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Kerala must use to its advantage its natural beauty and skilled human resources for sustainable tourism initiatives and affordable healthcare, Palanivel Thiaga Rajan, Minister for IT and Digital Services, Tamil Nadu, said here on Saturday.
He was addressing delegates on the theme ‘Unleash Kerala Potential’, on the concluding day of the 12th edition of the entrepreneurship conference ‘TIEcon Kerala-2023’. On potential growth sectors for the State, Mr. Rajan said renewed focus ought to be given to education, research and development, assisted living, health and wellness, and agriculture.
Referring to Tamil Nadu’s success, he emphasised how inclusivity, gender-neutrality, and equitable opportunities contributed to the State’s vibrant economy and shared insights on Tamil Nadu’s strategies, highlighting the importance of education, incentives, and a supportive ecosystem that fostered women’s participation in the formal economy.
“A total of 43% of all women working in the Indian manufacturing sector are based in Tamil Nadu, thanks to a combination of a skilled labour pool and industries that are conducive to women’s employment. Improving efficiency of [government) systems, reduced bureaucracy and improved access to funding for entrepreneurs too helped,” he said.
Innovation in agriculture
At a session titled ‘Cultivating the future - Best practices, funding, and regulations’, focused on transformative ideas for the agricultural sector, Venu Rajamony, former Ambassador to the Netherlands, spoke of how technology, knowledge application, and collaborative efforts helped agriculture thrive in the Netherlands. Advocating the Dutch ‘triple helix model’, he urged Kerala to embrace sustainable practices, including greenhouse cultivation and water conservation.
National Bank for Agriculture and Rural Development (Nabard) Chairman Shaji K.V. underscored the importance of the need to align agricultural policies with the specific requirements of Kerala. He called for homestead farming, decentralised approaches, and stronger collaborations between academia and agribusiness, with Nabard playing a pivotal role in supporting such initiatives.
He further proposed establishing information centres for agricultural technologies for knowledge exchange.
Other speakers cited the need to establish private industrial parks that offered incentives for agriculture, mirroring the success seen in the industrial domain, and also advocated setting up of agricultural start-ups to attract youth to farming.
The final day of the event also featured a significant session on ‘Assisted living for the elderly and challenged individuals’.
Over a thousand delegates attended the event that featured more than 40 speakers from across the globe and over 50 investors and fund houses.
