Private investment in key sectors

By Our Special Correspondent

THIRUVANANTHAPURAM, JUNE 29. The United Democratic Front (UDF) Government in Kerala plans to invite private investment in key sectors and restructure sick public sector units with private investment, the Governor, Mr. S. S. Kang, announced in the Assembly on Friday.

In his address to the first session of the new Assembly, the Governor promised new policies on environment, labour, ports and urban development and renewed thrust in agriculture and allied sectors, tourism and infrastructure development.

Mr. Kang said a novel concept of `Kudumbasangamam' (Family Fellowship) would be introduced to generate employment opportunities using family resources at the micro-level. An all- out effort would be made to generate self-employment opportunities for 15 lakh people in the next five years in small industries, agriculture, animal husbandry, fisheries, organic farming, tourism, information technology, biotechnology, power and other sectors.

Mr. Kang, who highlighted the precarious financial position of the Government, said raising additional resources through better tax collection system was a priority to the Government. Extravagant public spending would be ended by enforcing austerity measures.

Private investment, he said, would be encouraged in industry, information technology, education, power, transport, tourism and public works as part of a strategy to resolve the development crisis in the State. It would take recourse to all avenues of private participation in the funding and construction of roads and bridges.

A Road Board would be created to administer a Road Fund made up of road-related revenues, contributions, sponsorships and participation of Non-Resident Keralites (NRKs). The NRKs would also be invited to make investments, establish world class institutions in the field of medical, engineering and information technology and contribute to the development process.

Kerala, he said, would be converted into a major Information Technology (IT) destination of the country and Kochi developed as the IT capital of Kerala. It would strive to develop the State as a model e-governance State in the country. Biotechnology would be another thrust area. The help of expert agencies, he said, would be sought to revitalise public sector undertakings.

An expert committee would be constituted for revision of school curriculum. Self-financing institutions would be encouraged at the higher secondary and collegiate levels. About 2,500 engineering seats would become available with the establishment of the 18 new engineering colleges, of which 14 would be in the private sector.

The Governor stressed on the resolve of the Government to retain the public distribution system and was silent on the controversial abkari policy of the Government. A regulatory mechanism, Mr. Kang said, would be put in place to relate the development of tourist destinations in the State to their `carrying capacity'. A new self-financing hospitality institute of international standards would be set up to train human resources for the tourism sector.

Governor skips criticism of LDF Govt.

The Governor has caused serious embarrassment to the UDF Government by refusing to read the paragraph of the policy address criticising the LDF and its Government.

The Governor skipped the paragraph which dubs the LDF rule as one marked by `inaction, misrule, corruption and violence' and terms the UDF's poll victory as display of `public wrath' against the `attempts of the LDF Government to promote their party and the cadres at the expense of the welfare of the people and the development of the State'.

The relevant paragraph reads as follows: `In the annals of Kerala polity, the recent elections are significant in many respects. The most notable among them was the reflection of people's spontaneous endorsement of the constructive criticisms voiced by the UDF against the last five years of misrule of the LDF Government and the exemplary style of functioning of the UDF as a responsible Opposition.

Through their ballots, the people of Kerala have denounced the inaction, misrule, corruption and violence that the LDF had unleashed during their tenure in office. The attempts of the LDF Government to promote their party and the cadres at the expense of the welfare of the people and the development of the State invited public wrath. Fed up with the corruption and excesses of the LDF rule, the people of Kerala had yearned for a change in Government.

In 1996, the LDF came to power defeating the UDF with a margin of 1,69,418 votes. But in 2001, the people voted UDF back to power with 99 seats and a margin of 8,42,561 votes. My Government will surge ahead, taking into account this verdict of the people, with a sense of realism and humility.'

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