‘Made in Kerala’ products to fill shops in panchayats across state
Government to strengthen networking and marketing of ‘Made in Kerala’ products
If the state government’s plan progresses in the right direction, all panchayats in Kerala will soon sport shops that would sell only Made in Kerala products. As per the measures lined up by the Left Democratic Front government in the state, exclusive shops that sell ‘Made in Kerala’ products in all panchayats on the lines of supermarket chains will come up.
These shops will sell government-certified products, Minister for Industries, Law, and Coir, P Rajeev said. The state is striving to create create 100,000 MSMEs (micro, small and medium enterprises) in the state during the current fiscal that is being observed as the ‘Entrepreneurship Year’.
The scheme towards making ‘Made in Kerala’ products will be implemented by the state’s Department of Industries and Commerce in collaboration with various departments and agencies. Around Rs 120 crore has been allotted for the implementation of the MSME project, which bears the motto My Venture, Pride of My Land.
‘Made in Kerala’ products to get marketing support
The government also plans to strengthen the networking and marketing of Kerala-brand products. The Minister underscored the need for a change in the public perception about entrepreneurship.
The Department of Industries and Commerce will achieve the target of 100,000 MSMEs in one year with support from the departments of Agriculture, Animal Husbandry and Tourism besides local self-government institutions (LSGIs), P Rajeev said. As many as 1,175 interns have been deployed for the smooth functioning of the project. They will be provided training from April 21-26, before assigning targets. The Minister urged officials to look for entrepreneurs and reach out to them, instead of making entrepreneurs approach the government for benefits.
Focus on MSMEs, entrepreneurship
Suman Billa, Principal Secretary, Department of Industries-NORKA, said the initiative is very critical for Kerala, adding that the most developed economies in Europe had up to 65 per cent of the industrial GDP coming from small and medium-sized enterprises.
According to him, the focus needs to be on how Kerala can create a cluster-based approach, and where the state can have several industries that are co-located in a geographical area. They also need to be able to work in concert and create world-class products. The idea is to see as to how Kerala can reverse the trend by transforming the state into a place where jobs are created instead of a place of jobseekers, he added.
