EMERGING KERALA
GOVERNMENT WILL HELP IMPROVE KERALA’S INFRASTRUCTURE-- PRIME
MINISTER
Government is committed to
help improve the industrial infrastructure of Kerala and is also considering
setting up an IIT (Indian Institute of Technology) in the state, Prime Minister
Manmohan Singh said today,12th September,2012. 'Government is committed to help improve
industrial infrastructure in Kerala,' Singh said after inaugurating an'Emerging
Kerala' global investor meet here.
'The government is seriously considering setting up an IIT in Kerala,'
he added. IITs are considered as the top-most technology
institutes in the country.The three-day 'Emerging Kerala' meet is aimed at
attracting investments by showcasing the state's potential to global investors.Later in the evening,
Singh will inaugurate the Kerala Kalamandalam Deemed University for Art and
Culture's South
Indian Performing Arts Museum at Thrissur.
Tomorrow, he will lay the foundation stone of the Rs 5,181.79 crore Kochi Metro project, which will cover a lengthof 25.612 km in the first phase. It is being jointly funded by the state and central governments.Various central ministers including Defence Minister A K Antony, Chief Minister Oommen Chandy, other State Ministersbesides CII President Adi Godrej were present on the occasion.Nearly 1900 delegates from 51 countries are participating in the event.The Prime Minister said he hoped the 'Emerging Kerala' meet, organised by Government of Kerala, industry body CII and software industry body NASSCOM, will lead to new partnerships, boosting local employment and production, as well as exports.
He said Kerala attracts lakhs of domestic and international tourists every year and its strength needs to beleveraged optimally to attract investment into the state.'More than 2 million Keralites work outside India, in the Gulf countries and elsewhere. Remittances from Non-resident Keralites contribute significantly to the state's economy.This constitutes more than 22 per cent of the state GDP. 'The contribution of the Non-Resident Keralites can perhaps be said to be the backbone of the economy of Kerala and has been so for the last four decades,' Singh said.He said Non-Resident Keralites are making investments in projects like hotels, hospitals and shopping complexes,thereby helping to create physical and social infrastructure and new employment opportunities.He said an enabling environment was required to facilitate such investments.'Our government is committed to helping and adding to the initiatives of the state government for building an improved industrial infrastructure in the state.
Indian Performing Arts Museum at Thrissur.
Tomorrow, he will lay the foundation stone of the Rs 5,181.79 crore Kochi Metro project, which will cover a lengthof 25.612 km in the first phase. It is being jointly funded by the state and central governments.Various central ministers including Defence Minister A K Antony, Chief Minister Oommen Chandy, other State Ministersbesides CII President Adi Godrej were present on the occasion.Nearly 1900 delegates from 51 countries are participating in the event.The Prime Minister said he hoped the 'Emerging Kerala' meet, organised by Government of Kerala, industry body CII and software industry body NASSCOM, will lead to new partnerships, boosting local employment and production, as well as exports.
He said Kerala attracts lakhs of domestic and international tourists every year and its strength needs to beleveraged optimally to attract investment into the state.'More than 2 million Keralites work outside India, in the Gulf countries and elsewhere. Remittances from Non-resident Keralites contribute significantly to the state's economy.This constitutes more than 22 per cent of the state GDP. 'The contribution of the Non-Resident Keralites can perhaps be said to be the backbone of the economy of Kerala and has been so for the last four decades,' Singh said.He said Non-Resident Keralites are making investments in projects like hotels, hospitals and shopping complexes,thereby helping to create physical and social infrastructure and new employment opportunities.He said an enabling environment was required to facilitate such investments.'Our government is committed to helping and adding to the initiatives of the state government for building an improved industrial infrastructure in the state.
Defence Minister A.K.
Antony Wednesday said debates and controversies should not come in the way of
investments for the development of Kerala.Speaking at the inaugural
session of 'Emerging Kerala 2012' global investor summit here, Anthony said the
need of the hour is to inform the world that the state is investor-friendly and
the event is for the betterment of the state.'The ultimate goal is
speedy development of the state. Debates and controversies should not come in
the way of investments,' he said.Referring to the summit in which 1,893
delegates from 51 countries are participating, Anthony said the global connect
programme is a platform to bring together all the stakeholders.He said
this year's event is much bigger than the global investor meet held in 2003.Stressing
the fact that Kerala ranks high in literacy rates and also on the Human
Development Index, Antony said the common man feels he is safe and secure in
the state.He said Kerala is a getting a foothold in the field of
information technology (IT) and other sectors.
