The State Government has identified public-private participation (PPP) the right model to pursue as it goes about soliciting investments during the 12th Plan.
A special cell will be set up at the State Planning Board to coordinate investment and other activities falling under this paradigm, the Chief Minister, Mr Oommen Chandy, told newspersons here.
DOUBLING SIZE
Earlier on Friday, the first full meeting of the reconstituted Planning Board had raised the 12{+t}{+h} Plan outlay to more than twice as much the existing level to Rs 1.05 lakh crore.
For a State that lacked elbowroom to manage own resources, much less external funds, PPP was the way to go forward, the Chief Minister said.
The State Government has fixed a double digit growth during the 12th Plan period. This is despite the fact that only 74 per cent of the 11th Plan target could be achieved until the fourth year.
This calls for the need for a strong and effective implementation mechanism at the Planning Board, Mr Chandy said.
FARM, ALLIED SECTORS
Separately, the Centre is being approached to grant untied funds to local self-government institutions in view of the resource crunch, he added.
While the 12th Plan would seek to set great store by development in the agriculture and allied sectors, an unsparing focus will be retained also on attracting investment in the core sectors.
Alongside, e-governance will be given a pride of place in so far as it can smoothen out the rough edges of the administrative machinery.
A time-bound plan of action will be implemented for rolling out e-governance on a broader scale. A committee chaired by the Chief Secretary will oversee this programme.
The State Government has also set out to double power generation and go big-time on developing infrastructure.
POWER SECTOR
In the power sector, the effort will be to double the generation capacity through a mix of hydel, wind, and thermal projects. It has been estimated that the State has the potential to generate 700 MW of wind power.
There will be a concerted effort to consolidate gains from IT, the Industries Minister, Mr P. K. Kunhalikkutty, said. Separate IT and industrial policies are in the making, he added.
Investment summit
It is likely that the schedule for the proposed ‘Emerging Kerala' investment summit in April will be changed in view of the fact that it clashes with year-end closing timelines for corporates.
Among those present at the press conference were the Finance Minister, Mr K. M. Mani; the Rural Development Minister, Mr K. C. Joseph; Planning Board members Mr E. Sreedharan, Mr C. P. John, Mr G. Vijayaraghavan, and Mr Tarun Das.