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Kerala has lost several opportunities for growth as roadblocks hindered economic progress, Chief Minister Oommen Chandy has said.
The people of the State need not have gone abroad for jobs if they had opportunities in the State, he said while addressing a seminar on the ‘Future of IT, ITES and Electronics Hubs in Kerala.’
Though the State had many achievements in the health and education sectors, it could not ensure similar growth in other areas.
The State should have been number one in the IT sector across the country. However, Karnataka emerged as the frontrunner with a current IT exports of about Rs 77,000 crore. Kerala’s share is only Rs 3,260 crore, he said.
Kerala, he said, had viewed the computer revolution and Internet growth with suspicion in the initial years. However, efforts should be made not to waste the opportunities emerging in this age of smart phones.
He said that the Startup Village in Kochi could help in providing a platform for the youth to transform themselves from job seekers to job creators. Companies showing interest in start-up initiatives by young entrepreneurs are also growing fast, he said.
State Industries Minister P.K. Kunhalikutty said the government has initiated steps to implement the recommendations made of Sam Pitroda aimed at improving the IT growth across the State.
Later, addressing one of the sessions, P.H. Kurien, Principal Secretary, IT, said the government had taken steps to open IT townships in Kozhikode, Kochi and Thiruvananthapuram. A single-window clearance system will be introduced for timely implementation of these projects.
He said the objective is to open at least 10-15 townships in the State by 2020 to create 50,000 jobs.
Kerala State Industrial Development Corporation is also in the process of setting up a hardware park in Amballur near Kochi in association with other players in the field, T.P.Thomaskutty, its Executive Director, said.
> sajeevkumar.v@thehindu.co.in
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