Thiruvananthapuram, March 11 Kerala Industries Minister P Rajeev has claimed that the state has converted investment proposals worth over Rs one lakh crore into actual projects in the last five years.
The proactive policies of the Industries Department have also provided a significant boost to Kerala's transformation into a major global destination for ESG (Environmental, Social, and Governance) and high-tech manufacturing in the next decade, he said.
"Of the total investment mobilized during the period, Rs 27,158.64 crore was received through the 'Year of Enterprise' initiative, Rs 55,365 crore from the Invest Kerala Global Summit (IKGS), and around Rs 15,000 crore through the 'Meet the Investor' Programme," the minister said.
These three initiatives have contributed around Rs 97,858 crore in numerous investment projects, apart from the investments received by industrial parks, Rajeev told reporters here on Tuesday.
Elaborating on the achievements of the Industries Department, Rajeev said that for the first time, Kerala emerged as the top performer in the ease of doing business reforms action plan in the country.
During this period, Kerala also consecutively ranked as the topper among the states in the Niti Aayog's SDG India Index.
The state also implemented various policies, including the Logistics Policy, Export Policy, and the Graphene Policy, over the five years.
"Kerala was the first state to introduce an ESG industrial policy, which proved to be a key factor for the state to successfully showcase its investment possibilities at the World Economic Forum (WEF) in Davos in January this year," he noted.
Rajeev said that at the WEF, the state received investment proposals of Rs 1.18 lakh crore, and the projects are in the implementation stage.
He said that the three editions of the 'Year of Enterprise' initiative have resulted in more than four lakh SMEs in the state.
"The initiative was cited by the American Society for Public Administration as a successful model. Around 4,06,606 new ventures, Rs 27,158.64 crore investments, and 8,66,162 employment opportunities were created as part of the initiative," Rajeev said.