Do you know that Tamil Nadu’s economy was second from the bottom in the 1950s? Today, Tamil Nadu is second from the top and some of its achievements are compared to that of Scandinavian countries. This is a phenomenal transformation story. Tamil Nadu is able to achieve this massive transformation only because it did not take a very narrow view of growth confined to “economy” alone. Tamil Nadu pursued growth in two key dimensions A) Economic Growth B) Social Growth. More importantly Tamil Nadu balanced these two axes without becoming overly capitalistic or overly socialistic. When in doubt, the state always chose the programs that were more human centric.

The state consistently uplifts its citizens by ensuring quality education, health, and economic growth. Tamil Nadu also has the legacy of promoting social justice and equality by implementing new initiatives and progressive projects to achieve socio-economic development. The beauty of Tamil Nadu’s development lies in its inclusivity of marginalised people, irrespective of caste, religion, and gender. More importantly Tamil Nadu excessively and obsessedly implements programs for women upliftment.

This article uses metries from Sustainable Development Goals (SDG) to showcase Tamil Nadu’s growth model.

Poverty

Tamil Nadu took various steps to reduce poverty steadily. As a result of this, Tamil Nadu is now one of the richest states in India. The Multidimensional Poverty Index of NITI Aayog’s 2023 report showed that Tamil Nadu has a poverty rate of 4.9%1, which is more than five times better than India’s national average of 25%.

Zero Hunger

India, despite being the largest food-producing country, faces severe food insecurities. According to the Global Hunger Index (GHI)2 for 2023, India is in the alarming rank of 111 out of 125 countries. When it comes to examining the Indian states in terms of combating hunger, Tamil Nadu performed well compared to other big states. The State Hunger Index (SHI)3-2023 report showed that Tamil Nadu is on a moderate scale with a score of 19.73.

Health

The RBI handbook of statistics on Indian states for 2020 shows that Tamil Nadu stands as the #1 state in terms of low infant mortality rate (IMR)4. The IMR of Tamil Nadu is 13 per 1000 live births, against the national average of 28 per 1000 live births. Tamil Nadu also performed well in terms of achieving low maternal mortality rate (MMR)5 and stands #3 among biggest states in the country with 54 per lakh, against the national average of 97 per lakh. This proves the success of Tamil Nadu healthcare model, which would not possible without the deep penetration of PHCs and mobile healthcare facilities that reach nook and corner of the state.

Education

Tamil Nadu holds a significant place in India’s education sector. In fact, Tamil Nadu is the forerunner. This is because the state strongly believes that education is the key to social upliftment. As per the official report of the Indian Ministry of Education, Tamil Nadu has the highest gross enrolment ratio (GER) of 47%6 against India’s national average of 27%. It is worth mentioning here that the GER of men and women are similar unlike other states. Tamil Nadu has the highest number of institutions (19)7 in the NIRF ranking of the top 100 institutions in India. Tamil Nadu ranks #1 in medical education with 52258 government medical seats in India. The state also tops the list in number of PhD applicants.

Women’s Upliftment

Mahatma Gandhi once said, “if you educate a woman, you educate an entire family.” Tamil Nadu has always given prime importance to educating and empowering women. As a result of making education inclusive for women, Tamil Nadu women are now achieving big in their careers.

According to the Ministry of Statistics and Programme Implementation, Tamil Nadu has the highest number of women entrepreneurs, at 13.51% in India. Similarly, out of 15.8 lakh women working in the manufacturing sector of India, 6.79 lakh (43%)9 are from Tamil Nadu. It is a matter of great pride to mention that the female workforce in the Tamil Nadu government sector is 52%10, whereas India has an average of 36%. These are well-proven examples of the state’s inclusivity towards women’s upliftment.

Social Equality

Tamil Nadu is the pioneer for India in providing reservations for backward classes and scheduled classes. Tamil Nadu is the first state in India to get an exemption from the 50% reservation cap. Tamil Nadu implemented a 69% reservation in the state, setting an example for other states to follow. Tamil Nadu tops the social progress index and stands #1 among big states. Tamil Nadu, with 63.33%11 is placed in TIER 1, a very high social progress band. The social progress index is calculated based on the metrics of basic human needs, the foundation of well-being (access to basic knowledge, access to information and communication, health and wellness, and environmental quality), and opportunities.

Industry, Innovation and Infrastructure

If agriculture is considered the backbone of a country, then the manufacturing industry is the heart of our country. The engine that runs the economic development of our country. Tamil Nadu tops in the no of patents filed for the year 2021-22 with 5206 patents.

