IBS icon of Kerala's growth story: CM Pinarayi Vijayan

Kochi: IBS Software Services, the global leader in software products for the travel, transport and logistics industry, has launched the work for its Kochi campus on Monday. The 6-lakh sq ft facility, the second fully-owned campus of the Kerala-grown company, will come up on a 5-acre campus at Infopark and is expected to be completed in 30 months. Launching the project, Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan said the growth of IBS as a global company has proved the propaganda about Kerala as a land of hartals and strikes where companies cannot grow false.

“IBS is now an important institution in the state which Kerala can showcase to the world,” the chief minister said. Referring to the development of information technology industry in the state, Mr Vijayan said Kerala has made systematic growth over the years and it may be the time for a big leap now. “The state budget for the year has earmarked Rs 300 for start-ups, which is a sizeable figure for a state like ours,” he said. The Chief Minister said it is important that industrial development takes into account the cultural identity of the people.

“A movement was recently launched in Thiruvananthapuram to help gown up people read bus boards in Malayalam,” he said. “It’s sad that people tend to forget such basics.” IBS executive chairman V.K. Mathews said Kerala is digitally ready to make a big leap into the new technology-enabled world. “And for businesses, Kerala has a unique record of political stability. Only that nobody can come to Kerala with the sole purpose of exploitation,” he said.  The campus when fully operational would be able to accommodate up to 6,000 professionals, he said.   IT secretary M. Sivasankar and Infopark CEO Hrishikesah Nair also spoke.