South Capital: TN’s Playbook of Distrubuted Growth

Aug 22, 2025

TRB Rajaa, Tamil Nadu’s Industries Minister, dives into the state’s ambitious plan to reach a $1 trillion economy. He highlights Tamil Nadu's industrial prowess in textiles and electronics, likening it to the ‘Detroit of Asia.’ The conversation also showcases women's empowerment via women-led MSMEs, which are crucial to innovation. Rajaa discusses sustainable infrastructure and climate resilience efforts, setting Tamil Nadu apart as a global industrial leader. Exciting new opportunities in semiconductors and renewable energy are on the horizon, positioning the state for remarkable growth.

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INSIGHT

Tamil Nadu's Diverse Manufacturing Dominance

Tamil Nadu is a diversified industrial leader with top ranks in GDP contribution, exports, patents, and electronics assembly.
Its strength spans autos, textiles, footwear, SaaS and high-value electronics including iPhone assembly.

INSIGHT

Social Foundations Power Industry

TRB Rajaa credits decades of distributed growth driven by education and large female workforce participation.
He links this social foundation directly to the state's manufacturing and tech advantages.

ADVICE

Train Semiconductor Talent On Fabs

Build local semiconductor skill pipelines by training students hands-on in fabs.
Prepare workforce for global fabs and offer language skills to meet demand from Japan and Germany.

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In this episode of South Capital, the focus is on Tamil Nadu, India's manufacturing powerhouse and one of its most industrialized states. Known as the “Detroit of Asia” for its auto sector and the “Manchester of the South” for its textiles, Tamil Nadu plays a pivotal role in India’s GDP, exports, patents, and electronics manufacturing, including iPhone assembly. Host Dia Rekhi speaks with Tamil Nadu’s Industries Minister TRB Rajaa, who shares the state’s vision of becoming a $1 trillion economy, a goal built on decades of progress in education, manufacturing, IT, textiles, electronics, and renewable energy. He underscores the state’s strengths in women’s empowerment, robust infrastructure, and policy consistency, while highlighting new opportunities in semiconductors, technical textiles, shipbuilding, seafood processing, and offshore wind. Tamil Nadu also hosts India’s largest base of MSMEs, many of them women-led, which drive innovation and strengthen supply chains. Unlike states that compete domestically, Tamil Nadu positions itself against global economies, striving to stand out as a leader in industry, sustainability, and investment. With infrastructure upgrades, climate-resilient planning, and green energy targets set ahead of national goals, Tamil Nadu is firmly establishing itself as a global industrial hub.

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Listen to more of South Capital: South Capital: Andhra Pradesh’s Comeback, South Capital: Kerala Rising, South Capital: Karnataka Grows Beyond Bengaluru & South Capital: Telangana’s Push for Mini-Hyderabads

Check out other interesting episodes from the host like: Tariffs trump trade, Health Hazards in your Grocery Bag, Trump vs Harvard: India Impact, Explaining India’s Record FDI Freefall and much more.

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