CM Vijay meets with CII team, auto sector, promises govt support for expansion plans

Chennai: Chief minister C Joseph Vijay on Friday held a series of meetings at the Secretariat with industry bodies, automobile manufacturers, Tamilnadu Industrial Development Corporation (TIDCO) and agriculture department officials, focusing on industrial growth, investment expansion, logistics, exports, irrigation and Kuruvai cultivation planning.The first meeting was held with office-bearers of the Confederation of Indian Industry, including southern region chairman P Ravichandran and Tamil Nadu chairman C Devarajan. According to an official release, discussions centred on industrial development, investment promotion, policy support and ease of doing business measures. The consultations then moved to meetings with representatives of Yamaha Motor India, BMW Group and TAFE. Yamaha Motor India Group chairman Jim Aota discussed the company's contribution to Tamil Nadu's automobile manufacturing and export sectors, while BMW Group India managing director Thomas Dose spoke about the company's electric vehicle manufacturing progress and possibilities for expanding operations in the state. TAFE chairman and managing director Mallika Srinivasan discussed industrial growth, employment generation, production capacity and export growth. During the meetings, Vijay promised support for expansion plans and sought continued investments in Tamil Nadu.Later, TIDCO officials, including chairperson Sandhya Venugopal Sharma and managing director Sandeep Nanduri, briefed Vijay on Tamil Nadu being selected as an "exemplar state" in the 2025 LEADS rankings released by the Union govt. Officials also presented the implementation status of key projects handled by TIDCO, including the Parandur airport project, which Vijay opposed during his election campaign.Vijay then held a review meeting with senior officials of the agriculture and water resources departments on kuruvai paddy cultivation and storage levels in major reservoirs.