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Strategies & Market Trends : India Coffee House -- Ignore unavailable to you. Want to Upgrade?

To: Mohan Marette who wrote (3842)	3/5/1999 10:34:00 PM
From: Mohan Marette	Read Replies (1) \| Respond to of 12475

God's own country beckons technocrats ^Anto T Joseph^ MUMBAI 5 MARCH KERALA will soon become a state of industrial parks. At least a dozen parks — software, garment, rubber, food processing et al — are now changing the hitherto lacklustre industrial landscape of the state, slowly but steadily. Technopark, touted as the world's greenest electronics technopolis, Kinfra International Apparel Park at Thumba (Thiruvananthapuram), Rubber Park at Perumbavoor (Ernakulam), Kinfra Export Promotion Industrial Parks at Kakkanad (Kochi), and Techno Industrial Park in Malappuram are prominent among the parks. The communist state government, traditionally chary of private capital, is currently scouting for entrepreneurs to set up units in the state. Even embracing the capitalist concept of aggressive marketing, although in a little half-hearted manner. The marketing exercise by the government has apparently been appreciated by various industrial groups in Mumbai and an investment of Rs 3,500 crore within two years is expected to come in, say Kerala government officials. ''The days of militant labour are gone,'' claims state industries minister Suseela Gopalan, who quotes recent CMIE statistics to illustrate her point that industrial strife no longer plagues the state. ''Kerala is at the 18th position as far as 'mandays' lost,'' says the minister. The government's avowed policy is to protect and develop all public sector undertakings (PSUs) in the state, while inviting private entrepreneurs to Kerala, says the minister, who is currently heading a high-level delegation to Mumbai. The government is offering all kinds of infrastructure facilities including electricity and water — precious commodities in the state — to the entrepreneurs who want to set up units there. Also, any new industrial unit can avail of a seven-year sales tax holiday. The Kerala Industrial Development Corporation, aka Kinfra, is acting as the catalyst, promoting these growth centres. Kinfra has developed prime land into location-specific industrial parks across the state, most of which are already on stream. ''These parks offer comprehensive infrastructure and support facilities to make start-up and operations relatively safe. They also function as contact points for single window clearances,'' said GC Gopala Pillai, managing director of Kinfra. Technopark, though went operational a couple of years ago, failed to attract big fish like Microsoft, largely due to poor marketing. However, ''many foreign software companies have already set up 100-per cent export-oriented units here,'' says KG Satheesh Kumar, chief executive officer. Tata Consultancy Services has started its national corporate training from a 70,000 sq ft building in the campus, he adds. The power scenario in the state has improved substantially of late. With the 160 MW BSES Kochi project and the first phase (115 MW) of the 350 MW Kayamkulam power project and 15 mini-hydel projects going on stream, the state will generate surplus electricity. The state's power requirement is 2,000 MW. An additional plus is the fact that the international airport in Kochi will take off by April, adds the minister. economictimes.com