If student migration is as much a Kerala affliction as dengue fever or chicken pox, what is the antidote that would cure Gen Zs of their seemingly pathological desire to flee the state for both higher studies and jobs.

The participants at the Manorama News Conclave session on 'Growth and Ground Realities' in Kochi on Saturday threw up different prescriptions.

Industries Minister P K Kunhalikutty seemed to suggest that new developments would take care of the student migration epidemic. "There might not have been much of a hope in Kerala in the past. But the growth in technology, particularly AI, will strengthen Kerala in a big way. And with the inauguration of Vizhinjam International Seaport, Kerala has secured access to the world markets like never before," Kunhalikutty said.

"If you draw a straight line from Vizhinjam, it will take you to Europe," is how Kunhalikutty later explained the importance of Vizhinjam.

The minister also offered an ad man's pitch for Kerala. "We have the finest climate, pleasing greenery and there is water aplenty. If we can provide a bit more opportunities, tell me of a better place in the world than Kerala."

For Jose Thomas, the chairman and managing director of Choice Group, the youth can be held back if Kerala is transformed into a technology-driven state. "In Kerala we have no large and heavy industries, no automobile manufacturing. We don't have the land for it. So make Kerala a technology-driven state. The chances of our kids staying back are high," Thomas said.

Former cricketer and the CEO of Kerala Cricket Association, Minu Chithambaram, said that on top of its emotional connect, Kerala should also possess "economic connect". Meaning, nostalgia without opportunities is of no use.

Kerala sports has shown the way. Minu said that at least in the field of sports, the youth from Kerala had not felt the need to pursue opportunities and jobs in other parts of the country or outside in the last decade. "This is because we had created world-class sports infrastructure in this period," Minu said.

The KCA CEO also emphasised the importance of bridging the "awareness gap". "For instance, the youth should know that sports offers more than just a playing opportunity. They should know about the various avenues open to them in an industry. In the case of sports, there are team managers, physiotherapists and performance analysts,” she said.

Tom M Joseph, the director of new initiatives, Jain University, hinted that public policy should be socially responsible. "We should have a social impact index," he said. "We have to measure a policy in terms of the number of lives it has changed for the better. Did the policy make our land a nicer place to live in should be the thumb rule," Tom Joseph said.

Kunhalikutty said that the UDF government's vision had the sweep to encompass all the prescriptions. Unlike in the past, where "various isms dictated terms", Kunhalikutty said that there was a change in philosophy.

He said that the government was not just trying to be sensitive to the needs of Gen Z. "We are going to be the Gen Z," he said. He said the UDF government's policies would make the youth hopeful.

Kunhalikutty said that he himself had suffered mighty backlashes in the nineties for piloting radical reforms. The man who served as Kerala's industries minister for the longest period pointed to the attempts to restructure the public sector and the privatisation of professional colleges. "When we tried to open up professional education to the private sector, the resistance was so vehement that it led to even police firing," Kunhalikutty said.

Now, the world has changed. "People have now started to see the world. The seeds of discontent of various isms had once sowed will not flower any more," the minister said. When asked whether he was referring to Communism, Kunhalikutty said with a smile: "No. I was speaking in general terms."

Even then, later in the discussion, he said that the Left were indeed to blame for the stagnation Kerala had suffered. "Had it not been for the Leftist orientation and the negativism that it spawned, Kerala would have taken great strides by now," the minister said. "But now, the Gen Z wants change," he said.

The Choice Group CMD said that there was something behind the reluctance of the private sector to set up shop in Kerala. Jose Thomas, however, did not say what. Just that even he had to shift his headquarters to Chennai following the huge attrition rate his office experienced in Kerala.

There was another Kerala attribute he mentioned. "Debt shyness". Though Thomas did not expressly say it, this fear of risk could be one of the reasons for poor private investment in Kerala.

He then had a word of advice for the industries minister. "Reach out to us (the business community) rather than waiting for us to come and ask you a favour."

Both Jose Thomas and Tom Jose spoke of the need to skill people in utilitarian occupations like plumbing, electric work and masonry. "We don't have an institution for plumbers or electricians. And the result is people from outside the state have come in and taken our jobs," Thomas said. Tom Joseph of Jain University said that for this to happen, Kerala should first shed its outdated notions of occupation that favours some jobs over the other.