Kerala Industries Minister P.Rajeeve has downplayed the charge of his Karnataka counterpart MB Patil on wooing IT firms to relocate to Kerala in the wake of the persistent water crisis in Bangalore.

Rajeeve told reporters that the initiatives from the government side are all part of aggressive strategies adopted to showcase Kerala as an ideal destination and to woo investors. There is no need to worry over the marketing strategies adopted in this regard.

Patil’s criticism

Patil in the social media platform X had stated that “Kerala’s efforts to attract Bengaluru businesses during our water scarcity feel contrary to the spirit of federal unity we cherish. Such actions not only challenge the foundation of interstate cooperation but also overlook the importance of tackling shared challenges collaboratively.”

Referring to Patil’s criticism challenging the spirit of federal unity, Rajeeve said there was not much noise when some states sent flights to companies to start business there.

Highlights Kerala

According to Rajeeve, Kerala, as part of the strategy to attract investments, has highlighted the presence of 44 rivers which would help avoid a water crisis like that the one which the Bangalore is facing today. Moreover, the State IT department is in regular contact with firms in Bangalore to start offices, considering the good connectivity offered across unlike other states where the investments are restricted to some cities, he added.

Besides, the presence of good air quality in the State has placed it ahead of Tamil Nadu and Gujarat in the employability index in the India Employment Report by ILO, he said.

Quoting the Industrial policy, Rajeeve said Kerala has identified 22 priority sectors and come up with special schemes to attract investments with the objective to offer more jobs.

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