Kerala missed early IT and infrastructure opportunities, says industry experts
Industry leaders highlight how trade union militancy and delayed projects impacted the state's economic growth.
According to The New Indian Express, Kerala missed significant opportunities during India's IT and industrial revolutions due to historical challenges like trade union militancy and nokkukooli.
IBS Software founder V K Mathews said that while social progress was a strength, protesting for rights became a habit that damaged investor confidence. He noted that private enterprise was often viewed negatively, leading to a brain drain where educated youth left the state.
The state also faced delays in major infrastructure projects. A proposed 500 km Thiruvananthapuram–Kasaragod Express Highway, conceived during M K Muneer's tenure as public works minister, never commenced. Similarly, the Sabari Rail project announced in the 1997-98 Railway Budget remains delayed after nearly three decades.
Former Cochin International Airport Ltd managing director V J Kurian noted the difference in execution between Kochi and Kannur airports. He said the Cochin airport project began in March 1993 and saw its first landing in May 1999, while the Kannur airport was conceived in 1998 but commissioned only in 2018.
C Balagopal, chairman of the Kerala State Industrial Development Corporation, suggested focusing on opportunities the state has taken rather than missed ones. He pointed to the medical technology sector, which has around 110 companies with an aggregate turnover of Rs 15,000 crore and employs nearly 25,000 skilled workers.