The Tamil Nadu government has announced setting up of a fintech hub in Coimbatore at ₹400 crore and Chennai and Coimbatore have the potential to emerge as major centres for Global Capability Centres (GCCs) in the fintech space, said S. Vijayakumar, Additional Chief Secretary, Industries, Investment, Promotion and Commerce Department, Tamil Nadu government.

Addressing through video conference, the participants of the second edition of the GCC Coimbatore Summit, organised in Coimbatore city on Friday by the Confederation of Indian Industry (CII), Mr. Vijaykumar said India has 1.9 million professionals employed in more than 1,700 GCCs and Tamil Nadu has almost 460 GCCs. For every direct job generated by a GCC facility, there are three to four indirect jobs. The nature of these GCCs are also transforming to offer end-to-end process ownership, and research and development.

The attrition among GCCs in Tamil Nadu is 6.5%-7.5%, which is one of the lowest in the country. The State has a dedicated GCC policy that encourages investments across the State. Tamil Nadu is also in the process of positioning itself as a quantum-safe State, he said.

According to Manoj Marwah, OCC Market Leader, India EY, the government is looking at developing GCCs into a $600 billion industry in the country as they currently contribute to 3.5% of the GDP. With more than 75 GCCs, Coimbatore is looking at getting 200 plus GCCs. It has the advantage of positioning itself as a plus one destination in the Chennai, Bengaluru and Hyderabad axis. Coimbatore’s strength is in its ability to attract mid management talent. The big brands that have facilities in Coimbatore can also ramp up their existing centres. The city should also capitalise on its applied engineering abilities, he said.

V. Noushad, chairman of the CII Coimbatore zone, said Coimbatore’s journey as a GCC destination has started as global companies are working from here. It build an ecosystem for growing along with the local industries. The city needs to strengthen its infrastructure and workforce to compete for the next generation of GCCs.

The Tamil Nadu government has announced setting up of a fintech hub in Coimbatore at ₹400 crore and Chennai and Coimbatore have the potential to emerge as major centres for Global Capability Centres (GCCs) in the fintech space, said S. Vijayakumar, Additional Chief Secretary, Industries, Investment, Promotion and Commerce Department, Tamil Nadu government.

Addressing through video conference, the participants of the second edition of the GCC Coimbatore Summit, organised in Coimbatore city on Friday by the Confederation of Indian Industry (CII), Mr. Vijaykumar said India has 1.9 million professionals employed in more than 1,700 GCCs and Tamil Nadu has almost 460 GCCs. For every direct job generated by a GCC facility, there are three to four indirect jobs. The nature of these GCCs are also transforming to offer end-to-end process ownership, and research and development.

The attrition among GCCs in Tamil Nadu is 6.5%-7.5%, which is one of the lowest in the country. The State has a dedicated GCC policy that encourages investments across the State. Tamil Nadu is also in the process of positioning itself as a quantum-safe State, he said.

According to Manoj Marwah, OCC Market Leader, India EY, the government is looking at developing GCCs into a $600 billion industry in the country as they currently contribute to 3.5% of the GDP. With more than 75 GCCs, Coimbatore is looking at getting 200 plus GCCs. It has the advantage of positioning itself as a plus one destination in the Chennai, Bengaluru and Hyderabad axis. Coimbatore’s strength is in its ability to attract mid management talent. The big brands that have facilities in Coimbatore can also ramp up their existing centres. The city should also capitalise on its applied engineering abilities, he said.

V. Noushad, chairman of the CII Coimbatore zone, said Coimbatore’s journey as a GCC destination has started as global companies are working from here. It build an ecosystem for growing along with the local industries. The city needs to strengthen its infrastructure and workforce to compete for the next generation of GCCs.

Coconut farmers in Coimbatore-Tiruppur belt are hopeful of remunerative prices for their produce during the festival season ahead.

Besides Coimbatore, Tiruppur and Erode in the Western region, the tree crop is extensively cultivated in Thanjavur, Dindigul, Theni and Kanniyakumari districts.

Based on an analysis of 25 years of price data of copra in the Anaimalai market, the Tamil Nadu Agricultural University (TNAU) has predicted the price of good quality copra to be around ₹145 to ₹150 per kg during October.

Inputs from trade sources were also utilised by TNAU’s Domestic and Export Market Intelligence Cell (DEMIC) to predict the prices, factoring in the demand situation during the ensuing festival occasions.

