Vijayan presents road map for Kerala-Sharjah co-operation

Thiruvananthapuram, Sep 25: The Kerala cabinet on Monday presented a road map for cooperation between Kerala and Sharjah to visiting Supreme Council Member and Ruler of Sharjah Sheikh Sultan Bin Mohammed Al Qasimi.

The cabinet members, led by Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan, visited state Governor Justice (retd) P. Sathasivam's official residence and presented to the Ruler of Sharjah the document.

The document includes the proposal to construct a family city and a Kerala cultural centre over 20 acres of land in Sharjah, among others.

Vijayan explained that out of the 20 acres, 10 acres would be to set up a family centre containing apartment blocks besides a state-of-the-art hospital.

In the cultural centre, various cultural aspects of Kerala would be showcased and would be a permanent venue for conducting cultural programmes and also an Ayurveda centre.

Among the other projects put up for Al Qasimi's consideration were investment from Sharjah for a state-of-the-art hospital, to come up near the proposed Kannur international airport, scheduled to open next year.

The Sharjah ruler is in Kerala at an invitation extended by Vijayan when he called upon him in Sharjah last December.

In the field of IT, Kerala, which has an excellent programme to groom start-ups, has extended help to budding minds in Sharjah interested to enter the field of IT.

The Kerala government has said the state, with a good exposure in the field of IT, could be the venue for handling the back office operations of the Sharjah government and leading companies.

Another proposal envisages to set up a state-of-the-art educational campus in Sharjah that would have quality schools and higher education centres, including medical and engineering colleges.

Before meeting the cabinet, the Ruler held a discussion with Governor Sathasivam.

On Sunday, the Sharjah ruler and his group of high-ranking officials arrived here.

On Monday evening, he is scheduled to interact with the cream of the civil society of the state and also the successful Kerala businessmen who have made it big in the Middle East.

On Tuesday, the Calicut University will confer upon him an honorary doctorate at a function, which was to be held in Kozhikode, but due to security reasons it will now be held here.

On Wednesday, he would arrive in Kochi to attend a private function being organised by the Middle East business honcho M.A. Yusuf Ali.

The next day, he would return home from here.