The target set by the State government to open one lakh new industrial ventures in Kerala during the 2022-23 financial year has already been achieved by creating 2.3 lakh new employment opportunities, Industries Minister P. Rajeeve has said. He was speaking after laying the foundation stone for the ₹7.5 crore Kuttiyadi coconut park project at Manimala here on Saturday.
He said the target was achieved in just eight months and the total number of new ventures opened during the period reached 1.8 lakh. “About 16 grama panchayats have also achieved the 100% target by facilitating new industrial ventures based on the local targets fixed by the government,” he added.
“It is a proud moment for Kerala as about 35,000 new entrepreneurs who head these ventures are women. Of the newly launched units, about 19,000 are food-based projects,” said Mr. Rajeeve. He also pointed out that many of the educated women who stay back as housewives should explore the newer opportunities in the sector and harvest the benefit of their education.
According to the Minister, the State was witnessing a people’s revolution in boosting the number of industrial ventures in the micro small and medium sectors sourcing the unexplored human resources and industry friendly ambiance. “There were financial years when the number of newer industrial ventures was just 10,000 in the State. Now we have a system in place where the interns deployed by the government go in search of potential entrepreneurs,” he pointed.
Referring to the upcoming coconut park project that was delayed for over 10 years, Mr. Rajeeve said the government would be committed to complete it by 2024. “The project implementation was delayed due to some legal issues. Now, the detailed project report is ready to start the tendering procedures,” he clarified.
Lauding the high quality and demand of Kuttiyadi coconuts, the Minister said the upcoming park would be an asset to explore the product diversification and marketing possibilities. “Even coconut-based companies from Tamil Nadu are keen to procure the Kuttiyadi variety of coconut for the production of value-added products,” he pointed out.
K.P. Kunhammad Kutty, MLA, presided over the foundation stone lying ceremony. People’s representatives, industrialists and heads of various local bodies were present at the event.