Kerala Urban Conclave: IT exports near ₹1 lakh crore, start-ups grow 21-fold in 9 years, says CM Pinarayi Vijayan

Kerala’s IT exports are fast approaching the ₹1 lakh-crore mark, while the number of start-ups has registered a 21-fold increase in the last nine years, Kerala Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan has said.

He was delivering the inaugural address at the two-day Kerala Urban Conclave that got under way at Grand Hyatt Convention Centre in Kochi on Friday (September 12, 2025).

Mr. Vijayan said the Kerala government’s ‘One Lakh Enterprises in a Year’ scheme turned out to be a resounding success, resulting in around 3.75 lakh enterprises and investments worth ₹23,000 crore. The Central government has hailed the programme as a “best practice.”

Mr. Vijayan said interventions are being made from the campus level with the aim of creating a skilled workforce. While there are programmes such as Connect Career to Campus and Young Innovators Programme on one side, various government agencies are running skill development projects imparting training to people irrespective of their age. Efforts are under way to create a special platform under the Kerala Development and Innovation Strategic Council to provide employment to 20 lakh educated youth.

The government had appointed a commission of experts with in-depth knowledge of various aspects of urbanisation. This conclave is expected to hold detailed discussions on some of the recommendations of this commission, said Mr. Vijayan.

Malinyamuktham Navakerala campaign

“The second phase of the Malinyamuktham Navakerala campaign is in progress. Currently, 20,000 mini material collection facilities and 1,400 material collection facilities are operational. Around 40,000 Haritha Karma Sena members are part of this campaign. Besides, projects are under way to clean up water bodies under the Haritha Keralam project,” he said.

Efforts are on to identify and free families from extreme poverty. Kerala aims to become free of extreme poverty by its Foundation Day in November. The government has ensured housing and infrastructure development of schools and hospitals, he said.

Urban policy

Five lakh houses have been provided under the LIFE Mission, while ₹5,000 crore have been spent on improving the infrastructure of schools. Over 5,000 public health centres have been operationalised, while over 4 lakh title deeds have been distributed. According to experts, over 90% of Kerala’s population will be urbanised by 2035. Kerala’s urbanisation growth is far above the national average, making it imperative to approach the issue with utmost seriousness. The State’s urban policy will be finalised at the end of the two-day conclave, he said.

Minister for Local Self-Governments M.B. Rajesh presided. Manohar Lal Khattar, Union Minister for Housing and Urban Affairs, was the chief guest. Sri Lanka’s Minister for Urban Development Anuradha Karunathilake, Executive Council Member for Infrastructure from South Africa Martin Meyer, Kerala Ministers K.N. Balagopal and P. Rajeeve, Kochi Mayor M. Anilkumar, Chairman of Kerala Urban Policy Commission M. Satheeshkumar were among those who attended the inaugural function.