The session on 'Investing in freedom' at the Manorama News Conclave 2018 was an exploration in reality as leading investors and entrepreneurs agreed on the need for massive investments. Entrepreneur VK Mathews said the prime problem was not poverty but economic disparity. He said economic freedom should be attained with effort.
Industrialist Kochouseph Chittilappilly said many small businesses had wound up in Kerala.
“There was something wrong some where,” he added, refusing to elaborate on the hindrances to being an investor friendly state.
He said everyone had a role in trivialising things in Kerala – the media too had it.
Chittilappilly pointed at the need to improve our position from the 21st state in terms of ease of doing business.
An investor should feel that his dignity as someone doing yeomen service should be preserved, he said, adding any party or conglomeration of people could wreak havoc on any programme or project.
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To this, minister for public works G Sudhakaran said the mushrooming of political parties indicated the multifarious and divisive thought processes in a society.
He said the Left front government was trying to remove impediments in bringing investments to Kerala.
Entrepreneur MA Yusuffali said there could be impediments, but he had no qualms about being an ambassador of Kerala. He said he promotes Kerala as an investment destination at all forums.
Sudhakaran said the approach to investment was one akin to the state's approach to feudalism.
A nexus of officials, politicians, and contractors were doing adequate damage, the minister charged.
Yusuffali said private-public partnership projects were implemented early on in the state.
On the flip side, he said the state failed to conduct a post-mortem and there was a tendency to oust people who intended to invest in Kerala.
The Gulf-based industrialist said a surfeit of 'discussions,' where a set of people often were the all-rolled-in-one 'economists, environmentalists and experts' had an uncanny ability to turn away any new projects.
The new generation wanted jobs as they were educated. The Gulf kingdoms were taking extra care to educate and employ their youngsters, he said.
The state should seriously study this sitaution as as 'nativisation' in the Gulf would have a ripple-effect in Kerala.
From a socialist perspective, the minister said the investor and those receiving the investment should equally benefit.
Deriving profit was not the sole motive of investment, but happiness quotient too was important.
Kerala would be a developed state in a developing country in a few years, Sudhakaran proclaimed.
Kerala Shining
Mathews said a very capable pool of human resource, efficient bureaucracy, and a legitimate society were the advantages that Kerala had.
It was 'impossible' to set up and run an illegitimate busniess in the state. He said the government should better be a referee than a player, adding it was high time private businesses were roped in on all fronts.
He put forth working and effective models like handing over of passport office operations to TCS.
Chittilappilly pointed out that the single-window system was not yet working properly in the state.
Lamenting the lack of speed, he said Nokkukooli, or gawking charges levied by labour unions, was a sad reality which took a long while to be curbed.
Responding to this, the minister said the civil judicial dispensation should be effective and fast to curb such evils.
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