Industries Minister P. Rajeeve said here on Sunday that there would be no blanket protection for public sector undertakings (PSUs) in the State.
The PSUs must prove that they were competitive and should run profitably to be protected by the government, he said. The government is of the view that PSUs must be protected. PSUs provide an alternative to other approaches to economic development and running of business establishments. However, they must run on profit, for which the government would support modernisation to enhance competitiveness, he said at the inauguration of the Kerala Bamboo Festival in the city.
He said all 41 PSUs in the State, including the Kerala State Bamboo Corporation, had prepared master plans to enhance their businesses. On the basis of the plans, a project management facility would come up in Kochi and it would operate under seven different sections, including finance and marketing, said the Minister. Master plans would also be prepared for the cashew and coir sectors as they too had been brought under the Industries department, he added.
Detailed project reports, containing action plans for short, medium and long terms, would be prepared based on the master plans for PSUs, he said.
A focus area of department was to improve the marketing of traditional products, including those made of bamboo. Setting up of a permanent exhibition facility and online marketing are issues being addressed by the Minister on a war footing. Bamboo products were sold mostly at festivals and melas. There would soon be five permanent centres, including at Munnar, Thekkady, Kothamangalam and Mananthavady, for sale of bamboo products in the State, said the Minister.
Arrangements would also be made to ensure there was space for exhibition and sale of bamboo products in all government showrooms, said Mr. Rajeeve. The proposed trade centre at Kakkanad, coming up on 15 acres close to the Infopark, would also have dedicated space for bamboo products. The world-class facility was expected to be operational in about two years, he added.
MLA T.J. Vinod, Mayor M. Anilkumar, Kerala Forest Research Institute Director Syam Viswanath and Kerala State Bamboo Corporation Managing Director A.M. Abdul Rasheed also spoke.
