Thiruvananthapuram, formerly known as Trivandrum, is the capital city of the Indian state of Kerala. It is the most populous city in Kerala with a population of 957,730 as of 2011. The encompassing urban agglomeration population is around 1.68 million. Located on the west coast of India near the extreme south of the mainland, Thiruvananthapuram is a major information technology hub in Kerala and contributes 55% of the state's software exports as of 2016. Referred to by Mahatma Gandhi as the "Evergreen city of India", the city is characterised by its undulating terrain of low coastal hills.
Oommen Chandy was the 10th chief minister of Kerala, serving from 2004 to 2006 and 2011 to 2016. He served also as the leader of the opposition in the Kerala Legislative Assembly from 2006 to 2011.
The economy of Kerala is the 9th largest in India, with an annual gross state product (GSP) of ₹9.78 lakh crore in 2020–2021. Per-capita GSP of Kerala during the same period is ₹257,711 (US$3,200), the sixth largest in India. In 2019–20, the tertiary sector contributed around 63% of the state's GSVA, compared to 28% by secondary sector, and 8% by primary sector.
The United Democratic Front (UDF) is the Indian National Congress-led alliance of centre to centre-right political parties in the Indian state of Kerala. It is one of the two major political alliances in Kerala, the other being Communist Party of India (Marxist)-led Left Democratic Front, each of which has been in power alternately since 1980 E. K. Nayanar ministry. Most of the United Democratic Front constituents are members of the Indian National Congress-led United Progressive Alliance at pan-India level.
The economy of South India after independence in 1947 conformed to a socialist framework, with strict governmental control over private sector participation, foreign trade and foreign direct investment (FDI). Through 1960–1990, South Indian economies experienced mixed economic growth. In the 1960s, Kerala achieved above-average economic growth, while Andhra Pradesh's economy declined during this period. Similarly, Kerala experienced an economic decline in the 1970s while the economies of Tamil Nadu, Andhra Pradesh, and Karnataka consistently exceeded national average growth rates after 1970. South India first started to overtake the rest of India economically in the 1980s. Andhra Pradesh, Tamil Nadu and Karnataka were noted by some to be more reform-oriented in terms of economic policy when compared to other Indian states. Over the last decade South India has grown at 8% annually. Future economic growth will be shackled by a relatively low proportion of the active age population to the number of dependents. Today, South India has about 20% of India's population, and contributes about 31% of India's GDP; it is projected to contribute 35% by 2030.
Infopark, Kochi is an information technology park situated in the city of Kochi, Kerala, India. Established in 2004 by the Government of Kerala, the park is spread over 260 acres (105.2 ha) of campus across two phases, housing 546 companies which employs about 63,600 professionals as of 2022.
Kerala State Industrial Development Corporation Ltd. is the industrial and investment promotion agency of the Government of Kerala (India), for the promotion and development of medium and large scale units in the State of Kerala. As the Nodal Agency for foreign and domestic investments in Kerala, KSIDC provides support for investors, besides processing various incentive schemes and facilitating interaction between the government and the industrial sector.
Kerala, a state in Southern India, has a network of 11 National Highways, 72 State Highways and many district roads.
The Kochi Metro is a rapid transit system serving the city of Kochi and the wider Kochi Metropolitan Region in Kerala, India. It was opened to the public within four years of starting construction, making it one of the fastest completed metro projects in India. The Kochi metro project is the first metro system in the country which connects rail, road and water transport facilities. It is also the first metro rail system in India to be operated using the Communication-Based Train Control (CBTC) signalling system, which requires minimum human intervention. The Kochi Water Metro is integrated with the Kochi Metro, which serves as a feeder service to the suburbs along the rivers where transport accessibility is limited.
The Vizhinjam International Seaport Thiruvananthapuram (VIST)(Malayalam:വിഴിഞ്ഞം അന്താരാഷ്ട്ര തുറമുഖം തിരുവനന്തപുരം) is India's first deep-water mega container transshipment port, which is under construction. It is a multi-purpose,all-weather, green port located 16 kilometres (9.9 mi) away from the Trivandrum International Airport at Vizhinjam, Thiruvananthapuram, the capital city of Kerala. It is also the first automated port in India and the sole port in the country to be located adjacent to an international shipping route. Being a greenfield seaport, it provides flexibility in design and future expansion. The seaport will be connected by India's third-longest railway tunnel, presently under construction phase.