The TNAU has offered to provide Marketing guidance through DEMIC, attached to the Centre for Agricultural and Rural Development Studies (Phone: 0422-2431405, Mail id: tndemic@gmail.com).

On Tuesday (September 22, 2026), the price of coconut hovered between ₹4,800 and ₹5,000 per quintal. Price of milling copra, as per data of Coconut Development Board, ruled at ₹16,200 per quintal.

Australian company Ansell will manufacture some of its premium synthetic gloves for its key global markets at its plant at Perundurai, near Coimbatore.

Jennifer Ross Murphy, Chief Medical Business Officer at Ansell, told The Hindu recently that the investments (of over $60 million) are strategic and focused. “This is the largest investment by Ansell in a greenfield project,” she said.

The plant will make gloves to supply to markets such as the U.S. and the U.K.

The company has commissioned one production line and has started supplying gloves to the Indian market. It has installed, in total, three production lines, and testing is under way at the other two production lines with a focus on synthetic products. The production will be ramped up gradually.

The company also has production facilities in Malaysia and Sri Lanka, she added. “We will start supplying to the key markets from the Perundurai plant by the end of this calendar year,” she said. The raw material supply for these products come from Ansell’s global suppliers.

Providing employment to about 500 people now, the plant recycles and reuses water, and 95% of its energy consumption comes from renewable sources, she said.

In Coimbatore, one of the main MSME clusters in the country, price of copper has shot up by almost 75% in the past one year. One kg of copper now costs ₹1,450 as against ₹800-₹900 a kg last year.

The prices had touched ₹1,500 a kg earlier in the year and softened only recently.

With MSMEs in Coimbatore manufacturing automobile components, electric vehicles, pumps, renewable energy components, electronic parts, and so on, the high price of copper is eroding the competitiveness of the engineering industries.

The U.S. and China are the major consumers of copper globally, and India imports almost all its requirements. In the recent months, use of recycled copper is on the rise because of the prices, said industry sources here.

V. Rangaswamy, president of the Coimbatore District Small Industries Association, said if the price hike was less than 10%, the units would have absorbed it fully. With over 60% increase, however, the MSMEs were able to pass on [to the customers] just 10%-15% of the rise in copper prices. Along with it, prices of steel and zinc have also gone up.

“MSMEs fix the pries once in a year or once in two years. Hence, they are unable to pass on the hike fully to the customers. Further, it is not just the price of copper. Cost of all petroleum-based products have also seen a hike. These have eroded the competitiveness of the MSMEs,” he said.

Schemes such as raw material banks were not helpful in these situations as copper was precious and could not be stored in bulk, he added. “Copper is like gold now. Even if a small quantity is lost, the MSMEs will stand to lose,” he said.

Jayakumar Ramadas of Mahendra Pumps said use of copper coated wires is becoming common in many pumpsets manufacturing units. “We tell our customers whether the wires used are copper or copper coated and have priced the pumps accordingly,” he said. According to him technology will evolve gradually around use of copper-coated products for industrial use.

In Coimbatore, one of the main MSME clusters in the country, price of copper has shot up by almost 75% in the past one year. One kg of copper now costs ₹1,450 as against ₹800-₹900 a kg last year.

The prices had touched ₹1,500 a kg earlier in the year and softened only recently.

With MSMEs in Coimbatore manufacturing automobile components, electric vehicles, pumps, renewable energy components, electronic parts, and so on, the high price of copper is eroding the competitiveness of the engineering industries.

The U.S. and China are the major consumers of copper globally, and India imports almost all its requirements. In the recent months, use of recycled copper is on the rise because of the prices, said industry sources here.

V. Rangaswamy, president of the Coimbatore District Small Industries Association, said if the price hike was less than 10%, the units would have absorbed it fully. With over 60% increase, however, the MSMEs were able to pass on [to the customers] just 10%-15% of the rise in copper prices. Along with it, prices of steel and zinc have also gone up.

“MSMEs fix the pries once in a year or once in two years. Hence, they are unable to pass on the hike fully to the customers. Further, it is not just the price of copper. Cost of all petroleum-based products have also seen a hike. These have eroded the competitiveness of the MSMEs,” he said.

Schemes such as raw material banks were not helpful in these situations as copper was precious and could not be stored in bulk, he added. “Copper is like gold now. Even if a small quantity is lost, the MSMEs will stand to lose,” he said.

