Thiruvananthapuram | A three-day roundtable conference to give a concrete implementation roadmap to 73 major projects announced in Keralam's 2026-27 Budget will begin here on Wednesday, bringing together ministers, top bureaucrats, experts, investors and other stakeholders.
The 'Reimagining Keralam' roundtable conferences, organised under the theme "Ideas, Projects, Actions", will be held from September 16 to 18 at Lemon Tree Premier and Hilton Garden Inn in the state capital.
The initiative brings together more than 40 government departments and agencies to work out implementation plans, with priority given to projects involving multiple departments, an official release said here on Tuesday.
Chief Minister V D Satheesan will inaugurate the programme. Industries, Commerce, Information Technology and Artificial Intelligence Minister P K Kunhalikutty will deliver the keynote address.
"This novel initiative is conceived as a Government-led institutional mechanism to provide a structured platform for consultation, assessment and decision-making on major programmes announced in the 2026–27 State Budget," Satheesan said while releasing the logo of 'Reimagining Keralam' at his chamber on Monday.
"Reimagining Keralam reflects the collective thinking leading to collective action. It brings diverse perspectives together around the government's vision of transforming ideas into projects and projects into action," he added.
The discussions will seek to establish the vision, scope, ownership, institutional arrangements, resource requirements and implementation strategy for each project.
They will also determine the funds required, the department or agency that will lead each project and the steps needed to speed up implementation, including the preparation of Detailed Project Reports (DPRs).
The first day will focus on major industrial and technology initiatives, including Mission Samudra, investor-friendly consortiums, industrial corridors and Artificial Intelligence.
The second day will cover projects in social development, tourism, startups, transport and disaster management, while discussions on other projects will continue through the three-day programme.
The roundtables will cover a wide range of sectors, including infrastructure and connectivity, maritime and port-led development, aviation, industrial and economic corridors, energy and renewable resources, critical minerals, urban development, knowledge and higher education, health and life sciences, space, AI and the digital economy, tourism and the creative economy, the release said.
Representatives of government departments and agencies, regulatory authorities, knowledge institutions, industry and funding agencies will participate in the discussions. Policy experts, investors and startups are also expected to take part.
A key outcome of the meetings will be a Draft Project Scope Document for each programme. The documents will be circulated to the respective nodal departments after the conferences and finalised for approval by the concerned minister and the Council of Ministers.
Once approved, the Project Scope Document will form the basis for preparing Terms of Reference (ToRs), Requests for Proposals (RFPs), appointing consultants where required, and taking up feasibility studies, DPR preparation and other project-development activities.
The initiative is also aimed at avoiding duplication of studies, identifying areas for convergence and ensuring that technical and consultancy requirements are aligned with the government's vision for each project.
Following the discussions, the reports will be consolidated and timelines and financial models for the projects will be worked out. A clear roadmap identifying the implementing agency and expected completion timeline will also be prepared, the release added.
