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 11th largest in India, with an annual gross state product (GSP) of ₹13.11 lakh crore in 2024–2025. Per-capita GSP of Kerala during the same period is ₹372,783 (US$4,400), 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 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 1960s–1990s, 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 savings may be negatively impacted by a growth in an aging population in South Indian states, as the aging population will require more money for healthcare expenses. However, this will not severely impact state domestic product as India's overall population is also expected to decline. 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.
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.
Vibrant Gujarat, also referred to as Vibrant Gujarat Global Summit, is a biennial investors' global business event that is held in the state of Gujarat, India. The event is aimed at bringing together business leaders, investors, corporations, thought leaders, policy and opinion makers; the summit is advertised as a platform to understand and explore business opportunities in Gujarat. The summit's primary objective is to promote Gujarat as an attractive investment destination and to facilitate partnerships and collaborations across different sectors. Summit began in 2003 and is now held every two years.
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 also serves as a feeder service to the suburbs along the rivers where transport accessibility is limited.
Wonderla is the largest chain of amusement parks in India. It is owned and operated by Wonderla Holidays Limited which is headquartered near Bidadi, 28 kilometres (17 mi) from Bengaluru, Karnataka. It operates 4 amusement parks in Kochi, Bangalore, Hyderabad and Bhubaneswar.
The economy of Odisha is one of the fastest growing economies in India. According to 2023–24 economic survey, Odisha's gross state domestic product (GSDP) was expected to grow at 10.57%. Odisha has an agriculture-based economy which is in transition towards an industry and service-based economy.
The city of Thrissur, the cultural capital of Kerala, is also a major commercial and business hub of South India. It is said to be the heartland of Kerala's business acumen and home to most every leading Malayali entrepreneurs. The city which is famous for Bullion, Banking and its Business acumen, is the darling of investors in Kerala. Thrissur is also referred as the Golden city of India. It manufactures 70% of plain gold jewellery in Kerala per day. According to a survey, Thrissur city has been placed on 7th among the ten cities in India to reside. According to Registrar of Companies, the period from 1 January to 31 March 2010, 87 companies were registered in Thrissur and stood second in Kerala after Cochin. Thrissur's traditional strength lies in best entrepreneurial and financial capabilities.
Public sector undertakings in Kerala are of two types, public sector units in which majority shares are owned by Union Government and public sector units in which majority shares are owned by State Government. Public sector undertakings in Kerala, i.e. enterprises in which majority shareholder is Government of Kerala are generally divided into Manufacturing & Non-Manufacturing. Some of the PSUs such as Kinfra, KSIDC, SIDCO etc. are promotional agencies. As of 2004 there were 104 enterprises spread over 14 different sectors of Kerala economy. These sectors are as varied as engineering, electronics to wood products & welfare agencies. Eleven units are joint venture of Kerala government with the central government. Most of state PSUs units are under Department of Industries & Commerce.
Geojit Financial Services Ltd. is an investment services company in India headquartered in Kochi, Kerala. It operates a network of offices across India and the Middle East. Geojit was the first company in India to launch online-trading facilities, develop franchise models of sub-broking, form joint ventures in West Asia and the first to begin commodity futures trading in pepper, cardamom, gold and silver in India.
Thrissur Ayurveda cluster is an Ayurveda cluster situated in KINFRA Park in Koratty in Thrissur District. The cluster is meant for a comprehensive development of Kerala brand of Ayurvedic products and train the manufacturers of Ayurveda products on the importance of safety, quality and efficacy. The cluster have facilities for testing and analysis, process product validation, safety study and manufacture. The cluster is approved by the Department of Ayurveda, Yoga & Naturopathy, Unani, Siddha and Homoeopathy (AYUSH).
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.
Kozhikode Light Metro is a proposed Light Metro system for the city of Kozhikode, 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.
Global Investors Summit, officially the Invest Madhya Pradesh Global Investors Summit or GIS is a biennial business summit organized by Government of Madhya Pradesh in Indore, the commercial capital of central India to attract domestic and foreign investment for development of the state. Based on the theme– India's Growth Centre and aimed at bringing together business leaders, investors, corporations, thought leaders, policy and opinion makers; the summit serves as a perfect platform to understand and explore business opportunities in the State of Madhya Pradesh.
Kollam Port or Port of Quilon is one of the oldest ports situated 4 kilometres (2.5 mi) away from Downtown Kollam It is the third largest port in Kerala by volume of cargo handled and facilities and one of the four Kerala ports having immigration checkpoint (ICP) facility. Located on the south-west coast of India, it was an important port from the ninth to the seventeenth centuries. Kollam was one of the five Indian ports visited by Ibn Battuta.
Make in India is an initiative by the Government of India to create and encourage companies to develop, manufacture and assemble products in India and incentivize dedicated investments into manufacturing. The policy approach was to create a conducive environment for investments, develop a modern and efficient infrastructure, and open up new sectors for foreign capital.
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.
Utkal Invest Summit formerly known as Make in Odisha is an initiative launched by the Government of Odisha for industrial growth in the State. The major investors in the state are NTPC, MCL, SAIL, Tata Steel, TCS, Adani, JSPL, PPL, IOCL and many more. Over 80 companies investing and The state has received investment worth Rs 2,03,270 crore. Major investment sector are IT, fertiliser, petro chemicals, food processing, health, infrastructure, ESDM, metal and minerals, manufacturing, textiles and tourism. The Make in Odisha conclave happens bi-annually. There are two Make in Odisha conclaves completed with crores of investment proposals and the fifth edition might be held between late November to early December 2024 in new name as Utkal Invest Summit.
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.
