Call to create society of entrepreneurs in State

THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: Additional Chief Secretary T Balakrishnan has said that it was high time the State moved away from creating ‘wage earners’ to a ‘society of entrepreneurs’. ‘’We are too focused on manufacturing and agriculture and the kind of jobs created in these are not needed by our people. There is no need to spend on these sectors,’’ Balakrishnan said during a panel discussion on ‘Kerala - The Way Forward’ organised by KPMG, a consultancy firm, here on Wednesday. According to Balakrishnan, who is also the State’s Industries Secretary, the State should create more entrepreneurs who need to employ less.  In these sectors, including IT, Balakrishnan said, the State could never be a dominant force. ‘’It will always be considered an also-ran,’’ he said. Balakrishnan’s panacea to take Kerala to the next level: Enter areas where there is less competition. ‘’Focus more on retail, commerce and services. In fact, we could be the number one in retail not just in the country but in the world,’’ Balakrishnan said. His optimism about retail originates from two factors: a strong tourism flow and a packed middle class. ‘’I am talking of 1,000 shops where people will come and shop. If what we have done with tourism can be replicated in retail, we will be the richest state in the country,’’ said Balakrishnan, the brain behind the Grand Kerala Shopping Festival. He said being a consumer society was Kerala’s biggest strength. ‘’We spend highly. We can also make others come here and spend more and make money out of that,’’ he added. IBS executive chairman V K Mathews more or less echoed Balakrishnan’s sentiments. Mathews rephrased Balakrishnan’s concept into a slogan for Kerala: ‘Business for Livelihood’. He said the State was not among the top five states in the country in a number of indicators like private investment, GDP growth, agricultural growth and industrial growth. ‘’But in service sector growth, we are number one by a wide margin,’’ Mathews said. He, too, said there was little focus on meaningful jobs.