The US is committed to helping the Tamil Nadu Chief Minister, Ms J. Jayalalithaa, realise her development goals for the state, the US Ambassador to India, Ms Nancy J. Powell, has said.

She said that there are “dynamic Indian leaders” at the state-level who are open to engaging with her government.

Addressing the business community here today, she said under the infrastructure development plan (‘Vision Tamil Nadu 2023’), the Chief Minister has set a goal of 11 per cent growth in the gross state domestic product (GSDP) over 10 years to put the state on par with upper middle-income countries in Southeast Asia.

Development priorities

Under this plan, Ms Jayalalithaa has identified development priorities such as sanitation, housing, education and improved infrastructure. “The US is committed to helping Tamil Nadu realise these goals by building on a trade relationship that stretches back for centuries,” Ms Powell said.

Today, Tamil Nadu is home to major American companies in almost every economic sector, which have created hundreds of thousands direct and indirect jobs in the state, she said.

“Moving forward, the US is committed to working with progressive state leaders to reduce the barriers to trade and investment and strengthen mutually beneficial economic relationships between our two countries,” the US envoy said.

Ms Powell said US firms like Ford and Caterpillar have created thousands of new jobs in Tamil Nadu, generating profits and driving economic growth that supported American jobs back home.

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