For new industries minister P Rajeev, the job at hand is not easy. His aim is to take Kerala from the 28th spot in Ease-of-Doing-Business (EoDB-2019) index to within the top 10 in the country and it begins at a time when the ongoing Kitex debacle is making an impact in the minds of investors who already view Kerala as a graveyard of industries.
Kerala government has implemented K-Swift (online single-window clearance mechanism) and all top officials across departments know this system. But, local-level officers in departments, including LSGD, should be equally wellversed in the new system. This can significantly improve EoDB in state, said chairman of CIIs Kerala State Council Sreenath Vishnu.
He said the best way to create awareness among panchayat-level officers is to set up a rewarding system for each local self-government, based on the number of jobs created and the direct and indirect taxes generated by new companies there. This will result in a healthy competition between panchayats to help set up businesses in their area. he added.
Considering the Geography, Small and Medium Enterprises are more suitable here, Vishnu added. Kerala has great potential in electronic products (including electronic chip) and Food Processing. Perhaps we got the best water quality in the country, making the state the best location for food industries, he said.
We have an E-Commerce platform. Improve it by transforming it into a fullfledged e-commerce portal, developed and maintained by one of the leading tech companies. Also, government should rate the products offered on the platform, he added.
Setting up a hub that can easily transport products out of Kerala is an urgent necessity, Vishnu said. At present, logistics cost of bringing a truckload from Rajasthan is Rs 1 lakh, which is high because they dont get cargo while returning. So, we need a comprehensive logistics plan to take care of this. We should give focus to exports too once the container availability improves, logistics cost in shipping will also come down, he added.