CII earmarks Rs one crore for 'Clean Kerala Mission'

Kochi, Oct 13 (UNI) Unveiling a 10-point ''Vision 2020 Plan' to make Kerala a developed state, the Confederation of Indian Industries (CII) today said a major component of this will be a Rs one crore 'Clean Kerala Mission' covering 100 'panchayats' in the first phase.

Addressing a press conference after a meeting of the CII Kerala State Council here, Mr Pradipta K Mohapatra, Deputy Chairman, CII (Southern Region), said in the first phase of the 'Clean Kerala Mission', waste management plants are envisaged to be set up in 100 'panchayats'.

''Our estimate is that each plant, having a capacity to treat seven tonnes of waste per day, will cost about Rs five lakh to seven lakh. A total of Rs five crore will be needed for this project, of which CII will provide a corpus of Rs one crore and the balance will be enlisted from the state government and other agencies, including multilateral funding agencies,'' he said.

Describing this as the first initiative of its kind in the country, Mr Mohapatra said if found successful, it will be extended to other states also.

Another major component of the the 'Vision 2020' is to make Kerala one of the top five destinations for medical tourism in the world, he said.

To this end, CII is facilitating the accreditation of hospitals in Kerala by the National Board for Accreditation of Hospitals (NBAH). Eight hospitals in the state had already applied to the NBAH for accreditation, CII Kerala State Council Chairman Navas Meeran said.

Promotion of 'Rural Business Hubs' on the public-private partnership model and 'Clustering for Competitiveness' were the two other major components of the 'Vision Plan'. Under the RBH initiative, expertise will be provided to tiny and cottage industries in areas such as marketing, production and accounts.

Under the 'Clustering for Competitiveness' initiative, the CII will promote clusters on plywood, handlooms and rubber. It is also working towards facilitation of 'Geographical Indication' certification for Palakkadan and Navara rice, the CII Southern region deputy chairman said.

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