Act as a bridge strengthening ties between your country & TN: K Palaniswami

Tamil Nadu Chief Minister K Palaniswami on Friday hailed the role of foreign envoys in facilitating investments and urged them to act as a bridge between their nations and the state in cementing ties. Addressing High Commissioners and Ambassadors at a 'Diplomatic Outreach' organized by the Ministry of External Affairs and the state government, he also recalled the assistance rendered by such officials during his tri-nation tour last year to woo investors. The event was organized to showcase economic and investment opportunities in Tamil Nadu.

"My request to you all is that you have come here representing your country and you should act as a bridge between your country and Tamil Nadu in connecting the two. "You should enhance the cooperation between your country and the state in promoting eco-tourism and medical tourism", he said.

Besides private firms, overseas government companies should also come forward to invest in the state and the ambassadors and high commissioners should extend their support for this, he appealed. Noting that his government had been taking steps to attract investments from various countries, he said 304 agreements envisaging investment of over Rs three lakh crore in the state were made during the Global Investors Meet last year. "Fiftynine of the companies have commenced operations while the projects taken up by 219 companies are in various stages of execution", Palaniswami said. The government has taken up various steps to introduce business-friendly measures including single-window clearance, expediting procedures involved for companies planning to make investments in the state, he added. Palaniswami recalled his last year's tour of the U.K, U.S, and Dubai during which investments worth Rs 8,835 crore were committed by various companies.

"Currently, various projects have been inaugurated.", he said. On Friday, a memorandum of understanding was signed between TIDCO (Tamil Nadu Industries Development Corporation) and SIPCOT (State Industries Promotion Corporation of Tamil Nadu) to set up a polimer textile park on a 250 acre land in Ponneri near here at an investment of Rs 217 crore.

"The Park to be equipped with modern features will attract investments worth Rs 3,000 crore and generate 7,000 jobs", Palaniswami said. The Chief Minister said companies from various countries may take part in the proposed Mega Textile Park expected to come up in Salem and Tuticorin districts. On the software front, Palaniswami said Tamil Nadu has become the Software As a Service (SaaS) Capital of India following the presence of large IT companies. Agreements signed between TIDCO and National Industrial Corridor Development and Implementation Trust (NICDIT) on Friday for the Chennai-Bengaluru Industrial Corridor will be a milestone in the progress of the state, he said. Holding that Tamil Nadu plays a vital role in the growth of the country, he said his government was treading the path laid by late Chief Minister J Jayalalithaa towards its objective of making the state the most investment-friendly destination in Asia. "I seek your support towards this journey," he said.

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