Kerala plans investment and mfg zone

Kerala will establish a National Investment & Manufacturing Zone (NIMZ) in the Kochi-Palakkad Industrial Corridor region.

Addressing a business meet here on Monday as part of the Emerging Kerala campaign, Kerala industries and IT minister PK Kunhalikutty said to attract investments, the state government was planning some mega infrastructure projects to illustrate various investment opportunities available there.

The manufacturing zone is being established at an estimated total cost of Rs 52,000 crore to promote manufacturing industries, he said, adding, the Rs 2,000-crore supplementary gas infrastructure project envisaged city gas distribution in Kerala, in addition to gas-based small power generation plants.

 

The minister also said a high-speed rail corridor, connecting Thiruvananthapuram to Mangalore, would come up in the first phase at an investment of Rs 45,000 crore. The project when completed will reduce the transit time between the two places to four hours.

In addition to these, projects like the Vizhinjam International Container Transshipment Terminal, Kochi Metro, Kannur International Airport, Life Sciences Park and Electronic Hub were being accorded top priority by the state government. Private sector participation would be encouraged.

The state, he said, had identified certain core sectors for sustainable and eco-friendly development, viz, IT and IT-enabled services; knowledge & education; tourism; healthcare; food and agro processing; ports, etc. “Our aim is to convert Kerala into an entrepreneurial society,” the minister said.