THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: Reiterating that development is essential for welfare activities, Chief Minister Oommen Chandy has said that one of the first priorities of his government would be to turn Kerala into an investor-friendly state. Overseas investors and non-resident Keralite investors would be given a strong reassurance, said the Chief Minister in his first statement issued after assuming office.
Investment by non-resident Keralites alone would be enough to create a revolution in the development sector of the state, Chandy pointed out in his statement. “More investments would bring in more money for society as well as the government, which would be equitably distributed for the improvement of basic facilities,’’ he said.
The Chief Minister, showing equal concern about the plight of farmers in the state, said that no state could march forward by showing injustice to the farming community. Chandy has promised to come up with imaginative projects for the betterment of the farming sector, just as he promised to make the state investor-friendly.
The Chief Minister also promised that development would never be at the cost of the environment and a scientific balance would be maintained. “A government that will hold the hands of the poor, a government that will enter development activities with caution, a corruption-free government, and a government that will act fast are going to be the hallmarks of the new government,’’ he said. Chandy has also promised to turn Kerala into an education hub, by developing educational institutions of international standards.
The Chief Minister also made a dig at the former government saying that while the students from the state had to spent a lot of money in the neighbouring states, we got bogged down in ideological arguments.
The Chief Minister also said that his government would take up the cudgels against corruption, which, he said, was spreading its vicious tentacles across the country. With co-operation of the people, the Chandy Government expects to wipe out this menace from the state. From the government’s side, Chandy has promised impartial investigations into corruption charges and severe punishment to those found guilty.
A giant leap in the IT sector, improvement in tourism flow, health insurance programme affordable to all and strong measures to control inflation and price rise are the other promises made by Chandy on behalf of the new government.