The Hindu Business Line : Kerala: Minister claims Rs 40,000-crore investments in 4 years

THE State Government, striving to paint a rosy picture of the State's industrial scene, has claimed that it has attracted investments worth Rs 40,000 crore since the ruling United Democratic Front (UDF) came to power in 2001.

The State Industry Minister, Mr V.K. Ibrahim Kunju, said here that the last one year had seen a dramatic increase in investments into the State with the announcement of a number of large-scale projects.

Major projects such as LNG terminal by Petronet LNG, Kochi-port based special economic zones (SEZs), petrochemical complex and city gas distribution have either been finalised or at various stages of implementation, Mr Kunju, whose Government will face elections by middle of next year, said. "These investments are at various stages and are not yet complete," the Minister said.

KSIDC clears 129 projects: According to Mr P.H. Kurian, Managing Director of Kerala State Industrial Development Corporation (KSIDC), it had sanctioned 129 projects involving investments worth Rs 1,129 crore in the past four and a half years.

KSIDC also completed 78 projects with an investment of Rs 339 crore since the UDF government came to power.

He said a number of industrial parks are coming up across the State. Some them include an exclusive animation and gaming park in Thiruvananthapuram, a food park at Kakkancherry and Hitech park at Kalamassery.

The animation park, which will be in SEZ, is the first of its kind in India. This park is expected to provide employment to 5,000 artists and IT professionals.

Two other parks - one for printing and another for the marine sector - are also being considered, Mr Kurian said.

Textile park: In the area of textiles, the KINFRA International Apparel Park in Thiruvananthapuram has already attracted companies such as Leela Lace where 1,000 people are employed. Over the next three months, six more units will come up, creating 2,000 jobs.

A textile centre has been set up in Kannur at an investment of Rs 30 crore, which would give jobs to 5,000 people and elevate Kannur to an integrated textile processing destination.

In food processing, companies in Kerala have made rapid strides and achieved an export growth of over 100 per cent. A number of new brands in the ready-to-eat market have also emerged.

Mr Kunju also claimed that traditional sectors such as cashew and handloom also witnessed strong growth.

The Government had taken over the Rs 110 crore liability of the Kerala State Cashew Development Corporation and provided a record 212 days of employment, which is the highest since 1971.

Lacking in FDI: He, however, admitted that Kerala is yet to attract any major foreign direct investment vis-à-vis other States. He cited the instance of Coca-Cola unit in Palakkad, as one instance that affected the image of Kerala abroad.

The Coca-Cola bottling unit in Perumatty panchayat had to shut down after environmentalists and local people blamed it for creating water scarcity in the region.

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