Govt to create 4 mn jobs in four years, says Kerala CM Pinarayi Vijayan

Holding that 'Rebuild Kerala' initiative aims at broadening the welfare schemes for the poor and generating modern job opportunities, Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan on Wednesday said the government plans to create around 40 lakh jobs in the state, besides attracting Rs 10,000 crore worth of investment in four years in the industrial sector alone.

The Chief Minister was speaking while inaugurating the ambitious project of the Department of Industries to create 100,000 Micro, Small and Medium Enterprises (MSMEs) across the state in the next one year. Minister for Industries, Law, and Coir, P Rajeeve presided over the function held here.

Vijayan said though Kerala already has an investment-friendly ecosystem and infrastructure facilities, the government is committed to further reinforce these factors and transform it into a state where development models are fulfilled without any hurdle.

The scheme for MSMEs will be implemented by the Department of Industries in collaboration with other departments and agencies during 2022-23, which will be observed as 'Entrepreneurship Year'.

"Around Rs 120 crore has been allotted for the implementation for the MSME project, which bears the motto "Ente Sambrabham Nadinte Abhimanam (My Venture, Pride of My Country). The government aims to create 3 lakh-5 lakh job opportunities through this project," Vijayan said.

Kerala is set to become a knowledge community and jobs for qualified youngsters should be created in our own state. One of the major visions of the project is to give a fillip to the industrial progress of the state, he added.

In his address, Rajeeve said the government has made extensive preparation for the implementation of the MSME project.

"The activities of the project are not confined to the Department or official-level. Central and State enterprises, research institutes, industry bodies and trade unions should take this as a collective responsibility," Rajeeve added.

Minister for Local Self Government M V Govindan, who released the handbook on the project, said unlike earlier, the officials are now extending total support to entrepreneurs.

Unveiling the logo of the 'Entrepreneurship Year', Minister for Cooperation and Registration V N Vasavan said the government has initiated a project that is going to bring about a holistic change in Kerala society and remarkable progress in job sector.

As the first phase, the scheme will kick off with the one-day workshops, to be conducted in all local self government institutions (LSGs) in April and May, to create awareness among aspiring entrepreneurs. This will be followed by licence/ loan/ subsidy fairs that will be conducted in LSGs for those who are willing to start entrepreneurship. The scheme aims to achieve the target of 100,000 MSMEs between the period April 1, 2022 and March 31, 2023.