KOCHI:
An international conference will be held in May to discuss the ideas put forward by the public and various stakeholders as part of the large-scale people’s consultation campaign under the Rebuilding Kerala Development Programme (RKDP).
“After the physical consultations at the ground level and the district level, the inputs from the business community, the diaspora, experts, and technical agencies will be consolidated. International experts will analyse the suggestions from other experts and the diaspora at the meet. Then they will comment on the inclusion of the suggestions,” said Dr Venu V , Principal Secretary, Revenue, Government of Kerala, and CEO of Rebuild Kerala initiative (RKI).
“The consultation programme, “Nammal Namukkayi” (We for Ourselves), was launched in 2019 to engage with beneficiary stakeholders for better planning and sustaining building measures. Discussions in the programme is broadly planned around five key thematic areas, including land, forest and water management; local community and resilience; and transport,” the official explained.
Dr Venu was speaking at an interactive session on “Rebuild Kerala Initiative—Investors Perspective” on the final day of the two-day global investors meet, ASCEND 2020 Kerala, organised by the state’s Department of Industries at the Lulu Bolgatty International Convention Centre, here on Friday.
“The consultation programme also seeks inputs to enhance resilience in Kerala and to minimise business disruptions due to natural disasters. After the examination by global experts, a special legislative session will review the recommendations and suggest reforms,” he added.
The RKDP, a byproduct of RKI, constitutes the state’s strategic roadmap for a green and resilient Kerala. It aims to catalyse rebuilding of Kerala in a way that addresses key drivers of natural disasters, including flood and climate change risks.
The submission can be made on the campaign portal http://pcp.rebuild.kerala.gov.in or email: talktorebuild@kerala.gov.in.
At the interactive session, representatives from the health, tourism and industry bodies presented their suggestions.
Earlier, at a parallel session on KIF (Kerala Infrastructure Fund), top bureaucrat V S Senthil said that Kerala Infrastructure Investment Fund Board sponsors a fund to bring in more investors into the infrastructure sector. “The focus of this fund would be on port and port logistics, airport and airport logistics, water transport systems, urban infrastructure, health infrastructure, waste management, e-Mobility infrastructure, industrial/IT parks, metro rail expansion and land development,” he added.
“There will be a team to analyse each prospective project. Thus, the investors will be protected,” the KIF Management Ltd CEO, who is Principal Secretary to the CM, said in a 20-minute presentation.
The fund size can be between Rs 1 crore and Rs 1500 crore, while the tenure for execution is 11 years. KIF’s investments ensure optimum risks adjusted returns to the investor by choosing the investment stage, securities and form of investee entities.
The board provides a platform for the major investors to bring in long-term investments and ensures integrity of the process while giving confidence to the investors, Senthil added.
Notable among the MoUs signed by KIF are Maritime cluster in Cochin Port area with KINFRA, Bio-60 Life Sciences Park with KSIDC, Vyttila Mobility Hub in Kochi, Expansion of Technopark in Thiruvananthapuram and Bliss City with KMRL.
