Emerging Kerala - The future is emerging

3 days, 45 specific project proposals, 4676 participants, attracting investments worth over Rs 40,000 crores (USD 7.3 Billion). Kerala which lagged in terms of development among the southern states is finally emerging.  With the NRK  (Non-Resident Keralites) heavy weights like M.A Yusuffali (EMKE Lulu group), Azad Mooppan (Dubai based DM Healthcare), Alungal Muhammed (Saudi based Al Jabeer group), KE Faizal (KEF group) and Ravi Pillai (RP group) chipping in investments worth between Rs 15,000 to 20,000 crores,  the support received for the effort by the UDF led state government speaks volume.

Would Emerging Kerala be any different from the failed Global Investment Meet (GIM) back in 2003 which attracted roughly around Rs 20,000 crore worth of projects and almost none of them really took off?

GIM failed because of the lack of enthusiasm from prospective investors. The state could not succeed in building confidence both from the state and outside.

Kerala always had a notorious tag of being a business unfriendly state. The major hurdle to the development of Kerala is the popular outlook towards development. People are not concerned about real issues. The state lacked leadership, vision and proper planning. The political climate swinging in favor of both LDF and UDF did not help matter much either. The large scale migration of Keralites and their remittances helped the survival of Kerala economy and present boom of consumerism.

Kerala is a typical example of a state where politics ruined its economy, its work culture, its public sector and above all the confidence of the people. In spite of its educated human resources, Kerala missed three great revolutions.  i.e. the agricultural, industrial and electornics & IT revolutions that took place in the neighbouring state of Tamilnadu and Karnataka. It is paradoxical that our neighboring states  advanced under progressive leadership, Kerala perished with a “progressive and revolutionary” ideology.

Having said that emerging Kerala initiative is a positive step towards taking the state to a progressive path provided it did not face the same fate as the Global Investment efforts made back in 2003. Political stability and proper leadership coupled with right policy planning and fast decision making would bring back investors and keep them rooted here.

The potential is immense and success of these and more such efforts are paramount to the long term future of the state and its people. Let us hope that these efforts lay foundation for the rise of Kerala and help facilitate the home coming of the next generation of Kerala diaspora if not the current generation.