Eighty-six projects proposed during the Invest Kerala Global Summit held in February have officially kicked off, drawing in a total investment of ₹31,429.15 crore. These are part of the 424 projects that were pitched at the summit, where Kerala received Expressions of Interest (EOIs) worth ₹1.77 lakh crore.
Industries Minister P Rajeeve shared these updates during a press meet in Thiruvananthapuram on July 5. So far, about 20.8% of the total proposed projects have seen progress on the ground.
If all goes to plan, the 86 projects already underway could create around 40,439 jobs. However, this figure is still speculative and may vary depending on how each project develops.
Among the remaining 338 projects that haven't started yet, 268 already have the land they need. The rest—around 156 projects—are still waiting to secure land. Of the 268 projects with land, 29 require land-use changes or special exemptions before moving forward.
According to the Minister, July will see the commencement of projects valued at ₹1,500 crore. August may witness another batch worth ₹1,437 crore going operational. These numbers suggest a steady pipeline of activity for the coming months, though the actual outcomes remain to be seen.
Across the eight parks operated by Kerala Industrial Infrastructure Development Corporation (Kinfra), projects worth a total of ₹1,011 crore have been attracted so far.
Some heavyweight names are part of Kerala’s emerging industrial story. Bharat Biotech’s new facility will soon see its foundation stone laid at the KSIDC Park in Angamaly. Meanwhile, Adani Logistics is setting up a ₹600 crore logistics park in Kalamassery.
Another significant development comes from IBM, which has taken over two floors in the Lulu IT Twin Towers at SmartCity, Kakkanad. Once fully operational, this could turn Kerala into one of IBM’s major hubs in India, potentially housing over 5,000 employees.
To ensure that projects don’t get stuck mid-way, the state has set up a dedicated Advisory Group. It is chaired by the industries minister and includes senior government officials, industrialists, and representatives from trade bodies.
The principal secretary for industries serves as vice-chairman and the MD of KSIDC acts as the convener.
The group meets once every two months to check on the progress and resolve any inter-departmental issues.
To make things easier for investors, Kerala has launched a dedicated portal — https://industrialland.kerala.gov.in — that provides a live database of available industrial land in the state.
Additionally, a five-step escalation system has been rolled out to handle investor grievances. It begins at the nodal officer level and escalates all the way up to the minister if needed. The idea is to reduce bureaucratic delays and keep things moving, though how well this process works in real time remains to be seen.
