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Ayyappan Nair likely to be Kerala's IDC chief; move seen as investor-friendly

D Jose in Thiruvananthapuram

Ayyappan Kutty Nair, member of the Public Enterprises Selection Board, New Delhi, is likely to succeed K Vijayachandran as the chairman of the Kerala State Industrial Development Corporation and advisor to Industries Minister. The latter was recently sacked for his alleged involvement with the ''Save CPI-M Forum''.

The party, which has been scouting for an efficient man to head the IDC, zeroed in on Nair as he is believed to have strong leanings toward the Left movement.

Nair has worked as secretary to Prime Minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee and as Punjab chief secretary. He has reportedly given his consent to the move when Chief Minister E K Nayanar and Industries Minister Ms Susheela Gopalan met him in New Delhi recently.

Official sources here said that Nair would take up the job if appointed on a full-time basis. The KSIDC had been headed by a part-time chairman for quite a long time now.

Nair, who had also served as secretary to former prime minister I K Gujaral, has had a stint in Kerala as the chairman of the Marine Products Export Development Authority. Although he hails from Kerala, he belongs to the Punjab cadre and had the experience of heading the Industrial Development Corporation in Punjab.

The IAS circles in Kerala are said to be wary of appointing an officer senior to the state chief secretary as the chairman of the KSIDC. However, the industries minister was keen to have a senior hand in the premier promotional agency as it has the onerous task of helping in achieving nine per cent industrial growth in the state in the next two-and-a-half years as promised in the industrial policy announced recently.

Besides this, the KSIDC has in hand several major projects. A section of the party in fact prefers a thorough political person to head the organisation as in West Bengal. However, the industries minister thought that appointment of a political man would send wrong signals about a state like Kerala where industrialists dread to enter due to the labour militancy.

The ministry thought that a professional who has had close liaison with investors in various capacities he worked in the past would carry conviction with the investors. Moreover, the industrial policy is also loud on the government's intention to leave the industrial development bodies in the hands of professional men.

Meanwhile, Vijachandran, who relinquished the post virtually with tears, has criticised Planning Board for neglecting the development of vital sectors like power, communication, transport and industry due to its overemphasis on the Plan campaign. He accused the government of paying no heed to the draft policy prepared by the Planning Board on the Ninth Plan.

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Kerala