Union Minister for Consumer Affairs, Food and
Public Distribution K.V. Thomas said the state is one of the first in the
country to focus on tourism.Though other states overtook Kerala in the
IT sector, Thomas said Kerala is fast catching up and would outgrow others soon.In
his welcome address, the state's Industries Minister P.K. Kunhalikutty said the
response from business and corporate leaders and delegates from India and
abroad has been overwhelming.'Emerging Kerala-2012 Global Connect is a platform
to make the world know that Kerala is one of the best places to live in and
work from. We believe that once people are convinced about this, investments
will automatically follow,' said Kunhalikutty.According to him, there
are 14 sectors that would be discussed over the next three days and over 1,200
requests for business-to-business (B2B) meetings have been received.Finance
Minister K.M. Mani said the state government would follow investor-friendly
policies and called for private sector participation in transforming the state.Kerala
Governor H.R. Bhardwaj, union Ministers Vayalar Ravi, E. Ahamed, Mulapally
Ramachandran and K.C. Venugopal, deputy chairman of the Planning Commission
Montek Singh Ahluwalia, and several members of parliament and assembly,
diplomats and industrialists were present at the inauguration. "Our
Government is committed to helping and adding to the initiatives of the state
government for building an improved industrial infrastructure in the
State," he said, inaugurating the meet.
Singh said that tomorrow he would will be laying the foundation stone for the Kochi Metro Rail Project for linking Aluva to Petta. "Our Government has approved the project at a cost of over Rs 5100 crore. When this project is completed, it would transform the face of the commercial capital of the State by easing the burden of traffic congestion," he said. Various central ministers including Defence Minister A K Antony, Chief Minister Oommen Chandy, other State Ministers besides CII President Adi Godrej were present on the occasion.
Nearly 1900 delegates from 51 countries are participating in the event. The Prime Minister said he hoped the 'Emerging Kerala' meet, organised by Government of Kerala, industry body CII and software industry body NASSCOM, will lead to new partnerships, boosting local employment and production, as well as exports.
He said Kerala attracts lakhs of domestic and international tourists every year and its strength needs to be leveraged optimally to attract investment into the state. "More than 2 million Keralites work outside India, in the Gulf countries and elsewhere. Remittances from Non-resident Keralites contribute significantly to the state's economy. This constitutes more than 22 per cent of the state GDP. "The contribution of the Non-Resident Keralites can perhaps be said to be the backbone of the economy of Kerala and has been so for the last four decades," Singh said. He said Non-Resident Keralites are making investments in projects like hotels, hospitals and shopping complexes, thereby helping to create physical and social infrastructure and new employment opportunities. Singh said that the UPA government has encouraged and actively supported the efforts of Kerala to grow into a major investment hub and it would continue to do so. "We would like the State to embark on a path of people- focused inclusive and sustainable development, driven by knowledge and innovation, and mindful of the environmental concerns," the Prime Minister said. Speaking on the occasion, Kerala Chief Minister Oommen Chandy said the state has a clear development agenda. "The objective is to achieve inclusive and sustainable economic growth. We want projects that are people oriented, that create employment opportunities and are environment friendly," he added. Making it clear that there would not be any "short cuts" on any critical issues related to proposed investments, he said Kerala government would support and hand-hold as well as provide speedy clearances for projects that are people and environment friendly. To encourage youngsters to be job creators rather than job seekers, Chandy said the government would be "putting in place a landmark student entrepreneurship policy". Addressing the gathering, senior Kerala leader and union minister A K Antony said controversies should not come in the way of the state's economic development and even the opposition's 'reasonable and logical' views would be taken into account to forward the development agenda.
