CM Pinarayi Vijayan, Sheikh Sultan Bin Muhammad Al Qasimi talk over seven plans
Thiruvananthapuram: Chief minister Pinarayi Vijayan and his cabinet colleagues met UAE Supreme Council member and Sharjah ruler Sheikh Sultan Bin Muhammad Al Qasimi at Raj Bhavan here on Monday and presented seven major projects seeking close cooperation between the two sides in crucial sectors, including IT, infrastructure, health and tourism. The proposal for implementing a housing scheme ‘Sharjah Family City’ for Malayalis residing in Sharjah was discussed at the meeting.
The plan is to have 10 apartment towers for which 10 acres of land would be required. It will be implemented jointly by Sharjah and Kerala government. The Sharjah Family City will provide the best of modern health facilities for the residents. In the event of further expansion, the health care services could be extended to Sharjah citizens. A world class medical centre was proposed near Kannur international airport which is expected to be operational in the second half of 2018 with investment from Sharjah. The government said Kerala has world class modern medicine and medical education facilities along with highly qualified nursing and paramedic staff.
The services of these experts could be utilised for the project. Another project is about International Education Hub at Sharjah. As part of the project, the government intends to start international public schools, engineering college, medical college , skill development centres and other centres of excellence. A cultural centre at Sharjah aimed at showcasing the rich cultural heritage of the state has been proposed. The centre which will require ten acres of land will have museum, venues for presenting folk art and traditional art, exhibition areas to showcase Kerala's heritage and Ayurveda-based medical tourism facility in Sharjah. The government plans to sell ayurveda medical tourism.
Special ayurveda tourism packages will be offered to visitors coming from Sharjah. The government is keen on exploring the possibilities of investment in the infrastructure development sector and is expecting investment worth Rs 50,000 crore over the next four years. The government expects cooperation and participation of Sharjah in the infrastructure development. Cooperation between Kerala and Sharjah in IT sector is also being proposed. The state's expertise and strong base in IT sector could be mutually beneficial for Kerala and Sharjah. There are many Indian and international companies having global standards which are functioning out of the state. The government-owned IT parks are the strong points of the state. Besides, the government has a well-organized department and agency to encourage start-ups. The Kerala Start UP Mission can play a significant role in creating young entrepreneurs in Sharjah.
