Tamil Nadu, Kerala to work together to develop industries
CHENNAI: Tamil Nadu and Kerala are building a “collaborative, positive and results-focused” model of cooperation across industry, technology and governance to promote inter-state collaboration on industrial development and governance, said Industries Minister TRB Rajaa after a meeting with his Kerala counterpart P Rajeev on Tuesday.
Rajaa said the initiative took off after a casual conversation over dinner in Delhi on November 11, following a meeting of state industry ministers convened by Union Commerce Minister Piyush Goyal. “Barely two weeks later, we have followed it up with a focused meeting, real proposals and a clear path forward,” he said.
Senior officials of both governments met in Chennai on Monday to scope areas for joint work, ranging from the blue economy to start-ups, tourism and digital governance.
According to people familiar with the discussion, the talks are still exploratory but mark a rare instance of neighbouring southern states framing cooperation as an economic strategy rather than a political gesture.
Rajeev said the two states had identified more than five sectors - including public-sector undertakings - where formal collaboration could be pursued. Technology, start-ups, innovation and advanced manufacturing were highlighted as immediate areas of shared interest.