Thiruvananthapuram: Only by strengthening the industries can Kerala maintain its stupendous achievements as a model welfare state, state industries minister P Rajeeve has said.

He was inaugurating the valedictory ceremony of the ‘Responsible Citizen’ project, jointly rolled out by Manorama Online and Malabar Gold & Diamonds. The initiative is aimed at making people responsible citizens by paying taxes.

If Kerala is to enjoy an increase in domestic revenue receipts, the state should make further progress in the manufacturing sector. While its Gross State Domestic Product (GSDP) registered a growth of 12 percent, the industry and services sectors grew at an impressive 17.3 percent.

The state has not witnessed the scenario of the industrial growth rate exceeding the GSDP in the near future. The share of the manufacturing sector in the GSDP is only 18.9 percent. This was nine percent ten years back, the minister said.

The loan availed in the MSME sector rose by Rs 10,000 crore compared to the last financial year, the highest ever. It’s expected that the same will touch Rs 25,000 crore at the end of the current financial year.

This calls for a corresponding increase in domestic revenue receipts. And if the revenue is to witness a rise, then everyone should proportionately remit taxes.

The campaign initiated by Manorama will immensely help in creating awareness among the citizens of the need to pay taxes.

During the ceremony, Malabar Group of Company Chairman M P Ahammed extended wishes to all. Manorama Online Senior Content Correspondent Jovi M Thevara delivered the welcome speech while Malayala Manorama Chief of Bureau John Mundakayam proposed the vote of thanks. Uttara Ramakrishnan moderated the panel discussion held as part of the concluding ceremony.

Manappuram Finance CEO V P Nandakumar, Bureau of Indian Standards Senior Director A M Ismail, GST Joint Commissioner Kiran Lal, and Geojit Financial Head Dinesh K Nair were among the dignitaries who attended the event.

Responsible Citizen project
Manorama Online introduced the Responsible Citizen Project in coordination with Malabar Gold and Diamonds with an aim of turning people into responsible citizens. In fact, the ultimate objective of the project is ‘Make right practices a habit, not forget the responsibilities’.

Minister P A Mohammad Riyas inaugurated the project in a grand opening ceremony held at Kozhikode.

The programme was conceived as a social awareness campaign to inspire people to be responsible and show commitment to society and fellow beings. Having responsible citizens is a decisive factor in the development of the country. The programme was rolled out to take the concept to the maximum number of people. It was implemented in various stages in such a way that anyone could join the initiative.

Responsible Taxpayer Citizen
The Responsible Taxpayer Citizen contest was the highlight of the programme. Those who collected GST bills during purchases got an opportunity to be part of the contest.

The contestants, through the taxpayer contest, helped spread awareness among the society of the need for paying taxes. Finance Minister K N Balagopal presented one sovereign gold and a certificate to each of the 12 winners of the contest, held over a period of 12 weeks.

The second stage of the project, the Responsible Gold Video Series, saw initiatives aimed at making people responsible and capable of being constructive in handling gold. Experts in the industry replied to all queries put forward by ordinary citizens in this video series.