Tamil Nadu Should Be on Top in Next Gen’s Technology: CM Stalin

Chennai: By setting clear goals, the DMK government was building a future for the next generation in which Tamil Nadu would be on the top in advanced technology with no one from the State left behind since knowledge and technology should be common for all, Chief Minister MK Stalin said on Thursday.

Inaugurating ‘Umagine Tamil Nadu 2026’, the two-day information technology summit in Chennai, where the Tamil Nadu Deep Tech Startup Policy 2025-26 was released, Stalin said that Umagine was the proclamation of the State’s journey to the future and its triumph.

Designing the digital future of the State was a reflection of the long-term vision of the Dravidian Model government to make a leap towards modernity while ensuring social equality and egalitarian development, which was in tune with his own vision of keeping Tamil Nadu one step ahead of the rest in technological advancement, he said.

Attributing the present technological growth of the State to the foundation laid by M Karunanidhi, who developed an IT policy with a vision that technology was not the prerogative of any particular class of people but a common instrument to empower all, he said. Starting computer education in schools and opening the Tidel Park helped in the State coming to present level in advancement that had led to Chennai emerging as the next gen GCC centre, among other things, he said.

Technology had become the fulcrum of the economy today without remaining a subsidiary activity and moving the State away from its strong traditional service sector to a centre for modern high-technology, innovation and advancement, he said and pointed to its emergence as a hub for development of advanced R&D, AI, fintech and automobile software, he said.

There is no other state like Tamil Nadu that integrated a wide range of technologies like electronics, automobiles, space, textiles and renewable energy with a strong base in AI, automation, database and digital design, Stalin said, adding that ability to merge productivity with digital innovations was gained by the guidance of the DMK government.

Revealing that according to STPI data software was exported from 32 of the 38 districts in the State, he said that it was the data given by the Union Government to those who ask 'what is the Dravidian Model government?'

Attributing the success of the State in the digital front to the efficient human resources in the State, he said that laptops with AI subscription were distributed to college students under the ‘World is in your hands’ scheme to take that achievement to the next level.