Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Friday said the Union government would provide Tamil Nadu with all necessary support, as he spoke in Chennai while unveiling and highlighting projects valued at around Rs 13,000 crore.
Modi said strengthening states is key to strengthening India, and noted that the Centre is encouraging manufacturing in Tamil Nadu. He said national initiatives such as “Make in India” and promoting local products would benefit the state, while praising the contribution of Tamil Nadu’s manufacturing and MSME workforce.
Citing national trends since 2014, he said India has become the world’s second-largest mobile phone manufacturer, while electronics exports have risen 16-fold and defence equipment exports 50-fold. He also pointed to record engineering exports, saying these gains have created direct and indirect employment for lakhs of youth, with Tamil Nadu playing a role.
The Prime Minister said India is working to become a global hub for shipbuilding, and that Tamil Nadu has a historic place in the sector. He referred to the development of the V.O. Chidambaranar Port in Thoothukudi into a world-class mega container and green energy hub with an investment of about Rs 17,000 crore.
He added that multiple schemes, including the Prime Minister’s fisheries programme, have brought projects worth thousands of crores to Tamil Nadu. He said the Centre is supporting modernisation of the Chennai fishing harbour and seaweed development in the state, and noted that Kisan Credit Cards are also being made easily available to fishermen, alongside farmers, as marine exports increased last year and fishermen’s livelihoods improved.
