Kerala State Industrial Development Corporation aided only nine Rs. 100 crore-plus projects.

In the last 10 years, the Kerala State Industrial Development Corporation (KSIDC) could only aid in bringing in nine big-ticket (100 crore-plus) investments to the state. The KSIDC admitted this in response to an RTI query by an activist Govindan Nampoothiry. Among the nine projects, the largest investment was by the Kerala GAIL Gas at 2,000 crore, followed by the Kannur International Airport at 1,892 crore, with KSIDC investing 24 and 10 crore, respectively in these projects.

Two projects - a 1,000-crore Integrated IT Park by Malabar Group at Thrissur with the potential to generate 20,000 jobs, and a 295-crore waste to energy plant by GJ Eco Power in Kochi which could generate employment for around 200 people, are still being processed by KSIDC.On Nampoothiry’s RTI query, KSIDC reported in fiscal year (FY) 2009-10 to FY 2018-19, eight of the nine projects envisioned had been given full-sanctions with a combined employment generation for 6,802 people, till date.

Nampoothiry said the sheer inability of the state to attract large investments when compared to states like Telangana, Andhra Pradesh, Maharashtra, Tamil Nadu and Gujarat prompted him to take up the issue. “With an increasing number of NRIs looking to invest and the state earnestly awaiting an economic revival after the devastating floods, the government should take steps to holistically improve the business environment here,” Govindan said.

He said due to frequent hartals and the ability of local-bodies and workers’ collectives to disrupt business ventures had led to home-grown manufacturers leaving the state.

THE NEW INDIAN EXPRESS