By Minister highlights shift in industrial landscape
Highlighting the transformative shift in the industrial landscape of Kerala reinforced by the government policies, the Kerala Industries Minister Shri P Rajeeve held more than 30 one-on-one meetings at the World Economic Forum (WEF) in Davos on the first two days of the event, focusing on the state’s investment potential in diverse sectors.
In interactions held at the Invest Kerala Pavilion at WEF, Shri Rajeeve focused on various verticals ranging from high-tech to MSMEs in the state, which now tops the Ease of Doing Business (EoDB) ranking in India.
This is for the first time that Kerala is participating in the India Pavilion, set up by the Government of India at WEF. Other participating states are Andhra Pradesh, Maharashtra, Tamil Nadu, Telangana and Uttar Pradesh.
The Invest Kerala Pavilion featured the state government’s New Industrial Policy (NIP) and a slew of other path-breaking initiatives that have transformed the state into a flourishing industrial destination.
The India Pavilion is set up by Department for Promotion of Industry and Internal Trade, Ministry of Commerce and Industry, Government of India.
Among the industrial leaders and top executives with whom Shri Rajeeve interacted were Shri Bharat Kaushal, MD, Hitachi India; Shri R Dinesh, Executive Chairman, TVS Logistics; Mr. Dolf van den Brink, CEO Heineken, Shri Pradeep Parameswaran, Uber CEO, Mr Hari S Bhartia, Founder and Co-Chairman, Jubilant Bhartia Group, Shri Nilesh Tungar, President of Bharat Forge and CEO of Kalyani Strategic Systems, and Shri Manik Shaw, AVP, Bank of Singapore.
Shri Rajeeve is leading a high-level delegation to WEF, which includes Chief Secretary Smt Sarada Muraleedharan; Additional Chief Secretary (Finance) Dr. A Jayathilak; Department of Industries and Commerce Principal Secretary, Shri A P M Mohammed Hanish; Kerala State Industrial Development Corporation (KSIDC) MD Shri S Harikishore and KSIDC Executive Director Shri Hari Krishnan R.
Leaders of industry, in their meetings with the Minister, showed keen interest in the Invest Kerala Global Summit, scheduled in Kochi on February 21, 22.
“We have had a good round of fruitful meetings at WEF. The business leaders showed great interest in the transformation that the state’s industrial landscape has undergone on the strength of the government’s policies. They also expressed keen interest in the upcoming Invest Kerala Global Summit,” Shri Rajeeve said.
Apart from highlighting the core strengths of the state like availability of highly competent professional talent, worldclass infrastructure and conducive government policies, the Minister told the business leaders that the state placed emphasis on sustainability and inclusiveness.
Shri Rajeeve pointed out that specific segments including IT/ITES, Spacetech, Medical Devices and Healthcare, Maritime infrastructure and Tourism promise attractive investment opportunities.
The state has also made a great leap in the MSME sector and supporting startups and food, spices and marine products processing, which add to the diversity and inclusiveness of Kerala’s growth story.
He stressed that the motto of the state is “responsible industry”, looking for industries that will not harm nature while supporting the people.
The Kerala delegation also attended panel discussions, networking events apart from the one-on-one interactions. CII Kerala Chapter President Vinod Manjila was also present during the one-on-one interactions which were facilitated by CII.
Among other prominent visitors to the Kerala Pavilion was Shri M A Yusuff Ali, Chairman and Managing Director, Lulu Group International.
