NRKs can now procure business licences in 30 days: Kerala CM

Dubai - The chief minister said works are underway to make Kerala a knowledge hub.

Calling it a 'new era of progress in Kerala', the state government has opened up to foreign investments from non-resident Keralites (NRKs) by streamlining and easing the process of launching businesses in the southern Indian state.
In a bid to tap into non-resident Indian (NRI) investments, Kerala Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan and several other high-level officials from the Kerala government officially opened the NRK Emerging Entrepreneurs Meet (Neem) in Dubai on Friday.
Before the proceedings began, a moment of silence was held for the former Norka Roots chairman CK Menon.
The event was organised by the Overseas Keralites Investment Company, a major recommendation from the first edition of the Loka Kerala Sabha and supported by Indian Business and Professional Council (IBPC), Dubai.
The event was presided by Kerala Assembly Speaker P Sreeramakrishnan and ministers EP Jayarajan and Kadakampally Surendran, and officials from the Non-Resident Keralites Affairs (Norka) and senior business leaders from the Middle East.
"The Overseas Keralites Investment Company (OKIC) was formed to harness the investment potential of overseas Keralites for various development initiatives of the state in sectors including housing, tourism, health, infrastructure and education," said Vijayan.
Officially inaugurating the programme, Vijayan added: "While focus is on investment towards the aforementioned sectors, we are also looking at overall development of the state. Our government aims to make Kerala the most developed state in India."
The chief minister said works are underway to make Kerala a knowledge hub. "We want to provide free Internet to all Malayalees with the help of fibre optic technology."
Along with the provision of business licences in 30 days, the Kerala government has also decided to extend the business licence validity to five years. Dr K Elangovan, principal secretary, industries, explained: "The government has no physical touch to launch businesses. People can use the e-platform, K-SWIFT, to apply for their licences even from the comfort of their own homes. Other benefits include, time bound clearances/approvals, and there will be no stoppage of work without a technical reason."
dhanusha@khaleejtimes.com

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