Kochi: The controversy over Kerala Government’s ‘Oru laksham samrambhaka varsham’ (One lakh enterprises this year) initiative is yet to be settled, with Industries Minister P Rajeev reiterating on Tuesday that discrepancies, if any, in the list of entrepreneurs prepared by the Industries Department would be rectified.
However, the Minister refused to disclose when the government would publish the list. In an investigative series titled ‘Lakshanamotha Kallam’ (The Perfect Lie), Manorama News had revealed that the Industries Department’s claim over launching one lakh new enterprises in Kerala within a year was false.
Referring to the exposure by Manorama News, the Minister said that journalists should not barge into offices of the Industries Department demanding the list of new entrepreneurs as it would demoralize the officials.
Rajeev also questioned the logic behind the title of the channel’s programme. “Was it right to term the ‘Oru laksham samrambhaka varsham’ initiative a complete failure?” he asked.
Meanwhile, Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan remarked that the campaigns against the initiative are against the interests of the state. “We have launched 1.32 lakh new entrepreneurs within a year. Who said that this figure is false? Some people are trying hard to play down the achievements of the state,” he alleged