Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan will inaugurate a two-day ASCEND 2020 Global Investors Meet in Kochi on Thursday, giving momentum to a series of policies and procedural reforms to improve the ‘ease of doing business’ in Kerala.

Pinarayi Vijayan will also deliver the valedictory address. He will make key announcements at the January 10 function, where Industries Minister EP Jayarajan will make the closing remarks.

The event is organised by the State’s Department of Industries.

Big-ticket projects

Showcasing more than a 100 projects across nine sessions, that include six panel discussions, the January 9-10 event at the Lulu Bolgatty International Convention Centre will seek to invigorate development in sectors like petrochemicals, agro and food-processing, defence, life sciences, aeropolis, tourism and hospitality, ports and harbour, fisheries, infrastructure, mobility development, logistics and electronic hardware.

Of the projects proposed to be taken up based on a feasibility study by professional services MNC KPMG, 18 will be ‘mega’ with an investment of more than ₹100 crore.

Overall, a minimum of 60 big-ticket projects from the Industries Department and 40 from other government departments/agencies will be presented before the prospective investors.

New portal

The State government is also showcasing its upgraded investment portal, which will provide all the details required by investors to set up new ventures in the State.

The Invest Kerala Portal — https://invest.kerala.gov.in — is a single-window facilitator for hassle-free investment promotion launched under its ‘Ease of Doing Business’ initiative.

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