THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: IT exports from Kerala had reached 18,105 crore from 3,000 crore, Industries Minister P K Kunhalikutty said on Tuesday. He said this in the Assembly while replying to questions related to IT and other industries.
The turnout of startup companies as of now was 7.84 crore, he said. Stating that the IT industry was fast developing in the state, Kunhalikutty said that the government expected that the turnover of the various IT industries would go up in the coming years.
On a question related to projects that had come up as part of Emerging Kerala, he said that 12 of the 56 projects envisaged at the summit were nearing completion. The delay in implementing mega projects such as GAIL and High Speed Rail was because of the impediments in acquiring land. He also hoped that land acquisition would become smooth once the Centre Land Acquisition Bill came.
With regard to the Thiruvananthapuram-Kannur high speed rail, he told the Assembly that the DMRC had said that a detailed report would be submitted within three months. He also stated that the DMRC was at present holding a survey as part of the project.
On the Centre funds, Kunhalikutty said that the Centre fund for the renovation of Kochi Refinery of BPCL was 20,000 crore. For the GAIL pipeline, the Central investment was 3,000 crore and for the NIRDESH project at Kozhikode, 200 crore.
Quite apprehensive about the coach factory at Kanjikode, he said that the Centre had at present said that the project could go ahead only if some private investors came forward.
''When the Chief Minister meets the Union Railway Minister during his visit to Delhi this week, the matter will be again taken up,'' he said.
To another question, he said that Kerala topped in the small-scale industrial sector with a growth of 12.3 per cent when compared to other states.