The Hindu Business Line : Kerala should be a knowledge hub, says President

The Kerala Chief Minister, Mr V.S. Achuthanandan, presents a memento to the President, Ms Pratibha Patil, at a civic reception hosted in her honour in Thiruvananthapuram on Thursday.

Our Bureau

Thiruvananthapuram, Nov. 1 The President, Ms Pratibha Patil, has called upon Kerala to develop, produce and market knowledge products and become a ‘knowledge hub’ in the region.

Speaking at a civic reception here on Thursday, the President said that the stable education system and high literacy rate have endowed the State with exquisite human resources for further expansion of the services sector, especially the information technology sector.

She said that IT-enabled services sector should be given importance and the large non-resident community from Kerala could be useful partners.

The State should attract investments from them through innovative schemes.

The President said that though the State was on the forefront in women’s education and female literacy, social evils like the dowry system still existed within certain sections of society. “We should determinedly face this challenge”, she said.

Earlier, launching the State Government’s action plan for ‘Clean Kerala Mission’, she said that this timely step would go a long way in maintaining health and to further improve the quality of life of the people of the State.

Wishing the people of the State on the occasion of the ‘Kerala Formation Day’, the President said that since 1956, the State had progressed a great deal and it now occupied a significant position in the sphere of human development, particularly in the fields of education, health and empowerment of women.

She said the achievements in the social sectors should be matched by sustainable economic growth and enhanced productivity. The State had great potential and it should harness its resources and focus on development in sectors such as tourism, knowledge industry, health and exports.

Presiding over the function, the Chief Minister, Mr V.S. Achuthanandan, outlined the various achievements made by his Government.

The President also launched a scholarship scheme for higher education by handing over scholarships to five students of higher secondary and vocational higher secondary schools.

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