Kerala has got mineral wealth to match Qatar growth, says Speaker

Kerala Legislative Assembly speaker P. Sreeramakrishnan (centre) with members of the Indian Media fraternity in Abu Dhabi. Supplied photo

Kerala Legislative Assembly speaker P. Sreeramakrishnan has said that the south Indian state should make use of resources like minerals to boost revenue.
"Kerala can even match Qatar's growth by making use of rich resources like minerals. We have to use resources in hand to develop the state. I believe the state government should come up with far-sighted polices to have far-reaching effects," he said at an event organised by the Indian Media Abu Dhabi on Tuesday night.
The green groups in Kerala have been protesting against extraction of minerals. "If there are environmental issues at a particular place then that area can be preserved and other areas can be utilised," he added.
He said that Kerala needs more value-added processing companies. He said that despite the state being a top producer of rubber, spice and fish, not many companies were found in the state. "This has to change," he said.
The Speaker also said the politicians must 'ensure that the rules that have been passed by the Parliament and legislative assembly reach the poorest too. "The changes should be for the benefit of the poorest," he said.
On the innovations he has made after becoming the Speaker, Sreeramakrishnan said that Lok Sabha speaker Sumitra Mahajan has agreed to his proposal to telecast important proceedings happening in state legislative assemblies in the Parliament.
"Discussion on issues like Mullaperiyar should be shown on Lok Sabha TV. They can be shown with subtitles and people across India will know what Kerala's actual stand on the issue is."
Sreeramakrishnan said the media in Kerala was following a disappointing trend whereas news channels were turning House proceedings into parody shows.
"This is a disappointing thing. The media should make it a point to inform the general public about the actual work being done in the House," he said in reference to the political satire shows being telecasted widely in the Kerala news channels.
On the steps taken by political parties to help expats, he said: "I find both the ruling and opposition fronts have begun to seriously look into the issues of the expats."
He urged all the social and cultural associations to come together and chart a master-plan on the rehabilitation of expatriates.
Sreeramakrishnan said that he 'never expected' to become a speaker. "I am still doing studies to see what all changes can be implemented as a speaker," he added.