The United Democratic Front government led by Oommen Chandy sworn in on 18 May 2011. Seven of the total 20 members of the Cabinet took office on 18 May and the rest sworn in on 23 May after completing discussion with member parties of the UDF.
Thiruvananthapuram Metro is a proposed rapid transit system in the city of Thiruvananthapuram, the capital of the Indian state of Kerala.
Kozhikode Light Metro is a proposed Light Metro system for the city of Kozhikode (Calicut), in India. In 2010, the State government explored the possibility of implementing a metro rail project for Kozhikode city and its suburbs. The proposal was to have a corridor connecting Meenchanda to the Kozhikode Medical College Hospital through the heart of the city. An inception report was submitted by a Bangalore-based consultant, Wilber Smith, on the detailed feasibility study on the prospect of implementing the Mass Rapid Transport System (MRTS) and Light Rail Transit System (LRTS) in the city. However, the project has been scrapped to be replaced by Kozhikode Monorail project.
The Silver Line is a proposed higher-speed rail line in India that would connect Thiruvananthapuram, the capital city, and Kasaragod of Kerala state. It will have an operating speed of 200 kilometres per hour (120 mph), Maximum Design Speed: 220 km/h (140 mph), structures designed for 250 km/h (160 mph) allowing trains to cover the 532-kilometre (331 mi) distance in less than four hours, compared to the present 10 to 12 hours it takes to traverse this distance. Thiruvananthapuram, Kollam, Chengannur, Kottayam, Kochi, Thrissur, Tirur, Kozhikode, Kannur and Kasaragod will be the stations in this corridor. The project is temporarily halted by the state government till the Central government approval.
Kerala Rapid Transit Corporation Limited, abbreviated to KRTCL, is a special purpose vehicle (SPV) formed to implement light metro projects in Kerala. Kerala has light metro systems planned for the cities of Kozhikode and Thiruvananthapuram. The SPV is fully owned by the State Government and the Chief Minister is the Chairman of the company. The head office of KRTCL is at Thiruvananthapuram, with branches at Kozhikode and Thiruvananthapuram. Earlier it was Kerala Monorail Corporation Ltd. Since monorail was not financially viable, DMRC proposed light metro.
Kollam Port is one of the historic ports situated 4 kilometres (2.5 mi) away from Downtown Kollam It is the second largest port in Kerala by volume of cargo handled and facilities. Located on the south-west coast of India, under the name of Quilon Port it became one of the country's most important trade hubs from the ninth to the seventeenth centuries. Kollam was one of the five Indian ports visited by Ibn Battuta.
Kollam or Quilon is an old seaport and a city on the Laccadive Sea coast in Kerala, India, on Ashtamudi Lake. The city remains notable as the ancient commercial capital of Kerala and the southwestern Indian coast, in addition to its fame as the "Cashew Capital of the World". The Kollam Municipal Corporation has the second largest budget in Kerala in terms of revenue and expenditure.
The Ernakulam–Kottayam–Kayamkulam line is a railway line which runs through the districts of Ernakulam, Kottayam, Pathanamthitta and Alappuzha in Kerala state of India. This railway line starts as a branch line from Ernakulam Town railway station towards Kottayam and joins with the Ernakulam–Kayamkulam coastal line route via Alappuzha at Kayamkulam Junction. This line comes under the Thiruvananthapuram railway division of Southern Railway Zone of Indian Railways. The line has a total distance of 118 km (73 mi). The Ernakulam Town/Ernakulam Junction - Kottayam section opened in 1956-57 and Kottayam - Kollam section in 1957.
Kerala Rail Development Corporation d/b/a Kerala-Rail is a public sector joint venture company under the ownership of the Government of Kerala for the railway infrastructure development in Kerala. The company was incorporated on 3 January 2017.
