KOCHI: Kerala is attracting some big names. So, has the investor-unfriendly image that the state has carried for many years finally been erased? In a candid talk with The New Indian Express (TNIE), Dr. Krishna Ella, Executive Chairman of Bharat Biotech, who played a pivotal role in the development of Covaxin, spoke on the sidelines of the groundbreaking ceremony of RCC Nutrafill Pvt Ltd’s Rs 100 crore facility at Angamaly in Ernakulam recently. He said, “It is the Malayalees who are giving their own state bad PR!”
Q: You chose to set up this latest facility in Kerala. You said that nearly all Malayalees with whom you had come in contact cautioned you against such a move. Why?
The state government was very proactive. The people here are highly intellectual and have the habit of engaging in debates. They debate on everything. Malayalees are exposed to international media and have high expectations. They expect their state to be like the US and Germany. However, all those expectations can’t be met. However, if you examine a given situation, I think the state is doing very well. I conducted all the formalities and procedures associated with setting up this facility over the phone. The state government has become more proactive when it comes to attracting investments. This is one of the best places to set up an industry. However, the perception about the state needs to change.
Q: So you are saying that the perception is bad?
Yes. See, for example, the perception about Bangalore is good. But the infrastructure is bad. (Laughs) Here, the situation is the reverse. The infrastructure facilities are good, but when it comes to perception, it is bad. The government system is working properly here. As for why Malayalees, especially NRIs, think negatively of coming back to the state? They are so adjusted to the lifestyle in Dubai, the US, or European countries that they can’t think of coming back to Kerala.
Q: When it comes to entrepreneurship, how do Malayalees fare compared to other states? What might be the reason?
Malayalees are afraid to take risks. They find comfort in their well-cushioned jobs. They got used to their lives in Dubai or Bangalore. They need to break that barrier. Opportunities galore in India. However, they need to find a niche. If they have a will. Look at me. I started as a startup. I hail from an agricultural family. Nobody in my family had ever done business. All I had was my skill set. And this skill set helped me to get into the vaccine field. So anybody with a good skill set can start a startup.
Q: But what about the brain drain that has become a hot topic of discussion? Students going abroad for education has been a concern raised by everyone. Why is this happening? Is there a lack of quality in our education system?
Knowledge-wise, our education system is good. But what it lacks is helping the students gain the skill sets needed for them to gain employment or launch a business. For example, a person graduating in catering technology might have knowledge about catering technology. But when it comes to preparing a dish, he might actually not have the skill to do it. Will he be hired as a cook? Knowledge plus a skill set is a bonus when it comes to getting a job or founding a venture. Skill set is crucial.
Q: What about the quality of research works? Do you think the research undertaken by the universities is bringing forth any new solutions to societal problems?
Our research work is still not great. We are trying to mimic the West for the sake of publications. We are only interested in publications. We are interested in how to get ideas from the West, use a slightly different strategy, and then get a paper published.
Q: You developed the Covaxin vaccine. What do you think about developing a vaccine for diseases like Nipah?
Bringing out a vaccine for Nipah on a global scale is not viable. But if the state government approaches us and works with us, I don’t mind using my resources to develop a vaccine. We have a lot of vaccine programmes happening at Bharat Biotech.
Q: However, a lot of anti-vaccine movements are happening not only in the West but also right here. Why? Won’t this cause a problem?
This is the after-effect of the vaccination drive that was imposed in Western countries during the COVID-19 pandemic. People are rebelling against immunisation, citing adverse reactions from the COVID-19 vaccines as a reason.
