Chennai: Chief Minister M K Stalin left by an Emirates flight to Dubai on an eight-day tour to attend an investors’ meet in Spain and explain that Tamil Nadu was the best State in the country in terms of facilities and infrastructure and human resources for foreign companies to launch new business ventures.
Speaking to reporters at the Chennai airport on Saturday night, he said that other than the days of travel, his would be an eight-day tour and that would conclude with his return to Chennai on February 7 morning.
To a question as to how much investment was expected to come to the State through the negotiations in Spain, the Chief Minister said that he would give the details on it on his return and that he was now going abroad to meet industrialists and business persons from diverse trades and fields who would participate In the conference in large numbers.
Through his present tour, the State would be attracting the attention of other European countries, from where, too, large investments were likely to flow in, he said and explained the success of his earlier foreign tours aimed at luring investments by giving details of the companies that had already started work on their projects in the State.
When he visited the United Arab Emirates in 2022, memoranda of understanding (MoU) worth Rs 61000 crore were signed and those projects would provide employment to 15,000 persons and the trip to Singapore and Japan in May, 2023, led to the signing of MoUs worth a total of Rs 1342 crore that would generate 17,000 employment opportunities in the State, he said.
All those companies that signed MoUs had also started setting up their units in the State expeditiously with those from Japan and Singapore beginning construction activities and the Lulu Group International, based in Dubai, had also begun construction in Coimbatore, he said.
In Spain, too, he would tell investors that Tamil Nadu was the best State for them to invest in industrial, business and trading enterprises, as direct talks would be held with Invest Spain, which is an investment company, and also top industrial giants like ROCA and Gestamp, he said.
Top functionaries of the DMK including Ministers, MPs and MLAs, besides high level government officials had thronged the airport to give a warm farewell to the Chief Minister who left along with a 15 member contingent.
State industries minister T R B Raaja, senior bureaucrat Umanath, Chief Minister’s private secretary Dinesh, his wife Durga Stalin and two personal security officers were part of the contingent travelling with the Chief Minister from Chennai.
