time Stalin is visiting a foreign country after assuming office as Chief Minister on May 7, 2021 – his predecessor Edappadi K Palaniswami had undertaken a fortnight-long trip to the UK and US to garner investments to the state in 2019.

Officials said the Chief Minister will meet representatives from the industry and government in Dubai Abu Dhabi and invite them to Tamil Nadu. “The chief minister has set an ambitious target of achieving a $1 trillion economy by 2030. This is the first such visit by him to personally meet potential investors and tell them about the benefits of investing in the state,” a senior government official told DH.

The official said the state has received nearly 75,000 crores worth of investment after the DMK came to power last year and that the government was trying to get maximum investments from across the globe.

The state, apart from the traditional manufacturing sector, has identified electric vehicles and semiconductors as sunrise sectors. On semiconductors, Tamil Nadu wants to go big and has invited Samsung, Tata, and Foxconn to set up their fab manufacturing units in the state.

While there is no clarity on whether fresh agreements for investments will be signed, the official said Stalin will also meet the Tamil diaspora in the UAE during his visit.

An official statement from the government said Tamil Nadu week will be observed at the state pavilion from March 25 to March 31. The pavilion will also have an exhibition about tourism, art, culture, handloom, textiles, Tamil development, information technology, and food processing industries in the state.

“Vehicles and automobile parts manufactured in the state, electric vehicles and auxiliary products, and other products that are manufactured in Tamil Nadu will be showcased at the pavilion. In short, if one comes to the pavilion, they will be able to witness the specialties of Tamil Nadu,” the statement added.

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