Southern districts, once known as a laggard, seek to shed the bad image

As Tamil Nadu prepares for an electoral battle, its southern districts, once known as a laggard in the development process, are trying to shed the image stuck to them.

Though it is too early to arrive at any conclusion about the lasting beneficial impact of the process, the region is getting much more attention in recent years than in the past. In the last eight months, two important developments took place in Thoothukudi district itself: the establishment of an electric vehicle manufacturing plant by VinFast and the commissioning of the first 660-MW supercritical thermal power plant established by Tamil Nadu Power Generation Corporation.