THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan said that the statement that Kerala is not investment friendly is a planned move to humiliate the state. “It might have been in the interest of the state of Telangana to send an aircraft to receive the Kitex team. But there are serious problems with this. There have been a lot of unsubstantiated arguments in the state. It has been said for a long time that Kerala is not conducive to investment and this is something that our state has completely rejected”, CM Vijayan said.

Today, Kerala is the state with the best investment friendly environment at the national level. We aim for change in the knowledge economy. We have taken steps for that. Kerala ranks first in the Sustainable Development Index released by the Niti Aayog this month. Kerala scored 75 points and came first. Industrial development, a key consideration in the index, has contributed to this achievement. In the India Innovation Index, another index of the Niti Aayog itself, Kerala was ranked second in terms of business environment, human capital and fourth place in terms of improved investment climate.

Kerala was ranked fourth in the National Council of Applied Economic Research’s Investment Opportunity Index 2018. It takes into account factors such as land, employment, political stability and business awareness.

Steps are being taken to reach the 10th position in the Ease of Doing Business rankings this year. In the meanwhile, it is not good to try to hinder the industrial progress of the state by pointing out something isolated. Such moves would be seen as aimed at undermining the state’s progress. Everyone is obliged to obey the law and the rules. Complaints will be investigated if they arise. Such inspections are natural. It’s not hunting. This government is not ready to hunt anyone down.

Therefore, the Chief Minister said that the steps are being taken by the government to make the industrial environment in Kerala more friendly, to cultivate an investment friendly environment and to move forward in a positive manner.