“Feasibility study and project preparation for the Chennai-Kanyakumari Industrial Corridor (CKIC) project are already been completed. We have set a deadline for the commencement of the project and work will begin shortly,” said M C Sampath, Minister for Industries, Government of Tamil Nadu.

He was addressing the media on the sidelines of the 7th edition of International Brand Summit organised by the Confederation of Indian Industries (CII) here on Friday.

“It's a joint venture with Tamil Nadu Industrial Development Corporation (TIDCO). Once completed, the project will benefit 23 districts and will significantly contribute to the State's economy,” the Sampath said.

He also added that the state government has already identified hubs in places like Kanyakumari, Theni and Tuticorin to set up heavy industries, IT parks, small scale industries, tourist attractions and educational institutions and develop these hubs across the industrial corridor.

The ₹6,448 crore CKIC project is funded by the Asian Development Bank (ADB) and the state government in 70-30 ratio. According to a Comprehensive Development Plan prepared by ADB, the project will generate more than 4.7 million additional jobs driven by annual manufacturing output of $222 billion and the 23 districts it covers 64 per cent of State’s area and 70 per cent of total population.

The project has six nodes and the phase I will have Madurai-Virudhunagar-Dindigul-Theni and Thoothukudi-Tirunelveli nodes with an investment of around ₹91,000 crore.

The minister also added that the Chief Minister's recent visit with a delegation of ministers to the United States (US), United Kingdom (UK) and the United Arab Emirates (UAE) was a grand success and will help to attract more investments to the state.

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