CPM in Davos: When a Kerala govt delegation went to World Economic Forum

When Kerala past participated successful the Davos summit, it was 2006 and past Chief Minister Oommen Chandy made presentations connected the advancement the authorities had made connected assorted fronts. This time, Rajeeve led a high-level delegation of elder bureaucrats.

“After a agelong period, Kerala could showcase the state’s imaginable successful the WEF to pull investment. We had 60 one-to-one meetings, isolated from 4 specified events with ministerial delegations. Our information helped to alteration a deep-rooted cognition that Kerala is not investor-friendly. Delegations led by ministers of assorted countries turned up astatine our pavilion for discussions connected investment,’’ Rajeeve said aft returning from Davos.

The curate said the interest of the authorities authorities oregon the delegation was not the discussions and debates astatine the WEF. “Our docket was to showcase the authorities and its immense imaginable successful assorted sectors. We considered the lawsuit arsenic a azygous constituent to conscionable investors from assorted countries. Otherwise, we would person to marque trips to assorted countries,” helium said.

Rajeeve said the delegation did not marque immoderate declaration connected the investments oregon signed MoUs. “We could guarantee the information of much investors and delegations from the countries for the Invest Kerala Global Summit, slated for February 21 and 22 successful Kochi. In the investors’ meeting, the authorities volition item the imaginable of knowledge-based and aesculapian instrumentality industries. Kerala is already a large subordinate successful this assemblage and the authorities accounts for 20% of the manufacture astatine the nationalist level.”

Last year, Kerala topped successful the “ease of doing concern reforms” ranking published by the Union Ministry of Commerce and Industries. The authorities was adjudged the “country leader” successful 2 categories of business-centric reforms and 7 categories of citizen-centric reforms that were considered erstwhile deciding connected the ranking. The business-centric reforms successful which Kerala emerged arsenic the apical performer are facilitating inferior permits for concern and paying taxes. Under the Business Reforms Action Plan, Kerala had moved up from 28th presumption to 15th successful 2023-24.

According to the 2024 Global Startup Ecosystem Report (GSER), released past June by US-based Startup Genome and Global Entrepreneurship Network, Kerala’s startup ecosystem grew 5 times faster than the planetary average. Last year, the Union Ministry of Commerce and Industry declared Kerala arsenic the champion performer successful the 4th variation (2022) of states’ startup ranking.

State Congress vice president V T Balram said Kerala’s information successful specified events should person happened overmuch earlier. “The CPI(M) had stalled economical advancement and concern successful Kerala successful the past. Thus Kerala had mislaid respective opportunities. Now, it is belated wisdom. This is evident successful the CPI(M)’s determination to let overseas universities successful Kerala, which they opposed vehemently successful the past. Of late, the CPI(M) has realised that the enactment has to alteration its basal if Kerala has to determination ahead.”