Chennai: After wooing the industrialists through the Global Investors Meet (GIM), the Kerala state is now targeting other trading class to set up shop there. "We will be holding a business meet in Kochi soon to woo the trading and business community," says Kerala Industries, Social Welfare and IT Minister P K Kunhalikutty.

"GIM was successful as we signed investment memorandums of understanding (MoUs) worth Rs 26,000 crore," he adds. "The next step is to realise the MoUs into actual investments. The state is also in the process of privatising four government undertakings soon."

About the response for the apparel and film video parks set up by the government, he says: "The plots in the apparel park is fully sold out. Malayalam film personalities have lapped up the plots. Similarly the response for the film video parks is also good from the investors."

After tourism Kerala is targeting software and business process outsourcing (BPO) outfits. Towards this, the state is expanding its software parks - Technopark in Thiruvananthapuram and Infopark in Kochi. According to Kerala state IT secretary Aruna Sundararajan 250 acres have been acquired for Technopark expansion and 2 lakh square feet of built-up space is added at Infopark.

"As a part of e-governance we are planning to set up a call centre manned by six people from 9 am to 7 pm to answer people's query about power, civil supplies and driving licence," she says. "The government is yet to decide whether to outsource the call centre activity or not."

The state, in the meantime, is implementing a unique project called Akshaya in Malappuram district whereby at least one person in each of the 7.5-lakh family is taught to use a computer and access the Internet.