Chief Minister Oommen Chandy has said the government intends to set apart one per cent of the budget of different departments to help youngsters take up entrepreneurship in the respective streams.
Inaugurating the three-day Business-to-Business (B2B) meet organised by the Industries Department here on Thursday, he said a scheme to encourage entrepreneurship among fishermen and Scheduled Castes and Scheduled Tribes was being mooted.
Mr. Chandy said Kerala’s 12 per cent growth in the small and medium sector had surpassed the national average. Pointing out that online facility was available for a variety of services; the Chief Minister said efforts were under way to reduce procedural delays. Self-certification will be introduced to facilitate ease of doing business. Industrial growth was a priority area for the government, he said.
The Chief Minister urged small and medium enterprises (SMEs) to identify new markets and upgrade technology to enhance productivity. The B2B meet would enable the stakeholders to build a network to ensure sustained growth, he said.
Industries Minister P.K. Kunhalikutty said digital services were being expanded to make Kerala the first digital State in the country, an initiative which would benefit industries immensely.
He said that B2B meets would become an annual feature henceforth. Recalling the State’s advances in cluster development, he said the Union government had adopted the Kerala model of industrial clusters.
Excise Minister K. Babu said the government was trying to create a congenial climate for entrepreneurship. He hoped that the meet would help usher in a new industrial culture.
P.H. Kurien, Principal Secretary, Industries Department, said the meet provided an opportunity to SMEs to showcase products to the global market.
National and international buyers were participating in the current edition of B2B meet.
Pankaj R. Patel, vice president, Federation of Indian Chambers of Commerce and Industry (FICCI), said the industry body, collaborating with the government in the event, would be happy to associate with the State government’s projects to encourage entrepreneurs.
