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Published 07:47 IST, January 9th 2024

Mahindra picks Tamil Nadu for research centre citing efficiency, skilled workforce

Mahindra was speaking as part of 'Tamil Nadu as an Ideal Investment Destination' session during the two-day Global Investors' Meet 2024 in the state.

Reported by: Business Desk
Edited by: Tanmay Tiwary
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Anand Mahindra
Anand Mahindra on Tamil Nadu Global Investors Meet 2024 | Image: X Photo

Long standing relations: The quality of human resources and efficient bureaucracy in Tamil Nadu were the reasons behind the Mahindra Group setting up its research and development centre in the state, according to billionaire businessman and Mahindra Group chairman Anand Mahindra. 

Mahindra was part of “Tamil Nadu as an Ideal Investment Destination” session during the two-day Global Investors' Meet 2024 in the state.

The quality of human capital always matters, Mahindra said.

The Harvard University and Harvard Business School alumnus did his schooling in Tamil Nadu, and said education is ‘literally’ worshipped in the state.

"It became very apparent in school, that the high achievers are not always sportsmen or speakers, but it is about the academics and that is the first memory of Tamil Nadu (I have)," Mahindra said during his address.

Mahindra, in reference to his company’s association with Ford in the mid-1990s, said the officials from the US carmaker encouraged him to look for land near Chennai for setting up a manufacturing facility.

"It is the Americans (officials from Ford Motor Company) who did not know much about India, said we should seriously look at Tamil Nadu because of the quality of human resources and the engineering skills available here. We at Mahindra have always valued that and learned from that," he said.

Acknowledging the presence of Mahindra Group’s head of research and development, Velusamy among the audience, who also hails from Tamil Nadu, he said, “Velu is a story in himself. He schooled entirely in Tamil Nadu and he has risen to become one of the most respected automobile engineers in India and even in the world. Congratulations to you,” he said. 

Mahindra said the company initially had planned to set it up as Mahindra Industrial Park, in reference to the setting up of Mahindra World City near Chennai.

When the company had identified the land, he said the auto-component suppliers had already moved to other locations.

“I was told that I am creating a white elephant and it is better to give the land back to the state government. That was the attitude then. But we pivoted and repositioned Mahindra Industrial Park as Mahindra World City as we strongly believed in the resources here and convinced (Infosys Chairman) Narayanamurthy to set up an office here (at Mahindra World City) and then there was no looking back,” he said.

“All of you know what kind of tenants and what kind of people we have (at Mahindra World City). But they all are here because of the human resource here,” he said.

Mahindra also lauded the "outstanding bureaucracy" of Tamil Nadu towards the end of his speech.

"All our projects were enabled because of the outstanding bureaucracy. Whatever political regimes came and went here, the bureaucracy is simple and outstanding. Very supportive and always with you and stood with us whenever we had teething troubles in our projects," he said.

“The human resource is a brahmastra and Tamil Nadu’s brahmastra is its weapon of empowerment and it is going to ensure that the power of human capital pushes new frontiers and makes the world a better place," he added.

(With PTI Inputs)

Updated 09:11 IST, January 9th 2024