Tamil Nadu Chief Minister M K Stalin laid the foundation stone for a manufacturing unit of Taiwanese footwear major Dean Shoes at the SIPCOT Park in Jayankondam.

The first ever company in the industrial park is being set up at an investment of Rs 1,000 crore and aims to generate 15,000 jobs.

The CM also launched the second phase of ‘Ootachathai Uruthi Sei’ — a nutrition programme for babies and mothers — carrying an allocation of Rs 22 crore, at the anganwadi centre in Varanavasi the same day.

Later, Stalin participated in a government event at Kollapuram where he inaugurated 507 projects, completed at a cost of Rs 87.94 crore, in Ariyalur and Perambalur. He laid the foundation for 53 projects coming up in both the districts at a total cost of Rs 120 crore. Stalin also distributed welfare assistance to the tune of Rs 174 crore to 21,862 beneficiaries from both the districts.

Addressing the gathering, Stalin said, “In the three-and-a-half year rule of the DMK, we signed MoUs to bring in investments worth Rs 10 lakh crore which would generate 31 lakh jobs. We are making all arrangements for the firms to set themselves up at the earliest.”