The Hindu Home Expo gets under way

The sixth edition of The Hindu Home Expo got off to an encouraging response at Lulu Mall on Saturday.

The sixth edition of The Hindu Home Expo got off to an encouraging response at Lulu Mall on Saturday.

Inaugurating the two-day event presented by CERA and powered by Canara Bank, Union Minister of State for External Affairs and Parliamentary Affairs V. Muraleedharan credited The HinduGroup for organising the expo which, he said, is in line with Central government’s policy of protecting the interests of the consumers as well as the builders and other stakeholders in the construction industry.

Highlighting the success achieved by Central schemes such as Pradhan Mantri Awas Yojana that was beneficial to nearly 3 lakh people in the State and 3.3 crore people across the country during the last nine years, Mr. Muraleedharan said the Centre has also made focused interventions to bring down interest rates for housing loans with an eye on the welfare of the middle class.

The Centre, he added, upheld a development strategy that integrated welfare and development. Combined efforts by the Central and State governments, local self-government institutions and other stakeholders are vital to achieve the country’s goal of a $5 trillion economy by 2026-27.

S.N. Raghuchandran Nair, CREDAI national executive member and CREDAI Kerala convener general, who delivered the presidential address, said the real estate industry has achieved a good momentum in the post-COVID-19 era and the The Hindu Home Expo is expected to provide greater impetus. He also lauded the novel initiative to organise the event in the shopping mall to attract more buyers.

Pointing out that the construction sector in Kerala has been witnessing a boom, he said 12,000 apartments units had been sold in 2022. The industry had an annual construction turnover of ₹1.47 lakh crore and an annual sales turnover of ₹2.5 lakh crores. About 38% of the revenue generated is being contributed towards the government by way of taxes and registration charges, Mr. Nair added.

Kiran Joshy, Assistant Vice President, Kerala Business Head, The Hindu welcomed the gathering. CERA manager B. Padmakumar, Canara Bank deputy general manager Manoj Kumar Meena, Kerala Real Estate Regulatory Authority (K-RERA) chairman P.H. Kurian, CREDAI Thiruvananthapuram president S. Suresh Kumar, secretary Sabari Rathen M. and M.R. Krishnanunni, Manager, The Hindu, also participated.