"Now a days, there seems to be an unending debate on all issues. At times, it (such debates) is good and at other times, it is harmful for the interests of the state... Kerala is known for not taking rigid stance on controversial issues," said Antony, who was earlier the chief minister of Kerala. "Debates and controversies should not come in the way of speedy economic development," Antony said. Among others, opposition leader V S Achutanandan kept away from the inaugural function, while some other opposition parties and even some congress MLAs have voiced their dissent to some of the projects being showcased at the event. Antony said more changes in the state's development agenda would be incorporated after detailed and wholesome dialogues. "The present government will accommodate various views, provided they are reasonable and logical," he said. Noting that Kerala is behind many other states in areas like development, Antony said this must change urgently. Kerala's position in the human development index as well as literacy rate are much above the national average. "The main advantage in Kerala is that people can experience safety and security... Kerala is on a path towards rapid growth," the Minister said. The Confederation of Indian Industry (CII) President and Godrej group Chairman Adi Godrej said the industry body will set up a centre for excellence for innovations that will focus on micro, medium and small enterprises in Kerala. "The focus will be on hand holding MSMEs (Micro, Small and Medium Enterprises)," Godrej noted.
Singh said that tomorrow he would will be laying the foundation stone for the Kochi Metro Rail Project for linking Aluva to Petta. "Our Government has approved the project at a cost of over Rs 5100 crore. When this project is completed, it would transform the face of the commercial capital of the State by easing the burden of traffic congestion," he said. Various central ministers including Defence Minister A K Antony, Chief Minister Oommen Chandy, other State Ministers besides CII President Adi Godrej were present on the occasion.
Nearly 1900 delegates from 51 countries are participating in the event. The Prime Minister said he hoped the 'Emerging Kerala' meet, organised by Government of Kerala, industry body CII and software industry body NASSCOM, will lead to new partnerships, boosting local employment and production, as well as exports.
He said Kerala attracts lakhs of domestic and international tourists every year and its strength needs to be leveraged optimally to attract investment into the state. "More than 2 million Keralites work outside India, in the Gulf countries and elsewhere. Remittances from Non-resident Keralites contribute significantly to the state's economy. This constitutes more than 22 per cent of the state GDP. "The contribution of the Non-Resident Keralites can perhaps be said to be the backbone of the economy of Kerala and has been so for the last four decades," Singh said. He said Non-Resident Keralites are making investments in projects like hotels, hospitals and shopping complexes, thereby helping to create physical and social infrastructure and new employment opportunities. Singh said that the UPA government has encouraged and actively supported the efforts of Kerala to grow into a major investment hub and it would continue to do so. "We would like the State to embark on a path of people- focused inclusive and sustainable development, driven by knowledge and innovation, and mindful of the environmental concerns," the Prime Minister said. Speaking on the occasion, Kerala Chief Minister Oommen Chandy said the state has a clear development agenda. "The objective is to achieve inclusive and sustainable economic growth. We want projects that are people oriented, that create employment opportunities and are environment friendly," he added. Making it clear that there would not be any "short cuts" on any critical issues related to proposed investments, he said Kerala government would support and hand-hold as well as provide speedy clearances for projects that are people and environment friendly. To encourage youngsters to be job creators rather than job seekers, Chandy said the government would be "putting in place a landmark student entrepreneurship policy". Addressing the gathering, senior Kerala leader and union minister A K Antony said controversies should not come in the way of the state's economic development and even the opposition's 'reasonable and logical' views would be taken into account to forward the development agenda.
"Now a days, there seems to be an unending debate on all issues. At times, it (such debates) is good and at other times, it is harmful for the interests of the state... Kerala is known for not taking rigid stance on controversial issues," said Antony, who was earlier the chief minister of Kerala. "Debates and controversies should not come in the way of speedy economic development," Antony said. Among others, opposition leader V S Achutanandan kept away from the inaugural function, while some other opposition parties and even some congress MLAs have voiced their dissent to some of the projects being showcased at the event. Antony said more changes in the state's development agenda would be incorporated after detailed and wholesome dialogues. "The present government will accommodate various views, provided they are reasonable and logical," he said. Noting that Kerala is behind many other states in areas like development, Antony said this must change urgently. Kerala's position in the human development index as well as literacy rate are much above the national average. "The main advantage in Kerala is that people can experience safety and security... Kerala is on a path towards rapid growth," the Minister said. The Confederation of Indian Industry (CII) President and Godrej group Chairman Adi Godrej said the industry body will set up a centre for excellence for innovations that will focus on micro, medium and small enterprises in Kerala. "The focus will be on hand holding MSMEs (Micro, Small and Medium Enterprises)," Godrej noted.
Prof. John Kurakar
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