KOCHI: The much-awaited two-day Invest Kerala Global Summit (IKGS), Kerala was eagerly waiting for, got underway here. Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan inaugurated the grand function organized at the Lulu Bolgatty International Convention Center. The chief minister inaugurated the function in the presence of Union Minister Piyush Goyal, Minister of State Jayant Chaudhary, leader of opposition V D Satheesan, Minister of Industries P Rajeev, Ministers Saji Cherian, V N Vasavan, M B Rajesh, Ministers from Bahrain, Abu Dhabi, Zimbabwe and industry leaders.

The chief minister assured the entrepreneurs at the summit that industrial permits will not be stuck in red tape. Licenses will be issued in a time-bound manner. A comprehensive amendment to the regulations that will help industrial growth will be made soon. The chief minister clarified that he has received suggestions for this.

The chief minister informed the entrepreneurs that the government is acting as a facilitator of industrial progress. The government gives great importance to the development of infrastructure for industries. The government has given importance to road and rail development. Not only national highways but also all roads have been ensured to be developed. Kerala is a state without power cuts. No investor will have to return from Kerala due to lack of land. 87 out of 100 Keralites have access to internet facilities. This is above the national average and Kerala is number one in the country in ease of doing business, the chief minister said.

The chief minister, who will be participating in the summit full-time, had reached Kochi yesterday evening. After assessing the preparations, he held a meeting with the representatives. The preparations were completed under the leadership of principal secretary A P M Muhammed Haneesh.

Groups of investors, including foreigners and expatriates, have reached for the summit. Three thousand representatives were selected from six thousand applications. There are also diplomatic representatives invited from 26 countries. Countries like Germany, Vietnam, Norway, Australia, Malaysia, and France are partners of Invest Kerala.