Kerala minister P Rajeev's roadshow in Bengaluru to attract investors
BENGALURU: After acquiring 1,710 acres of land for the Kochi-Bengaluru Industrial Corridor (KBIC), an extension of the Chennai-Bengaluru Industrial Corridor (CBIC), the Kerala government is now working to invite companies to start businesses in Karnataka.
The project in the Pudussery-Kannambra region of Palakkad has got environmental clearance and it will be executed in phases once funding from the central government begins.
While interacting with top investors at a roadshow organised by the Kerala State Industrial Development Corporation (KSIDC) in partnership with the Confederation of Indian Industry (CII) in Bengaluru, Kerala’s Minister for Industries, Coir and Law P Rajeev said Kerala, with aspirations of becoming a manufacturing hub, is not looking to attract large manufacturing companies. “We don’t want big polluting industries; they are not suitable for Kerala and its geographical region. Through our ‘New Industrial Policy,’ we have set 22 priority areas and we intend to abide by those,” he said.
He added that Kerala has a highly skilled workforce and can transform into a knowledge-based economy. Speaking about the robust mechanisms for industry-government partnerships, the minister highlighted that 23.79 lakh MSMEs (Micro, Small, and Medium Enterprises) are already present in the state, and noted that Kerala has achieved the distinction of “ease of doing business”.
The event in Bengaluru was part of a series of roadshows planned by the State Industries Department to build momentum for the Global Investors Meet, which is set to be held in Kochi early next year.