What is the controversy about Guidance losing its way in Tamil Nadu? | Explained

The story so far: Guidance, the nodal agency of the Tamil Nadu government for investment promotion and single-window facilitation, is in the limelight for the wrong reasons. Former Chief Ministers M.K. Stalin and Edappadi K. Palaniswami have accused the Tamilaga Vettri Kazhagam (TVK)-led government of having “immobilised” the body.

Guidance, earlier known as the Tamil Nadu Guidance and Export Promotion Bureau, was established as a non-profit registered society on July 15, 1992, with the objective of attracting investment proposals into Tamil Nadu. It is mandated to span the full spectrum of investment promotion activities, with a focus on generating leads, facilitating projects, and providing post-investment support. The body is expected to catch the emerging market trends and formulate new sectoral policies, strengthen industry-academia collaboration, and engage with trade bodies and multilateral agencies. It hopes to play a crucial role in making the State a $1.5 trillion economy by 2036, a goal of the present government.