Kerala - Kozhikode   

VS: effort to make PSUs profitable

— Photo: S. Ramesh Kurup

Back in reckoning: People show samples of the Kerala Sandal Soap during the re-launch of the soap at a function in the city on Friday.

Kozhikode: Chief Minister V.S. Achuthanandan launched the revived Kerala Soaps here on Friday.

In his videographed inaugural speech played at the venue, Mananchira Square, Mr. Achuthanandan said that the government would continue to strive to make all the Public Sector Undertakings (PSUs) under the government profitable. He expressed confidence that the revived Kerala Soaps would script a new story of success leaving its grim past behind to inspire the remaining PSUs in the State. “Such inspiring revival would definitely help the State to shed its earlier image of being the graveyard of industries,” he said.

Claiming that the government had achieved amazing success in making the PSUs in the State successful in the recent years, the Chief Minister said his government had effectively salvaged the PSUs in the State to a winning position within a short time. “The government saved them from Rs.70 crore loss to Rs.170 crore profit within three years,” he said.

When the LDF government came to the power, only 12 PSUs in the State were making profits. “But the creative leadership of Industries Department made 28 of them profitable by now,” he said adding that the government would strive hard to make the remaining 14 PSUs also profitable in the coming years.

Industries Minister Elamaram Karim presided over the function.

Forest Minister Benoy Viswom inaugurated the sale of the soaps by handing over a carton of soaps to Civil Supplies Regional Manager Kammad Kutty at the venue. Samples of the new soap (Kerala Sandal Soap) was distributed free of cost to all those who were present at the inaugural venue.

Speaking on the occasion, Mr. Karim said the revival of the Kerala Soaps was a collective dream of the people of Kerala for the last several years.

The Industries Minister, who stated that not a single PSU was closed, sold or privatised during his tenure, exuded confidence that the total profit of the PSUs under the government would soon cross Rs.200 core. “Instead of losing hope, the government revived, renovated and reopened many of them making profit and proved that nothing was impossible for PSUs in the State,” Mr. Karim said.

Kerala Soaps was being re-launched after a thorough organisational and infrastructural revamp of the erstwhile Kerala Soaps and Oils Ltd., which remained closed for the last eight years. The new company, Kerala Soaps Ltd., is functioning under a new management, the Kerala State Industrial Enterprises Ltd.

In the first phase, the company can manufacture 6,000 metric tonnes of soap annually. It is re-introducing the company’s old brands like ‘Kerala Sandal,’ ‘Vep’ and ‘Thrill.’ ‘Wash Well,’ the old washing soap, will be re-launched only in the second phase.

M.K. Raghavan, MP, MLAs A. Pradeep Kumar, P.M.A. Salam, M.K. Premachandran, and K.K. Lathika and Industries Secretary Alkesh Sharma were present.

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