CHENNAI: Refuting criticism of DMK president MK Stalin over Chief Minister Edappadi K Palaniswami’s foreign visit and investments being attracted by AIADMK government over the years, Industries Minister MC Sampath on Friday reeled off statistics about the two editions of the Global Investors Meet and status of MoUs signed besides other investments made in the past eight years.
In a hard-hitting statement, he said, “While the opposition in other States welcome foreign visits of CMs for attracting investment, in Tamil Nadu alone, out of political animosity, Stalin has been unleashing malicious propaganda.”
Pointing out quantum of FDI, attracted between September, 2015 and March, 2019, after 2015 GIM, was equal to the FDI that came to Tamil Nadu during the 15 years before the GIM, he said, “What more proof one needs to understand that GIM is a successful initiative?” Of Rs 1.8 lakh crore FDI that came to Tamil Nadu during the past 18 years, 47 per cent (Rs 84,269 crore) came only after the two GIMs were conducted, he said.
According to the Centre for Monitoring Indian Economy (CMIE) data, during the past four years alone, a whopping Rs 1,02,772 crore investments had been made in the private sector alone, Sampath said. Of the 304 MoUs signed during the second edition of GIM, 221 firms have started work on establishing units while 2,783 MSMEs have also begun setting up units, he added.