CHENNAI: Tamil Nadu has secured investment commitments worth ₹7,020 crore from 26 German companies during the first leg of Chief Minister M.K. Stalin’s ongoing European tour. The agreements are expected to create 15,320 new jobs in the state.
In a letter to his party cadre written en route from Germany to London, the Chief Minister detailed the outcomes of his visit, which aims to attract investments to help Tamil Nadu achieve its goal of a $1 trillion economy. The German leg of the tour, focused on the state of North Rhine-Westphalia (NRW), culminated in a successful investors’ conference in Düsseldorf on September 1.
During the conference and in separate meetings, the Tamil Nadu delegation engaged with top global firms, including automotive giant BMW, EBM-Papst, Knorr-Bremse, and Nordex. Mr. Stalin pitched Tamil Nadu as the “Germany of India,” highlighting the state’s robust industrial infrastructure, skilled workforce, and the government’s role as a proactive partner in industrial growth.
Addressing the value of his direct engagement, Mr. Stalin stated, “Clarity and confidence are established when the Chief Minister of the state comes and explains things directly to the investors.” He added, “I dismiss the criticisms made for political reasons with the back of my hand,” emphasizing that such visits are crucial for Tamil Nadu’s economic progress and employment generation.
Beyond business, the Chief Minister’s itinerary in Germany included significant cultural diplomacy. He visited the renowned Tamil Department library at the University of Cologne, which houses over 40,000 Tamil books and ancient palm-leaf manuscripts. He noted his government’s financial support for the institution and accepted several ancient manuscripts for preservation at the Roja Muthiah Research Library in Tamil Nadu.
The Chief Minister has now traveled to the United Kingdom for the next phase of his tour. His agenda in London includes further investor meetings and a landmark event at the University of Oxford, where he will unveil a portrait of social reformer ‘Thanthai’ Periyar.
