THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: Chief Minister Oommen Chandy and Industries Minister P K Kunhalikutty, along with other ministers and senior officials, will meet top business leaders and overseas diplomats in New Delhi on April 20, signaling the launch of a six-month-long build-up to the forthcoming ‘Emerging Kerala’ to be held at Kochi in September.‘Emerging Kerala,’ the three-day global connect opportunity for business leaders, investors and policymakers offers a platform for two-way discussions and bilateral trade.In the run-up to the mega event, the State Government has lined up a series of interactive sessions, domestic and international road-shows, business meets and conclaves to showcase the state’s investment potential and business-friendly policies.The ministers and officials from Kerala will meet Ambassadors and High Commissioners of over 30 countries as well as representatives of multilateral and bilateral agencies for discussions. Besides several Union Ministers, T K A Nair, advisor to the Prime Minister, and K M Chandrasekhar, former cabinet secretary and vice-chairman of the Kerala State Planning Board, will interact with the diplomats.Emerging Kerala is being organised in partnership with the Confederation of Indian Industry (CII) and the National Association of Software and Services Companies (NASSCOM). The Kerala State Industrial Development Corporation (KSIDC) is the nodal agency for the summit."The goal of this branding exercise is to catalyse growth through enabling policies and to facilitate an environment for investment. We need to highlight the fact that Kerala is a very lucrative, investor-friendly destination,’’ said KSIDC managing director Alkesh Kumar Sharma.Emerging Kerala is intended as a biennial event and this year the emphasis will be on a review of the Kerala’s hugely successful social model to see if it can be adapted to achieve sustainable economic growth.The government has now constituted a state-level committee, headed by the Chief Secretary, to look into each new project and approve special facilitation, incentives and concessions.For large and medium-scale projects, the State Board is expected to issue clearance within 45 days, speeding up the process considerably.Over two dozen sectors will be showcased at the Emerging Kerala summit and among the core ones are IT and IT-enabled services, tourism and medical tourism, food and agro- processing, ports, shipbuilding and logistics, education and infrastructure development.
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