Chennai, Sept 17: With the state getting a steady flow of investments, Tamil Nadu Chief Minister M Karunanidhi today said his government was committed to providing world class infrastructure to support the growth of industry in general and the information and communication technology (ICT) industry in particular.
Inaugurating the seventh edition of CII’s ICT event ‘Connect 2007’, he said skill development was a priority area for the government and called upon the CII to partner with the state government for creating a model of inclusive development where access to jobs would not be the preserve of a few privileged institutions of those belonging to the elite groups but would be open to all.
“I am acutely conscious that the human resources of the state have to be further strengthened. On my initiative, the Union government is setting up an Indian Institute of Information Technology for Design and Manufacturing near Chennai. I have also requested the Centre to set up an additional IIT at Madurai, IISER at Tiruchirappalli and an IIM at Coimbatore,” he said.
The government had taken special steps to strengthen the system of technical education in the state, he added.
“Actions speak louder than words. Our actions so far have clearly demonstrated our will to forge ahead. The results so far have been extremely satisfying, but we are not content to rest on our laurels. Our journey continues and we have miles to go before we can build a Tamil Nadu free from hunger, want, unemployment and inequality," he said.
Karunanidhi said software exports from the state last year had crossed the Rs 20,000 crore mark, an increase of 46 per cent over the previous year. “Adding to the phenomenal growth in software is the rise of the electronics hardware manufacturing sector in the state. This software-hardware combination is unique in the world. This gives me the confidence that we will achieve the goal," he added.
Local Administration Minister M K Stalin in his address said Chennai metropolis was expected to become one of the mega cities in the world with a population of more than 10 million in the next 10 years.
“There is a great demand for sustainability of the past developments with the need for improvements and future requirements. We need to go for a balanced, planned development while addressing issues and requirements relating to urban development," he said.
“The impact of such development is to benefit various stakeholders in the society. We have an objective to make Chennai a prime metropolis. The city has to be more liveable, economically vibrant and environmentally sustainable. It has to be a better asset for the future generations," he said.
Stalin said thousands of new habitations were about to come up for fishermen and slum dwellers in the city. “A massive outlay of Rs 45,000 crore is going to be utilised in Chennai to provide infrastructure facilities, augmentation of water supply and sewage system, road connectivity, housing facilities for poor people, etc, in a span of seven years under the Jawaharlal Nehru Urban Renewal Mission Scheme."
He also said that during a recent meeting with Sri Sathya Sai Baba, he had requested the latter’s assistance to modernise and clean the Cooum river. (Agencies)
Sep 17, 2007
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