Our superwomen make us a superpower, says Tamil Nadu Industries Minister TRB Rajaa

Stating that 50 percent of women workforce in India hail from Tamil Nadu, the state’s Industries Minister TRB Rajaa said that it is a superpower because of “our superwomen”.

“That’s equity. That’s why we are a superpower. Our superwomen make us a superpower. India needs to learn that too. India needs to learn how a state has grown because it’s given enough weightage to women. We are still building on it. We are still making sure that our women are getting more,” he said at the CNBC-TV18 Leadership Collective Chennai Edition.

Highlighting the Magalir Urimai Thittam (women’s basic income scheme) rolled out by Chief Minister MK Stalin, Rajaa said the Rs 1,000 basic income may not be much, but we value that and it gives self-respect to women.

“We value work that women do at home. We recognise that as work. If you are working for the family, you are building the family. And that family that you build works for the nation. It is you who is building the nation, is what our chief minister wants to tell women.”

We are paying Rs 1,000, which is not much but that gives self-respect. That is what Tamil Nadu is all about. That is why Tamil Nadu is a superpower, he said.

For India to become superpower, he said it was not necessary to mimic Tamil Nadu. “You have your own inherent strengths. We built on ours and we are here at the top,” he said.

He stressed that a superpower can be built by educating people and skilling them. Leaders of the Dravidian movement, Periyar, Annadurai, Kalaignar Karunanidhi taught us to build a nation.

A superpower called TN is here. We are leaders in electronics, automotives, automobiles, auto components, textiles. We are leaders in EVs now, with 68% 2-wheeler EVs manufactured in TN. And we are leaders in emerging tech, he said.

He said this was because we concentrated on our roots and on education. “Education is the basis on which this country will become a superpower.”

"We are focusing on skilling our people now. As we build industry, we are ensuring that the supply of brilliant minds that work with the industry, the labor force requirement, is met," says Rajaa. The Naan Mudhalvan scheme, launched by Chief Minister MK Stalin, seeks to inspire every individual to believe that they can be a leader in their own field, fostering a skilled workforce that meets the industry's demands.

In this regard, he said the state has come out with a number of schemes on R&D, Life sciences, EV, wherein experts have worked with the industry to create a balance between what industry needs, what our folks need and what our future generations need, and ensure it is turned into quality high value, high paying jobs, even for rural parts of Tamil Nadu.