This is an archive article published on February 20, 2025
With aim to become ‘hub of India’s Industrial Revolution 4.0’, Kerala to host global investment summit
Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan will inaugurate the summit at Lulu International Convention Centre in Kochi. Around 3,000 people, including businessmen and other delegates, are expected to attend.
2 min readThiruvananthapuramUpdated: Feb 21, 2025 02:13 AM IST
The focus areas of the summit include tourism, food processing, health innovations, fintech, aerospace, defence, and sustainable technologies. (Photo: kerala.gov)
With the aim of showcasing investment opportunities in Kerala, the state’s CPI(M)-led government is set to hold the two-day Invest Kerala Global Summit in Kochi from Friday.
Organised by the Kerala government’s industries department, the event is scheduled to have 28 sessions that will be attended by representatives from six countries. The focus areas of the summit include tourism, food processing, health innovations, fintech, aerospace, defence, and sustainable technologies.
Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan will inaugurate the summit at Lulu International Convention Centre in Kochi. Around 3,000 people, including businessmen and other delegates, are expected to attend.
State Industries Minister P Rajeeve said the summit would attract massive investments and transform the state’s industrial scenario. “The state is trying to become the hub of India’s Industrial Revolution 4.0 by focusing on innovative industrial sectors identified by the Kerala Industrial Policy,” he said.
“Special conclaves were organised for Vizhinjam Port and the Malabar region. Kerala’s successful entrepreneurs became our ambassadors. Along with solving the problems of entrepreneurs, we were able to attract investments worth tens of thousands of crores of rupees to Kerala through a ‘meet the investor’ programme implemented to attract big investors to Kerala. Over 30 companies have invested in Kerala,” he said.
He said the state’s “Entrepreneurial Year” is a scheme that has won national and international recognition for Kerala’s industrial sector. According to the Directorate of Industries and Commerce, the Kerala government launched the Entrepreneurial Year scheme in 2022-23 with the aim of creating one lakh new enterprises in a year.
Minister Rajeeve said, “The scheme was recognised as the best practice in the country’s MSME sector at a meeting attended by the Prime Minister and as a ‘Novel Innovation in Public Administration’ by the American Society for Public Administration. Kerala’s Entrepreneurial Year scheme is also a subject of study in the IAS training in Mussoorie this year. In Kerala, where 10,000 enterprises used to start annually, the scheme paved the way for 3,45,000 enterprises, an investment of Rs 22,135 crore and 7,31,652 jobs until February 18. It is also a proud achievement that women entrepreneurs headed more than one lakh of them.”
Shaju Philip is a Senior Assistant Editor at The Indian Express, where he leads the publication's coverage from Kerala. With over 25 years of experience in mainstream journalism, he is one of the most authoritative voices on the socio-political, religious, and developmental landscape of South India.
Expertise, Experience, and Authority
Decades of Regional Specialization: Shaju has spent more than two decades documenting the "Kerala Model" of development, its complex communal dynamics, and its high-stakes political environment.
Key Coverage Beats: His extensive reporting portfolio includes:
Political & Governance Analysis: In-depth tracking of the LDF and UDF coalitions, the growth of the BJP in the state, and the intricate workings of the Kerala administration.
Crime & Investigative Journalism: Noted for his coverage of high-profile cases such as the gold smuggling probe, political killings, and the state’s counter-terrorism efforts regarding radicalization modules.
Crisis Management: He has led ground-level reporting during major regional crises, including the devastating 2018 floods, the Nipah virus outbreaks, and the Covid-19 pandemic response. ... Read More
