The Hindu Business Line : Kerala: Investors' meet attracts 560 delegates so far

AS many as 560 delegates have so far confirmed participation at the Global Investors' Meet (GIM) being organised by the State Government in Kochi on January 18-19.

This is in excess of a maximum of 500 delegates expected by the Government and the figure may finally be in the region of 700, according to Mr M.M. Hassan, Minister for Information and Parliamentary Affairs.

He told newspersons on Tuesday that of the 560 delegates already registered for the meet, 140 were from abroad, 335 from within the State and 85 from different parts of the country.

"This augurs well for Kerala as it indicates that the State is becoming investor-friendly," he said.

Kerala State Industrial Development Corporation (KSIDC), the nodal agency for the meet, has till date received investment proposals worth Rs 7,000 crore in areas such as information technology, infrastructure, tourism, agriculture, biotechnology, education, healthcare and urban development.

All these proposals had come either from within India or from non-resident Indians.

If they materialise, these projects could provide employment to 1.5 lakh people, the Minister said.

The meet is to be inaugurated by the Prime Minister, Mr Atal Bihari Vajpayee.

The UAE Minister for Public Works, Sheikh Rakkadh Bin Salim, the Malaysian Works Minister, Mr S. Sami Velu, the Chairman of Reliance group, Mr Mukesh Ambani, and the Union Minister of State for Urban Development, Mr O. Rajagopal, will attend the inaugural function.

Mr Hassan said that the opposition to the Cochin Industrial Water Supply scheme was being engineered by the tanker lorry owners who have been supplying water to the industries in the region now.

Likewise, the `sand mafia' operating in the State was behind those opposing the sea sand mining proposal.

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