By P. Sreekumaran
THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: Kerala has pulled off yet an astounding achievement by becoming the country’s top start-up friendly State. The State’s start-up system grew by 254 per cent since 2021. This was announced by Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan when he inaugurated ReCode Kerala 2025, the development seminar organized by the Department of Electronics and Information Technology at KINFRA International Convention Centre , Kochi, as part of the State Government’s Vision 2031 initiative.
The State is number one in Asia in terms of affordable talent as per the Global Startup Ecosystem Report and earned the Top Performer status in 2022 National Startup Rankings.
When the Left Democratic Front (LDF) Government assumed power in 2016, there were only 300 startups in the State. A dedicated startup policy, funding mechanisms and a corpus fund saw the number going up to 6,400. Over the last nine and a half years, start-ups in Kerala have attracted investments worth Rs 6,000 crore.
Kerala’s IT exports are now touching the Rs one lakh crore mark, having increased to Rs 90,000 crore from Rs 34, 123 crore in 2016. The built-up IT space has expanded from 155.85 lakh sq. ft. in 2016 to 223 lakh sq. ft. This shows the unprecedented momentum the IT industry has achieved.
What are the factors which speeded up investments in the IT sector? Well, they are : the ongoing National Highway expansion, airport modernization, Vizhinjam port development, the power highway and transgrid projects, which ensured uninterrupted energy supply, the Gail pipeline, and the Statewide connectivity network under the K-FON project.
Topping the slew of measures the Government has taken to promote IT growth are the Private Tech Park Promotion policy, land lease options for projects and incentives on property tax, stamp duty and registration charges.
However, infrastructure alone cannot drive IT growth. It has to be accompanied by the creation of a skilled workforce. Keeping this in mind, the Government is planning to develop 10 lakh skilled professionals to meet the needs of the industry.
As part of the seminar, the Indian Institute of Information Technology and Management-Kerala(IIITM-K) signed memorandums of understanding with various IT companies.
The Vision 2031 document, released by the Kerala Government, lays out a wide-ranging plan of action to transform the State into the country’s premier industrial destination.
Amendments have been made to the Kerala Industrial Single Window Clearance Boards and Industrial Township Area Development Act, 1999 to create industrial ecosystems and enable special township status with exclusive development powers.
The Kerala University for Skill Development and Entrepreneurship will be established in a public private partnership model. It will focus fully on skilling, research and entrepreneurship.
The area around Vizhinjam port is to be changed into a global economic hub through the Outer Area Growth Corridor Project. A transport corridor integration point is coming up at Vembayam, a logistics and manufacturing hub at Kattakada and a connected network at Mangalapuram, Kilimanoor Kallambalam and Nedumangad. The Vizhinjam-Kollam-Punalujr Growth Triangle spanning 1,456 sq. km will be a key component of the economic hub.
The Government also aims to establish 200 Global Capability Centres(GCCs), including 50 by major retail business firms across strategic sectors.
The State has decided to go ahead with the project although the Union Government has withdrawn active support for the Global City Project Kochi.
Among the other plans are the establishment of an aero-defence and drone industrial cluster in Thiruvananthapuram, Kozhikode-Malappuram industrial cluster, a mega food processing park in Kollam, a maritime and marine park in Alappuzha and a medical-biotech hub in Thiruvananthapuram.
Meanwhile, the country’s first-ever designer zoo and Asia’s second largest Zoological Park has been inaugurated by the Chief Minister in Thrissur. It has come up at the scenic forest landscape of Puthur.
The new park is the fulfilment of a long-standing dream – to relocate the century-old Thrissur zoo from its cramped Chembukkavu premises to a vast natural setting. The project, initiated in 2006 under the Achuthanandan Government, was formally transferred to the Forest Department during the tenure of Minister K. B. Ganesh Kumar in the Oommen Chandy Government. The projected gained further momentum with the support of the Kerala Infrastructure Investment Board Fund(KIIFB) along with a clear blueprint and vision for the park.
The plant was built at a cost of Rs 371 crore, which includes Rs 331 crore from KIIFB and Rs 40 crore from the State Plan fund. The park has since received an additional Rs 17 crore for further development.
The zoological park, designed by the world-famous Australian zoo architect, Jon Coe, reimagines the concept of a zoo as a sanctuary of co-existence rather than confinement. It has been created as a zoo without bars. It also replicates natural habitats from across India, offering both humans and animals an immersive wildlife experience.
Animals from the Thrissur zoo have already been shifted to the new facility. Moreover, efforts are on to bring in more species from other Indian States and abroad.
The park will be fully opened to the public after a limited trial run for select visitors is conducted over the next two months. (IPA Service)
