Keralam to be transformed from remittance economy to investment economy, says CM V.D. Satheesan

Keralam will be transformed from a remittance economy into an investment economy, Chief Minister V.D. Satheesan has said. Inaugurating the three-day ‘Reimagining Keralam’ roundtable conference organised by the Kerala State Industrial Development Corporation (KSIDC) on the State’s flagship development projects, he said that the government has prepared various models suitable for the changing investment landscape to spur the State’s economic growth.

“Though we talk about a single-window system for approvals, this has not been very effective. The government is taking up law reforms in various sectors, including agriculture, education, revenue and sports. Many of these laws are outdated and are a roadblock to taking forward projects and investment proposals.

As many as 19 laws will be amended by October,” he said. Mr.Satheesan said that Keralam is still resting on the “past glory” of the Kerala Model. Steps have to be taken to move forward from this State of stagnancy, he said.

“If the government works in the traditional manner, we will keep on moving forward at this pace, but things will come to a grinding halt somewhere in the future. To prevent that, we have to bring about the necessary changes.

The real test of a government is not the number of projects that it announces, but the number of projects it implements in a time-bound manner. It also has to choose the right ideas suited for a modern world. We should understand our advantages and disadvantages and choose the projects which exploit our advantages, such as the 600-km coastline,” he said.

The State government is also planning to set up a global job watchtower, consisting of experts from 12 sectors, to monitor the trends in the fast-changing global job market and tailor the higher education curriculum in the State according to their inputs.

“The nature of jobs is changing very fast. Students need not study outdated programmes. We will restructure the curriculum as per the inputs of the experts and bring in new courses. We need to reach a level wherein students from outside prefer the higher education institutions in our State,” he said.

Mr. Satheesan also revealed a plan to shift the Thiruvananthapuram zoo outside the city limits to Neyyar or near forest areas, and use the current zoo area to develop a “city square.” Industries Minister P.K. Kunhalikutty delivered the keynote address.