'To bring reforms in IT sector, I replaced PTR from finance' : Stalin

CHENNAI: Dismissing all the speculations, Chief Minister M K Stalin on Friday clarified the reason behind the change of portfolio to State Minister Palanivel Thiagarajan.

“As I wanted to bring reforms in the Information Technology department like finance department, I replaced minister Palanivel Thiagarajan (PTR) from finance to IT department,” Stalin said after launching the second ‘UmagineTN 2024’, a prestigious event hosted by the Tamil Nadu government’s Information Technology and Digital Services department at Chennai Trade Centre in Nandambakkam in the city.

Lauding his Cabinet colleague PTR, Stalin said, “As a finance minister for the first two years of my regime, he (PTR) brought many changes and reforms in the department. As I felt that some reforms were needed in the IT sector, I shifted him to IT and he is performing well in the department.”

Recalling the reforms that were implemented in the previous DMK regime-led by his father and DMK patriarch, M Karunanidhi, Stalin said the great leap in the IT sector in Tamil Nadu started during the DMK regime and Karunanidhi was the one who did it a quarter of a century ago.

“Our aim is to make Tamil Nadu a one trillion dollar economy and a Capital of human resources and the development should be reflected in the standard of living of the people and the development of the IT sector is visible. This is the unique feature of the Dravidian Model of governance,” he noted.

Further, Stalin said steps have been taken to implement 5G spectrum across the state and his government has expanded the FibreNet project and more than 751 schemes in 36 sectors have been digitised. and questioned whether it is a digital revolution or not.

Pointing out the schemes announced in the Tamil Nadu Budget, the chief minister said that he is confident that Tamil Nadu will rise as the premier state in India and assured that his government will make Tamil Nadu a state that is the Capital land for information technology sector.

Australia, an innovation partner country for UmagineTN 2024, also has a presence at the two-day event, with Amber Jade Sanderson, Western Australia’s Minister for Health and Mental Health along with a delegation of more than 20 businesses and education organisations from Western Australia.

The Australian government through the Consulate-General Chennai and in partnership with the state of Western Australia highlighted Australia’s strengths in the advanced technology, innovation and education sector at the Australian pavilion in the UmagineTN 2024 conference.

State Minister for MSMEs, TM Anbarasan, MeitY secretary S Krishnan and Consulate-Generals of US, Japan, France, Korea were present during the inaugural ceremony of UmagineTN.