By IANS,
Kochi : The involvement of people – the fourth P in the public-private-partnership model – is important in developing infrastructure, union minister Kumari Selja said at the Emerging Kerala-2012-Global Connect programme here Thursday.
“People should be involved in the PPP infrastructure projects. One pilot project has been sanctioned in Kerala in which people would participate,” Selja, the union minister for housing, urban poverty alleviation and culture, said while inaugurating the session on ‘Bridging the Infrastructure Gap: Role of PPPs to Spur Growth’.
She said Kerala should leverage its achievements in education, healthcare and other social indicators of human development index to attract investments in the PPP mode.
In India, during the 12th Plan period (2012-2017), some $125,000 billion would be required for infrastructure projects. Of this, 50 percent is expected from the private sector, she said.
Referring to Indian cities and affordable housing for the poor, Selja said nearly 40 percent of the population will live in cities by 2030, accounting for around 70 percent of the gross domestic product (GDP).
She said the PPP model should include housing for the poor, which is a major challenge as most of the urban poor are vulnerable on three counts – residential, occupational and social.
According to her, the central government’s Rajiv Awas Yojana (RAY) plans to have slumless societies and also would provide legal titles to the dwelling units of poor, thus addressing their residential vulnerability.
Referring to Mayasia’s experience in PPP in infrastructure projects, Samy Vellu, special envoy to India and South Asia for infrastructure, said India is an attractive destination for foreign investments after the US and China.
Citing the growing number of tourists to Kerala for ayurvedic treatment, he suggested that the state look at developing an ayurvedic city in the PPP mode with modern hospitals and affordable accommodation.
The ayurvedic market is estimated at around Rs.8,000 crore and growing at 20 percent and the state can look at setting up a fund to facilitate private sector investments, Velu added.
Earlier, kickstarting the session, Kerala Public Works Minister V.K. Ebrahimkunju said the state was a bit shy of the PPP model though other Indian states had embraced it.
Stressing the fact that continued state funding of infrastructure projects may not meet the needs, Ebrahimkunju remarked that Kerala can evolve a modified PPP model to suit its needs.
The three-day global investor conference that concludes Friday is being organised by the Kerala government, the Confederation of Indian Industry (CII) and NASSCOM.