The Hindu Business Line : ‘Southern districts poised for growth’

More potential seen: Mr M.F. Farooqui, Principal Secretary, Department of Industries, Tamil Nadu Government, addressing the inaugural session of SPEED 2008 in Madurai on Friday. Also seen are (from left) Mr P. Seetharaman, District Collector; Mr P.W.C. Davidar, IT Secretary; Mr R. Dinesh, Chairman, CII Madurai Zone; Mr T. Kannan, Chairman, SPEED 2008; Mr K.S. Bharath, Vice-Chairman, CII Madurai Zone; and Mr S.A. Ramesh Rangan, General Manager, SBI.

Our Correspondent

Madurai, Dec. 5 Tamil Nadu’s southern districts have the resilience and strength to latch on to a rewarding process of industrial development when the next big upsurge comes through and the Government recognises the need to work to get big ticket investments to the region to create more job opportunities, said Mr M.F. Farooqui, Principal Secretary, State Department of Industries, here on Friday.

Seeking the support of industry in the endeavour, he said the Government’s industrial policy has taken many south-specific incentive offers for investments. Extension of soft loan for units employing 750 persons and more is also being planned, he said while delivering the inaugural address at the two-day ‘SPEED 2008’ (Southern Prosperity through Enhanced Economic Development) Conference, organised by the Confederation of Indian Industry (CII), Madurai Zone.

The southern districts are well positioned in terms of human development index, literacy level, educational and physical infrastructure. Tuticorin is set to trigger the development process as a major port with an investment of over Rs 4,350 crore.

The Centre for Monitoring Indian Economy, referring to investment intentions in southern districts, has noted investments to the order of Rs 14,860 crore in Tuticorin, Rs 4,300 crore in Madurai and Rs 15,000 crore in Trirunelveli.

The current economic turmoil is seen as an opportunity by many investors in the long-term. Thanks to prudent handling by the regulators, the country’s growth story is very much intact, he said.

Mr P.W.C. Davidar, Secretary, Department of Information Technology, said the Government is working on e-governance to improve efficiency and satisfy the masses in a transparent manner. Common service centres (CSC) are opened to serve their needs. In the next four weeks, 420 more CSCs would be coming up, he said.

The proposed ICT Academy will become active in January and the skill development programme for the faculty in engineering colleges is under way, he added.

City development projects are necessary to trigger growth and development of satellite cities between Madurai and Virudhunagar and between Koilpatti and Tirunelveli would help promote the industrialisation process, said Mr T. Kannan, Chairman, SPEED 2008. The air connectivity to Madurai has improved and investment in highways is better.

The relevant advantages that the southern districts have gained have to be made visible, Mr R. Dinesh, Chairman, CII, Madurai Zone, said while welcoming the participants. Mr P. Seetharaman, District Collector, and Mr S.A. Ramesh Rangan, General Manager, State Bank of India, also spoke.

More Stories on : Economy | Tamil Nadu

Article E-Mail :: Comment :: Syndication :: Printer Friendly Page