Startups in Tamil Nadu tripled in two years under DMK govt, says CM Stalin
To take growth beyond big cities, the government had established regional startup hubs in Madurai, Erode, and Tirunelveli in the 2022-23 financial year.
Published: 20th August 2023 08:00 AM | Last Updated: 20th August 2023 02:53 PM | A+A A-
Tamil Nadu CM MK Stalin. (Photo | P Jawahar, EPS)
COIMBATORE: The number of registered startups in Tamil Nadu tripled in two years after the DMK came to power because of the various initiatives taken by the government to bolster their growth, Chief Minister M K Stalin said on Saturday.
Addressing the “Tamil Nadu Startup Thiruvizha 2023” held at the CODISSIA trade fair complex in Coimbatore through a videoconference from Chennai, the CM said the number of registered startups went up from 2,300 in March 2021 to 6,800 in 2023.
“Tamil Nadu should become a leading state in the country in every field including startups. The government has launched several programmes to support the startup ecosystem,” the CM said. Stalin said the state has established a seed fund known as TANSEED (Tamil Nadu Startup Seed Grant) with up to a grant of Rs 10 lakh for each startup, and so far orders sanctioning disbursement of Rs 10 crore to about 109 startups have been issued.
To take growth beyond big cities, the government established regional startup hubs in Madurai, Erode, and Tirunelveli in the 2022-23 financial year. “Currently, efforts are on to establish regional startup hubs in Salem, Hosur, Cuddalore, and Thanjavur,” Stalin said.
To ensure social justice, the state had announced a special grant of Rs 30 crore last year to encourage SC/ST members to launch their own startups, he said. “As the initiative got a good response, this startup fund has been enhanced to Rs 50 crore this year,” the CM said.
“The growth in the sector in the last two years stands as testimony to Minister TM Anbarasan’s hard work. The development of small and micro enterprises is as important as the development of industrial enterprises for investment from multinational companies. The Dravidian model government is concerned about overall industrial growth. Former Chief Minister Karunanidhi improved the industrial structure and infrastructure in Tamil Nadu. Anbarasan requested me to organise a grand startup festival during Kalaignar’s centenary celebration. I insisted that he organise it in Coimbatore as it is the Manchester of South India,” the CM added.
The two-day mega event is being held under the aegis of StartupTN, the state nodal agency for startup and innovation. About 450 exhibition stalls have been set up and the event is expected to attract over 10,000 visitors. Minister for MSMEs TM Anbarasan, industries minister TRB Rajaa, MSME department secretary Arun Roy, Coimbatore collector Kranthi Kumar Pati, Coimbatore mayor Kalpana Anandakumar and commissioner M Prathap took part.
