Compare TN to other countries; our fight is up there, not here: T R B Rajaa

At the Tamil Nadu Round Table 2025 summit, Tamil Nadu's Minister for Industries, Investment Promotion and Commerce spoke about his state's economic plans and the impact of world events on India

Tamil Nadu has received investments of more than ₹10 trillion in four years and it’s a manufacturing hub. “We are not just satisfied with that. We want to go to the next level. The world does not know what Tamil Nadu and its people are capable of,” says T R B RAJAA, the state’s minister for industries, investment promotion and commerce. At the Tamil Nadu Round Table 2025 summit with A K Bhattacharya, editorial director of Business Standard, the minister spoke about his state’s economic plans and the impact of world events on India. Edited excerpts from a fireside chat:

 

Can you elaborate on the Dravidian model beyond social justice, education, and women's empowerment?

 

I will give you the industry language, too. Industry today talks about diversity, equity, and inclusivity; and that's what we have been saying for 100 years. We just call it social justice. Social justice is also about addressing issues related to climate change. The first people who get hit because of climate change are the ones at the bottom. This government is for everyone.

 

Distributed growth — you see results today in Tamil Nadu. If you go to any other state in India, you see development concentrated in one or two cities. Go to Karnataka: It's just Bengaluru, maybe Mangalore, maybe a bit of others. In Maharashtra: Mumbai, Pune, then what? In Telangana: Hyderabad, then what? In UP [Uttar Pradesh]  — just clustered closer to Delhi, then what?

 

Tamil Nadu is the most urbanised state in the country. This is the only state where you can just close your eyes, put your finger on the map of Tamil Nadu, and start an industry there. Everything is already in place.

 

Why do you think you need to reimagine Tamil Nadu, which is doing so well otherwise?

 

Because we are not just satisfied with that. We want to go to the next level. The world does not know what Tamil Nadu and its people are capable of. I know that ‘product nation’ sounds very small — just two words. But the depth of those two words, I know the industry understands. The potential boost to the economy, the potential boost to the availability of new ideas, new opportunities — especially for MSMEs [micro, small and medium enterprises], which are the largest employers.

 

Enabling MSMEs is the best way to encourage more innovation. That is why MSMEs need to be empowered in a big way, and that is why we are doing this. Reimagining Tamil Nadu for the world is what this is actually about. It is about reimagining and giving a fresh image of Tamil Nadu to the world. It is more like rebranding it, which aligns with the product nation vision.

 

I know the world thinks we are doing absolutely great, but you are comparing us to other states. Compare us to other countries — that is what we want to do. Our goals, our competition, our fight — it’s up there, not here.

 

Do you want to pursue the services sector with equal zeal along with manufacturing or maybe advanced manufacturing?

 

Most jobs come from the services sector. Tamil Nadu has a balance of services and manufacturing put together. We get high-paying jobs via the services sector, especially in research and development. From manufacturing, we get high-end jobs and also jobs for the masses, for women. 

 

Look at our footwear sector. We have 30,000–40,000 women working in a single space, all earning excellent salaries and finding jobs close to their homes. So there is manufacturing and services. This balance needs to be maintained, and the government will ensure that. The value addition from the knowledge economy and R&D [research and development] is key.

 

Do you think there is an opportunity for us from what is happening in the world now, particularly in the United States?

 

Whatever differences that we have with the Union (government), when it comes to the questions of a nation, we have to come together and stand as one. We hope the Union (government) will stay strong in its decision. We will make sure our industry doesn't lose out. 

 

I think India should stand on its own. India should understand its capabilities. It should understand the needs, requirements of the industry. If you ask me, they should talk to industry, bring them on board, talk to them, take a position on all this, after listening to them. I think that's the one thing that's missing. They seem to be making decisions unilaterally, which I don't think is advisable, especially on such large geopolitical issues.

 

Everybody understands what's happening in the US. I see significant gains coming, especially for states like Tamil Nadu, Maharashtra, and Karnataka. I do also think that we have to step back, because this is not something which the world is used to. But now that it's happening, we should respect their decision. They are an independent country, and it is their choice. So given that situation, I think India needs to take a very strong stand and India needs to take a stand after consulting the stakeholders. That stakeholders meeting needs to happen.

 

In industry and manufacturing, there is talk about skilling. Your views

 

About the labour challenge, we are India. We don't mind some of the jobs which our highly educated kids are not willing to do. Somebody needs to do it and we want to enable them also. That's not a problem. But when it comes to the population of Tamil Nadu and their capabilities, which is high-end, we are very well educated and we need to give them high-end jobs, high-value jobs. That is where we are heading. 

 

Skilling is something we have always understood. We know what the industry is saying. We know their qualms. We listen to them, we get their feedback and we address that. We look at what the industry might need five years, ten years ahead. The curriculum today is not static; it is very dynamic. The requirements change every single day, especially with AI [artificial intelligence], and we incorporate those capabilities. 

 

The largest skilling initiative in India, Naan Mudhalvan, talks to industry and gets feedback. Even new investors who are coming in, we take their feedback also. We look at what they need in the next year or the year after that. We enable that in our Naan Mudhalvan scheme, so that these kids are skilled and they are tailored to the requirements of the industry. That is why today Tamil Nadu is the talent capital of India. 

 

It's not just because we produce the highest number of engineers and doctors. You ask for 1,000 PhDs, you want 500 of them to be women? Done in a day. Two, you want 10,000 jobs, 10,000 engineers specified in instrumentation and control engineering? Done. You want AI-ready talent? We have it. 

 

We went to the US and spoke to Google. Now Google is on board, it is going to train about 2 million kids in the next few years.