Budget evokes mixed reaction in Kerala

Industry captains in Kerala welcomed the Union finance minister P Chidambaram's budget terming it as forward-looking.

However, some of the proposals seem to have disappointed many.

Rating the budget a decent 8 on a scale of 10, G Vijayaraghavan, CEO, Venture Management Associates and founder-CEO of the Thiruvananthapuram Technopark, said that the focus on the agriculture sector and education was laudable.

"The vocational education will also get a boost with more focus on that front. The IT sector may have complaints though with the proposal to extend MAT. Overall, the budget is forward-looking," he added.

"The proposal to set aside Rs 520 crore for tourism infrastructure is much less than expected," said E M Najeeb, chairman, Air Travel Enterprises.

"The tourism industry has the potential to be a major job generator and the industry here made representations for more allocation for the sector. However, they have been ignored."