Kerala an investment destination, investors will not face red tapism: CM Pinarayi Vijayan

Kochi, Feb 21 (PTI) The Kerala government has ensured that no investor will have to face cobwebs of procedural delays and red tapism, Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan said on Friday as he sought to attract investments at the global investor summit where Adani Group announced it will invest Rs 30,000 crore in the state in the next five years.

Inaugurating the two-day Invest Kerala Global Summit that will see around 3,000 participants, Vijayan asserted that the Left Democratic Front (LDF) government takes criticism in its stride and tries to understand what remains to be done to make the state an investment destination.

Union ministers Piyush Goyal and Nitin Gadkari highlighted the growth potential of Kerala and emphasised that the Centre will support the state and sought investments for the state.

There have been differences between the ruling LDF and the Centre led by the BJP over various issues.

"We have ensured that no investor coming to Kerala will have to face the cobweb of procedural delays and meet the barriers of red tape. We have made major strides in simplifying procedures as regards investments," Vijayan said.

Adani Ports & SEZ Ltd Managing Director Karan Adani said Kerala has emerged as a leader in ease of doing business and a global startup hub as he announced the group will invest Rs 30,000 crore in various projects in the state in the next five years.

The group is developing the Vizhinjam port and operating the airport at Thiruvananthapuram, will be developing a logistics and e-commerce hub as well as expanding its cement manufacturing capacity in Kerala.

Union Road Transport and Highways Minister Gadkari said new road projects worth Rs 50,000 crore will be taken up in Kerala and that projects to the tune of Rs 3 lakh crore will be completed in the state during the current regime at the Centre.

The Centre is working in tandem with all states to make India a USD 30-35 trillion economy by 2047, Union Commerce and Industry Minister Piyush Goyal said and urged investors to make investments in Kerala and other parts of the country.

Amid criticism in certain quarters about the government, the chief minister said Kerala is a society which has a high level of debating and levelling of criticisms.

"One can at times feel that no progress is recognised by the critics. When criticism itself becomes the end and not the means to achieve the end of improvement, it ceases to be constructive," he said.

The state aims to have 15,000 startups and create 1 lakh employment opportunities by 2026, Vijayan said and stressed that the state has made major strides in the startup sector.

".... For making Kerala an investment destination, the government of Kerala shall strain every nerve and leave no stone unturned. We have an end to end approach with a holistic perspective to implement our plan not incrementally but substantially," the chief minister said.

Minister of State for Skill Development and Entrepreneurship Jayant Chaudhary, UAE Minister of Economy Abdulla Bin Touq Al Marri, Bahrain Minister of Industry and Commerce Abdulla bin Adel Fakhro, Kerala Industries Minister P Rajeeve, Lulu Group's M A Yousuf Ali, industry body CII's President Sanjiv Puri and Leader of Opposition in Kerala Assembly V D Satheeshan were among those present at the inaugural session. PTI RAM ARM HVA

Source: PTI