Thiruvananthapuram, April 1 (IANS) Kerala was presented with an award from the American Society of Public Administration (ASPA) for Innovation in Public Administration for the successful implementation of the Year of Enterprises (YOE) project, said Minister for Industries, Law and Coir, P. Rajeeve.
Suman Billa, who was till recently Principal Secretary, Department of Industries and Commerce, Government of Kerala, received the award on behalf of the Kerala government at the event held in Washington DC. Billa is at present the Additional Secretary, Ministry of Tourism, Government of India, in New Delhi.
ASPA is a membership association of almost 10,000 professionals in the United States, sponsoring conferences and providing professional services primarily in the areas of government policy, public administration, and programmes of civil society.
The Year of Enterprises (YOE) initiative launched by the Kerala Government in 2022-23 for building a highly conducive ecosystem for the MSME sector powered the state’s profound transformation into an industrial and entrepreneurship-friendly ecosystem.
The Minister was making an online presentation to the annual conference of the American Society of Public Administration (ASPA) on ‘Developing Entrepreneurship Ecosystem Policy and Successful Implementation: A Case Study of Year of Enterprises.
Regretting that he could not be physically present for the event ‘due to technical reasons,’ the Minister thanked the ASPA for inviting him to share the experience of Kerala’s innovative initiatives, especially the huge success of the YOE project. The massive outcome of the project, which unlocked the entrepreneurial potential of the state, has far exceeded its initial target of creating over 100,000 units in the MSME sector in a year and generating over 300,000 jobs, he said.
“Kerala has created a model of sustainable growth by adopting the right strategies and ensuring the convergence of efforts across the MSME ecosystem, government departments, R&D and academic institutions, trade unions and financial institutions,” said Rajeeve.
“Our economic vision is rooted in the principles of Environmental, Social, and Governance (ESG) Excellence. We are committed to transforming our state into a trillion-dollar economy, focusing on nature, people and industry. Our goal is to ensure quality infrastructure, enhance the standard of living, and support economic prosperity for all,” he added.
In 2019, Kerala was ranked 28th in Ease of Doing Business (EODB). The legislative and administrative reforms introduced by the government since 2016 have instilled confidence in both industries and society, which resulted in the state being ranked the number one in EODB in India, noted Rajeeve.
These efforts exceeded expectations, leading to the creation of over 350,000 MSMEs during 2022-25.
According to data from the State Level Bankers’ Committee (SLBC), there has been a massive increase in loans provided to the MSMEs since the launch of YOE.
–IANS
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