Here is the data on the number of factories in Tamil Nadu. Look at the difference. Tamil Nadu comprises 15.81%12 of the total factories in India. Tamil Nadu stands as the incubator for startups in India. The tremendous growth of Tamil Nadu is achieved through its great infrastructure. According to the data from the Ministry of Statistics and Programme Implementation, 96%13 of Tamil Nadu households have access to television, newspapers, radio, and the Internet, compared to India’s national average of 77.5%. Similarly, 60%14 of Tamil Nadu households have broadband connections, which is higher than the national average of 41.8%. Tamil Nadu has the highest number of ATMs in India, which is 29,84915, and the highest number of telephones per 100 persons, which is 104 telephones.

Economic Growth

Is there a better metric than GDP to measure the economic growth of the state?!

Tamil Nadu Gross State Domestic Product (GSDP) grew at 8.19%16 for the financial year 2022–23, which is actually faster than India’s GDP growth of 7.92% in the same period. Tamil Nadu GDP for FY 2022–23 is Rs.23.617 lakh crore, making it the 2nd largest economy in India. As of 2023, India has 27218 operational Special Economic Zones (SEZs) with a combined employment of 2.8 million people. Out of this, Tamil Nadu alone has 50 operational SEZs. Tamil Nadu ranked #119 in the Export Preparedness Index with a score of 80.89 out 100. The Export Preparedness Index evaluates the performance of the States based on four parameters: policy, business ecosystem, export ecosystem, and export performance. The index uses 56 indicators that holistically capture the export preparedness of states and UTs in terms of exports at both the state and district- levels.

Environment

Tamil Nadu Green Climate Company (Tamil NaduGCC)—will implement the State Climate Action Plan. Tamil Nadu is the first state to launch its own climate change mission. It launched the Green Tamil Nadu Mission and the Tamil Nadu Wetlands Mission in 2022.

When it comes to transforming non-renewable energy into green energy, Tamil Nadu holds second place in storing renewable power, with a total capacity of 16 MW20 of renewable power. Similarly, the wind energy capacity of Tamil Nadu is 10 MW. Tamil Nadu has high potential to top the list among Indian states in both renewable and wind energy.

Peace and Justice

No economic growth or social growth is possible without peace, justice and happiness among citizens. Tamil Nadu got the overall rank #221 in the India Justice Report (IJR) report and Ranked #1 in the Judicial and Prison Rankings. The IJR is an initiative of Tata Trusts in collaboration with the Centre for Social Justice, Common Cause, and Commonwealth Human Rights Initiative, among others. It assesses the performance of States in terms of justice delivery by considering several parameters, such as police, judiciary, prisons, and legal aid, to assess the overall performance of each state.

Another key metric that serves as a good reference for peace and justice is crimes related to oppressed and marginalised communities, especially among the SC and ST. Tamil Nadu does exceedingly well in this. Crimes against SC is 9.5%22 in TN whereas the India figure is at a whopping 25.3%. For Crimes against ST, TN is at 4.9% performing close to two times better than the India average of 8.4%.

Tamil Nadu ranks #5 in the happiness index. According to the 2022 Happiness Survey report23 conducted by HR firm HappyPlus Consulting, Tamil Nadu scores the highest in freedom to make life choices index at 97.6%.

Overall, from poverty alleviation to excelling in modern technologies, Tamil Nadu holds a remarkable picture of progress and solidifies its position as the biggest contributor to India’s growth. Tamil Nadu presents a proven model for other states to achieve sustainable development with futuristic goals, social responsibility, and inclusive socio-economic growth.

Source Reference

1. Multidimensional Poverty Index of NITI Aayog’s 2023 Education of children of those who died abroad

2. Global Hunger Index

3. State Hunger Index

4. RBI handbook of statistics on Indian states for 2020

5. RBI handbook of statistics on Indian states for 2020

6. All India Survey on Higher Education (AISHE)

7. NIRF ranking, 2023

8. Union Ministry of Health and Family welfare

9. Annual Survey of Industries 2019-2020

10. National Sample Survey 2020-2021

11. Economic Advisory Council to the Prime Minister

12. Annual Survey of Industries (ASI) 2021-22

13. Ministry of Statistics and Programme implementation

14. Ministry of Statistics and Programme implementation

15. Ministry of Statistics and Programme implementation

16. RBI handbook of statistics on Indian states

17. RBI handbook of statistics on Indian states

18. Annual report 2022-2023, Ministry of Commerce

19. NITI AAYOG

20. Union Ministry of Power

21. India Justice Report

22. NCRB report

23. Happiness survey report