TN is overseas investors' first port of call: TRB Rajaa

CHENNAI: State Industries Minister TRB Rajaa on Thursday said that Tamil Nadu was the first port of call for investors coming to India.

Talking to media persons on the sidelines of a two-day climate change conference here, Rajaa said that investors coming to India knock at the doors of the Dravidian model-ruled Tamil Nadu first.

Asked about the potential investors leaving TN for Karnataka and Andhra, the industries minister said, "It never happens. Only if we let go, it happen. When there is a red category investment or some investment that does not help our people much, we do not show much interest. We make all the best possible efforts. The CM personally has repeatedly intervened and instructed us to fetch investments that would help secure quality jobs for our youths. We choose the projects that would fetch jobs and distribute growth across the State."

Investors from 35 countries to attend GIM

Earlier in the day, he also disclosed that investors from over 35 countries would attend the two-day Global Investors Meet to be organized by the State here from Sunday.

Reacting to a specific query on sustainability and climate change, the minister said that the state government has taken many initiatives and there would be a major push for green energy in GIM-III.

"Whatever happens in GIM, we have kept sustainability in mind. The GIM would offer great success to CM's vision of achieving distributed growth," he added.

On whether the recent earthquakes affecting investors attending the GIM, he admitted to a few companies being affected by the quake in Japan and said that it must not be a problem and even a governor of Japan would be attending the GIM. Asked to quantify the level of investment expected through GIM, he tersely replied, "More than what you expect."