Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan along with Ministers P. Prasad, V.N. Vasavan and Kerala Congress (M) chief Jose K. Mani during an interaction programme organised by the LDF government in Kottayam on Tuesday as part of its fourth anniversary celebrations.
| Photo Credit: VISHNU PRATHAP

Holding that Kerala is now nationally and internationally recognised as a haven for start-ups, Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan said here on Tuesday that the State was aiming to increase the number of start-ups in the State to 15,000 by 2026 to generate over one lakh new jobs.

He was speaking at an interaction programme with select personalities from various fields in the district, held as part of the fourth anniversary celebrations of the Left Democratic Front (LDF) government. The Chief Minister noted that the number of start-ups in the State has grown from 640 in 2016 to 6,300 at present, with total investments reaching ₹5,800 crore.

The IT sector too has seen substantial growth. The number of IT companies in Kerala has increased from 640 in 2016 to 1,106 today. Employment in the sector has nearly doubled from 78,068 jobs in 2016 to 1,48,000 currently. IT exports too have grown from ₹34,123 crore to ₹90,000 crore.

Knowledge hub

Highlighting Kerala’s emergence as a hub for knowledge and innovation, the Chief Minister pointed out that three of the top 12 universities in India, as ranked by the National Institutional Ranking Framework (NIRF), are located in the State.

Industrial growth in the State has also seen a marked improvement, rising from 12% in 2016 to 17% now. This, the Chief Minister said, was achieved through a series of legislative and regulatory reforms aimed at making Kerala more business-friendly.

Under the LIFE Mission housing project, 4.5 lakh homes have already been completed, with another 50,000 nearing completion.

He also announced plans to declare Kerala an “extreme poverty-free” State by November 1, noting that the State has managed to reduce extreme poverty by 78%.

Criticises Centre

The Chief Minister criticised the Central government for withholding the State’s rightful share of funds, even during times of crisis. Despite this, Kerala has shown resilience, he said, with the State’s own revenue growing from 26% in 2016 to 70% today, with a growth of ₹47,000 crore in just three years.

The interaction session featured guests from diverse fields, including professionals and community leaders. Cooperation Minister V.N. Vasavan presided over the session. Agriculture Minister P. Prasad was also present.