Jayakumar Ramadas of Mahendra Pumps said use of copper coated wires is becoming common in many pumpsets manufacturing units. “We tell our customers whether the wires used are copper or copper coated and have priced the pumps accordingly,” he said. According to him technology will evolve gradually around use of copper-coated products for industrial use.

The foundry industry in Coimbatore saw 20 % growth in the last one year with robust orders, said Jayakumar Ramdass, chairman – Inter Foundry and Inter Diecast event and Managing Director of Mahendra Pumps, Foundry Division.

The foundry industry in Coimbatore is doing well, as orders have picked up across sectors, from auto and farm equipment to general engineering. Of the 15 million tonnes of annual casting production in the country, 1.5 million tonnes is manufactured in Coimbatore and it is worth almost ₹ 25,000 crore. Castings worth ₹10,000 crore is exported from here every year. “We need to increase Coimbatore’s share in the global market,” he told The Hindu on Tuesday.

Almost 65 % of castings sold out of Coimbatore are machined and hence value addition is also on the rise. Most of the foundries are operating at more than 90 % capacity and at present, demand is higher than supply. However, one of the main challenges for the industry is availability of skilled manpower. Hence, foundries are investing in automation, new technologies, and digital tools to increase productivity and meet the global standards, Mr. Ramdass said.

The third edition of the exhibition for ferrous and non-ferrous foundry industry – Inter Foundry and Inter DieCast – with 315 exhibitors this year will showcase latest technologies, use of AI, and new equipment.

Organised by the Foundries Development Foundation (FDF) and VA Exhibitions at the CODISSIA Trade Fair Complex from September 10 to 12, the event will have 23 exhibitors from China, five from Germany, and four from Italy apart from participants from across the country. It is expected to attract more than 10,000 visitors.

The three-day expo will have a new concurrent event called “Cast Zone” where 25 FDF members will display castings they make. This segment is open only for registered buyers and it has, so far, 60 overseas buyers confirming their visit, Mr. Ramdass added.

Conferences will be organised on strengthening the Indian foundry sector as a global supply base for ferrous and non-ferrous castings and transition in foundry businesses: succession, scaling up and compliance. There will be a panel discussion on magnesium die casting, said a press release from the organisers.

A nine-year-old boy died of suffocation after getting locked in a car that was parked in front of his house at Pethikuttai near Sirumugai in Coimbatore district on Saturday (August 8, 2026).

The police said that V. Mukund, son of Velumani and Sumathi from Pethikuttai, died while playing inside the car.

According to the police, a teacher from Pollachi, who works at Sirumugai, used to park his car in front of the house of Mr. Velumani while going to his home town on holidays. The teacher parked the car in front of the house on Friday (August 7, 2026) and left the key with Mr. Velumani.

The teacher returned around 3.15 p.m. on Saturday and opened the car. He found the boy lying unconscious inside the car. Though the boy was rushed to a hospital, he was declared dead on arrival, said the police.

A police officer said that the boy is suspected to have opened the car using the button on the key fob and got inside the car after 1.30 p.m. on Saturday, after his father left the house. The doors got locked after the boy got inside the car and he did not know how to open them. He died of suffocation, added the officer.

Councillor of Ward 22 in Coimbatore Corporation and DMK north Coimbatore district organiser of the party’s overseas wing, Kovai Babu Selvakumar M., announced that he was quitting the DMK on Saturday, alleging that the party no longer provided space for ordinary workers and young leaders.

In a detailed resignation letter addressed to DMK president M.K. Stalin, Mr. Selvakumar said he and his supporters were leaving the party with immediate effect. He alleged that internal democracy had weakened, appointments had replaced organisational elections, and opportunities within the party were concentrated among a select few.

He alleged that grassroots workers had little role in decision-making and that the party functioned in a highly centralised manner. The councillor also criticised the functioning of the Coimbatore district unit under former Minister for Electricity V. Senthilbalaji, alleging that long-time party workers had been sidelined and that district functionaries had little autonomy.

Mr. Selvakumar further alleged that even elected representatives faced difficulties in carrying out routine public works and claimed that basic civic infrastructure, including roads, drainage, streetlights and drinking water facilities, remained inadequate in several parts of the city.

Stating that he had been involved in educational and social welfare activities before joining the DMK, Mr. Selvakumar said he would continue his public service independently. He added that he would soon announce his future political course after consulting his supporters.