Chennai: Union Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman has said that Tamil Nadu has emerged as one of the biggest beneficiaries of the Production-Linked Incentive (PLI) scheme.
The state has received a significant share of projects in the electronics and automobile sectors.
Speaking at an event organised by the Chennai Citizens’ Forum here, FM Sitharaman dismissed claims that the Central government had ignored Tamil Nadu in terms of funding.
She said that several major projects had been announced and were progressing in different stages across the state.
“Tamil Nadu has been the largest beneficiary under the PLI- scheme in electronics, electronic parts and automobiles,” FM Sitharaman noted.
The Union Minister of Finance and Corporate Affairs highlighted that Tamil Nadu had secured the highest number of approvals under the PLI scheme in electronics, electronic parts, and automobiles.
The Union Minister stated, “Out of the 27 companies that have received approval from the Centre, seven are based out of Tamil Nadu.”
According to FM Sitharaman, nearly 25 per cent of the companies benefiting from the PLI scheme are based in the state.
The Finance Minister also pointed out that Tamil Nadu is home to one of India’s two major electronic parts manufacturing clusters, with the other located in Gujarat.
To support this sector, the Centre has allocated Rs 1,100 crore for setting up the cluster in Tamil Nadu.
Recently, Union Minister for Electronics and Information Technology Ashwini Vaishnaw visited Zetwerk near Chennai and announced that two electronic parts manufacturing clusters worth Rs 1,112 crore would be developed near the city.
FM Sitharaman further stated that Tamil Nadu is the second-largest recipient of PLI incentives for automobile and auto component manufacturing.
“Out of 82 approved applications under this scheme for the automobile sector, 46 are from Tamil Nadu. The state has also secured approvals for four companies under the PLI scheme for advanced chemistry cell battery manufacturing,” FM Sitharaman mentioned.
Additionally, the Centre has sanctioned Rs 7,453 crore through the Viability Gap Funding Scheme for offshore wind energy projects in Tamil Nadu and Gujarat.
“The country’s first Green Hydrogen Hub Port is being planned at Tuticorin with the Centre’s support,” FM Sitharaman continued.
Talking about infrastructure development in the state, she said that around 1,303 kilometres of new railway lines have been added in the state.
(IANS)
