Third edition of Tamil Nadu Global Investors Meeting to focus on numbers, high-value jobs: Minister

In an interaction with reporters, Rajaa said the GIM to be held on January 7 and 8, 2024, in Chennai will serve as a platform to 'celebrate knowledge' and provide an opportunity for the state's young population to listen to the 'finest minds' from across the globe.

The third edition of the Tamil Nadu Global Investors Meeting (GIM) to be held next year will not merely focus on "numbers" but also on high-value jobs for youngsters as the state makes a concerted effort to emerge as a knowledge hub, Industries Minister T R B Rajaa said on Thursday. 

In an interaction with reporters after showing them the facilities of three Centres of Excellence (CoE), Rajaa said the GIM to be held on January 7 and 8, 2024 in Chennai will serve as a platform to "celebrate knowledge" and provide an opportunity for the state's young population to listen to the "finest minds" from across the globe. 

 He also said the state was already focussing on providing high-paying jobs for its skilled youth and is taking steps to bring more industries that will focus on design, rather than mere assembling. "We want to focus on providing jobs that our youngsters deserve. Our focus will also be on creating jobs for the highly-skilled people," he said.

Rajaa also said that the state government was in talks with a “big name” in the Global Capacity Centre (GCC) sector, close on the heels of United Parcel Service (UPS) setting up its India Technology Centre in Chennai. However, he refused to disclose the name of the company. 

 Stressing on diversifying the locations of CoEs, Rajaa said the state government will set up such centres in Thanjavur, Madurai, Tirunelveli, or Nagercoil very soon. “If possible, in both Tirunelveli and Nagercoil apart from other two cities,” he added. 

 On the GIM 2024, Rajaa said focus will be on both attracting investments as well as focussing on the knowledge growth. “This GIM will celebrate knowledge, with the best minds in the world coming together. The event will provide a platform for the youngsters to listen to them on where the world is going,” he said. 

 Tamil Nadu currently has three CoEs -- Tamil Nadu Centre of Excellence for Advanced Manufacturing, Tamil Nadu Smart and Advance Manufacturing, and Tamil Nadu Advanced Manufacturing Centre of Excellence. TANCAM has been set up by Tamil Nadu Industrial Development Corporation (TIDCO) in collaboration with Dassault Systèmes at a cost of Rs 212 crore with Rs 182 crore contribution from Dassault Systèmes.

 In the past few months, TANCAM has been actively providing design solutions to about 54 companies, comprising 33 industries and 21 start-ups. Forty two MoUs including agreements with four industry associations have been signed during this period.