9th day phase 3 in vellore, TN leather hub in doldrums. Factories closing due to ADMK apathy #NamakkuNaame https://t.co/Av9Y4ZePMZ

Marking the ninth day of the third phase of his Namakku Naame grassroots campaign in early November 2015, DMK Treasurer M. K. Stalin visited industrial clusters across Vellore district, the historic hub of India's leather export industry. Meeting with factory owners, tannery workers, exporters, and technical artisans, Stalin reviewed the grave economic distress plaguing the sector. He observed that dozens of operational manufacturing units and processing tanneries had been forced to shutter down, leading to massive job losses and a sharp decline in foreign exchange earnings. Stalin placed the blame squarely on the apathy and neglect of the AIADMK government, pointing out its failure to provide adequate electricity supply, financial subsidies, and modernized Common Effluent Treatment Plants required to meet rigorous environmental standards. Industrialists expressed frustration that despite huge revenue contributions, the state offered zero policy support to tackle global market competition. Stalin emphasized that traditional manufacturing sectors were the backbone of regional employment. He pledged that a future DMK regime would implement an integrated leather industry revival package, upgrade industrial effluent infrastructure, and provide institutional credit to restore Vellore's premier global manufacturing standing.