Thiruvananthapuram: Kerala Finance Minister K N Balagopal on Friday announced that the state will roll out its first ‘work near home’ (WNH) initiative on January 19, marking a significant step towards strengthening local employment opportunities.

Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan will inaugurate the first WNH centre at Kottarakkara in Kollam.

The minister said the initiative is being launched in collaboration with Technopark and Cyberpark with the aim of connecting skilled talent in rural areas to global job markets.

He added that the "first WNH centre" has been established in a renovated BSNL office building in Kottarakkara and will function as a “plug-and-play” facility, enabling professionals to use high-quality workstations without the need to travel to large urban centres.

Balagopal explained that the project, announced in the previous state budget, is part of a larger plan to generate five lakh employment opportunities in villages across Kerala, with a focus on educated youth and homemakers seeking to return to the workforce.

Following the launch, the government plans to extend the WNH model to other rural areas, including Kalamassery in Ernakulam district, Ramanattukara in Kozhikode, and Taliparamba in Kannur.

He said all WNH centres will be equipped with a reliable power supply and high-speed internet connectivity, in line with global standards.

“The success of the model is already evident, as the international IT firm Zoho Corporation has begun operations in Kottarakkara, demonstrating that rural towns can support major tech hubs,”said the minister.

The minister also drew attention to the ‘expand your office’ initiative, which encourages established IT companies to open satellite offices in rural regions.

Balagopal further said that the Kerala Development and Innovation Strategic Council (K-DISC) has secured an interest-free loan from the Kerala Infrastructure Investment Fund Board to develop infrastructure, enabling the WNH centres to offer high-end facilities at affordable costs.