Keralam to shift from remittance to investment economy, says CM Satheesan

Keralam will be transformed from a remittance-based economy into one driven by investment, Chief Minister V.D. Satheesan has said, outlining a set of policy changes aimed at accelerating the State's economic growth.

Speaking after inaugurating the three-day 'Reimagining Keralam' roundtable conference in the State capital, organised by the Kerala State Industrial Development Corporation (KSIDC) around Keralam's flagship development projects, Mr. Satheesan said the government had prepared several models suited to a changing investment landscape.

Law reforms to clear roadblocks

The Chief Minister said the existing single-window system for approvals had not proved very effective, and that the government was taking up legal reforms across sectors including agriculture, education, revenue and sports. Many of these laws, he said, are outdated and stand in the way of projects and investment proposals. As many as 19 laws will be amended by October, he added.

Mr. Satheesan said Keralam continues to rest on the past glory of the Kerala Model and that steps are needed to break out of this stagnation. A government working in the traditional manner would keep moving at the present pace, he cautioned, but matters would come to a grinding halt at some point in the future. The real test of an administration, he said, lies not in the number of projects announced but in how many are implemented within a fixed timeframe, and in choosing ideas suited to the modern world. He added that the State must recognise its own strengths and weaknesses and pick projects that exploit advantages such as its 600-km coastline.

Global job watchtower planned

The government is also planning to set up a global job watchtower made up of experts drawn from 12 sectors, which will track trends in a rapidly changing global job market and help tailor the State's higher education curriculum accordingly. Noting that the nature of jobs is changing quickly, Mr. Satheesan said students should not be made to study outdated programmes. The curriculum will be restructured on the basis of the experts' inputs and new courses introduced, with the aim of reaching a position where students from outside the State prefer its higher education institutions.

Zoo relocation and city square

The Chief Minister also disclosed a plan to shift the Thiruvananthapuram zoo outside the city limits, either to Neyyar or to areas near forest tracts, and to use the present zoo grounds to develop a city square.

Industries Minister P.K. Kunhalikutty delivered the keynote address at the conference.