Compare Tamil Nadu to other countries; our fight is up there and not here

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?