Kerala suffers from “a problem of perception” when it comes to investment, Rajeev Chandrasekhar, Union Minister of State for Electronics, Information Technology, Skill Development and Entrepreneurship, has said.
ADVERTISEMENT
Interacting with members of the Malabar Chamber of Commerce here on Tuesday, he said global supply chain companies in electronics preferred to set up shop in places such as Noida, Chennai, or Bengaluru, and not in places like Kozhikode. “There is a problem of perception that Kerala suffers from. And, that has to be addressed before investments start coming,” said Mr. Chandrasekhar.
Pointing out the presence of an Indian Institute of Management, National Institute of Technology, National Institute of Electronics and Information Technology, and the Government Medical College Hospital here, he said the academic basis for Kozhikode to succeed in the post-COVID decade of opportunities was high. “But the issue here is how do we make a perception among those companies, who constitute the ecosystem, that they must come here and invest? Marketing and investment promotion should be done. If you don’t become part of the success stories in the next two-three years, the opportunity may go away to some other place,” said Mr. Chandrasekhar.
Earlier, the Minister said that India had bounced back from the pandemic phase. There were opportunities in electronics manufacturing and digitising. “Electronics today is the second most traded commodity after petroleum in the world. The size of the electronics market is $1.5 trillion, of which China’s contribution is $900 billion. After COVID, there is a big shift out from China. In the next two years, a lot of companies will set up shop in India. Second, there are opportunities in digitising. India is the most trusted partner to provide tech solutions to the world,” he added.
Chamber president K.V. Haseeb Ahamed and secretary M.A. Mehaboob were present, among others.