The Government is launching a major drive for promotion of exports from Kerala, the Industries Minister, P. K. Kunhalikutty, said here on Monday.

The Minister told mediapersons that the Government was expecting an assistance of Rs. 100 crores from the Centre for setting up various infrastructure and other facilities for exports. An amount of Rs. 16.5 crores had already been released for works to be undertaken this year.

Mr. Kunhalikutty recalled that the new exim policy had stressed the importance of participation of State Governments in export promotion efforts. Accordingly, the Government was taking a number of steps realising the importance of exports in a globalised economy. Through these measures, the Government expected to increase the value of annual exports from Kerala to Rs. 10,000 crores in two years.

In Kollam, the Government proposed to upgrade the laboratory for testing of cashew and other food products at a cost of Rs. 6 crores. Rs. 1 crore had been allocated under the Central-assisted scheme for this. Rs. 10 lakhs has been earmarked for setting up a modern weighbridge at Cochin port.

A modern laboratory for testing marine products would be set up in Kochi at a cost of Rs. 350 lakhs. This would be established under the supervision of the Sea Food Exporters Association of India with guidance from European Union and United States Food and Drugs Administration.

The Minister said that Rs. 6.10 crores had been earmarked for a major project of the Marine Export Promotion Development Agency (MPEDA) costing Rs. 14.20 crores. The project proposes establishment of about 30 pre-processing centres, upgradation of the MPEDA laboratory in Kochi and development of fishing harbours in Kochi and Munambam.

Besides, Rs. 1.95 crores had been sanctioned to the State Industrial Enterprises for development of export bay at the Air Cargo Complex in Thiruvananthapuram airport. Rs. 3.62 crores would be spent for water supply schemes of the Kinfra Techno industrial park at Kakkancheri in Malappuram district. The Government also had plans to set up an Indian Institute of Export Management at Kalamassery.

Mr. Kunhalikutty said the special export promotion zone coming up on the land given by the Kochi Port Trust would bring about major advances on the export front. A blue print was being prepared for increasing export of food products from Kerala. A masterplan for industrial development of the State would be presented at the Global Investors Meet in Kochi on January 18.

Thiruvananthapuram, Oct. 31. THE Agriculture Minister, Ms K.R. Gowri Amma, will on Saturday inaugurate the KISSAN-Kerala (Karshaka Information Systems Services And Networking) Project, an IT-enabled agricultural information dissemination system developed by the Department of Agriculture and the Indian Institute of Information Technology and Management-Kerala (IIITM-K).

The Minister for Industries and IT, Mr P.K Kunhalikutty, will preside over the function. The first schedule of the weekly telecast of KISSAN-Krishideepam, the television programme under the project, will be aired on Asianet at 10.30 a.m. the same morning. Mr K.P.P. Nambiar, Chairman, IIITM-K, will launch the interactive Web portal on KISSAN.

Mr C. Ramachandran. Agricultural Production Commissioner; Mr V.P Joy, Secretary, Agriculture; Dr K.R. Srivathsan, Director, IIITM-K; Mr M.A. Waheed, MLA; Mr B.S. Praveen Kumar, Manager (Public Relations), Asianet Communications; and Mr K. R. Jyothilal, Director of Agriculture, are also expected to participate.

KISSAN is a collaborative project of the Department of Agriculture, the Kerala Agriculture University and IIITM-K. It is an information dissemination and networking system for agriculture sector in the State.

The project involves development and implementation of application of IT through relevant information systems and networking to aggregate, share and disseminate information of importance and interest to the farmers, agriculture workers and officials in ways that enhance the total agriculture development and farmers’ welfare.

This project would also facilitate a total technological transformation consisting of changes in materials inputs, complementary farming techniques, storage technology, and research findings provided by experts, research and development agencies, supply and marketing agencies.

The project will start with a pilot implementation and commissioning of cost-effective IT framework that will support active networking and distributed knowledge management capabilities.

It will empower the various agencies - Krishi Bhavans, Farm Information Bureau, plantations, disaster and distress management programmes, agro-institutions, education, both formal and non-formal - to participate and have a coherent view of the total information system in ways that will add substantial value and thereby enhance agriculture productivity.

Thiruvananthapuram, Jan 21 The city cross-e-networks (TENs) has an office automation software of the mark “e 2.4 transaction. Mr. PK Kunhalikutty, Minister of Industry and information technology, unveils new offer.

The product is a Web-based, provides a document management software is a process automation and users of cooperation function which can all be used for a paperless office, said a company official. In addition, it has several forms of online communication between the user and supports several Indian languages, including Malay Alam, “he added. A demonstration version of the product, please consult the company’s website, www.transversalnet.com.

While the city of Thiruvananthapuram police certain product features on its Web site, the State of Kerala on science, technology and environment are also their office software on “Trans 2.4 e ‘,” said l ‘executive.

The company, whose headquarters is at Techno Park, Thiruvananthapuram, has its origins in the work of a group of students and faculty members of the Indian Institute of Technology, Kanpur.