THIRUVANATHAPURAM: The Grand Kerala Shopping Festival got off to a colourful start with a variety of entertainment and cultural programmes at the Municipal Jawahar Stadium here on Tuesday.
Inaugurating the festival, Finance Minister Thomas Isaac said that the government was planning to make trade a strong force in the development of the state. He said that the planners had overlooked the importance of trade in the development process over the years. The Grand Kerala Shopping festival was designed to turn Kerala into a major shopping destination of the world, he said.
Thomas Isaac said that the government had visualised several schemes for marketing the traditional products of the state. A handloom village would soon come up at Azhikkal in the district here and the visitors to the village would get the opportunity to meet the weavers directly and ask the latter to produce handloom items of their choice. The government has also initiated steps to revive the Weekly fair at Kodungallur, he said.
Home Minister Kodiyeri Balakrishnan presided over function