Kerala bets big on Alphons Kannanthanam

Thiruvananthapuram: The tourism and IT industries in Kerala have cheered the appointment of Alphons Kannanthanam as Union minister of state with independent charge of two ministries that are crucial to Kerala’s development.

The tourism industry, which has been a beneficiary of the centre’s initiatives, feels Mr Kannanthanam can bring in more. “Mr Kannanthanam is a man of great administrative ability,” said Jose Dominic, the CEO of CGH Earth. 

“Kerala’s priority will now become national priority, especially our stress on responsible tourism.” According to him, RT has never got its due share in the National Tourism policy.

Abraham George, the CMD of Intersight Group, is relieved that a man who understands issues was at the helm. “We have been trying our best to tell the Centre about havoc that high GST rates have wreaked on the tourism sector,” Mr George said. “Mr Kannanthanam, I am sure, will understand our plight better.” The tourism industry has been lobbying hard to get the GST rate of 28 per cent on hotel rooms lowered.

Former Union minister K.V. Thomas said a minister could set his own priorities and, therefore, a Malayali minister augurs well for the state. 

“It was when I was union minister of state for food that the state’s food grain allocation was increased from 10 lakh tonnes to 16.5 lakh tonnes,” Prof Thomas said. “It was during Mr O. Rajagopal’s time that the Railways spent more in Kerala. And then it was A.K. Antony who brought Brahmos to Kerala,” he added.

Industry sources said there are entitlements that the state has been denied. For instance, the Rs 40 crore for backwater development has still not been disbursed to the state. There were also years (2012-13, 2013-14) when not a single rupee from the central allocation for the tourism sector had found its way to the state. Mr Kannanthanam can remove bottlenecks, the industry hopes.

The IT industry is expecting a fillip to its digital initiatives as Mr Kannanthanam gets IT portfolio. The state has already launched various digital initiatives like Kerala Fibre Optic Network. Also the state is giving major thrust to start-ups. The centre has various support schemes for these sectors and hence the needs of state would get better attention with a Keralite holding IT portfolio at the centre, state IT department sources said.

“The state is in the process of creating a new digital architecture,” said IBS software chairman V.K. Mathews, who is also a member of state government's high power IT committee. “The state-wide digital network connecting 35 million people. Centre's backing to such initiatives could be achieved easily as a person like Mr. Kannanthanam is holding the IT portfolio at the centre."

Technocrat and State Planning Board former member Mr. G Vijayaraghavan said the state government needs centre's support to take Kerala to the next level in Digital India program. "We are already ahead of many states in this reagrd. Kerala could be the state where many of the digital India programmes can be piloted as we have the base set."