Public sector undertakings in Kerala are of two types, public sector units in which majority shares are owned by Union Government and public sector units in which majority shares are owned by State Government. Public sector undertakings in Kerala, i.e. enterprises in which majority shareholder is Government of Kerala are generally divided into Manufacturing & Non-Manufacturing. Some of the PSUs such as Kinfra, KSIDC, SIDCO etc. are promotional agencies. As of 2004 there were 104 enterprises spread over 14 different sectors of Kerala economy. These sectors are as varied as engineering, electronics to wood products & welfare agencies. Eleven units are joint venture of Kerala government with the central government. Most of state PSUs units are under Department of Industries & Commerce (85 enterprises).
The largest enterprisesA REVIEW OF PUBLIC ENTERPRISES IN KERALA 2004–2005, Bureau of Public Enterprises, Government of Kerala (Based on 2005 figures)
Rank Based on capital investment Based on turnover Based on profitability Based on employment1 Kerala State Electricity BoardKerala State Electricity Board Kerala State Electricity Board Kerala State Road Transport CorporationKerala State Road Transport Corporation2 Kerala Water Authority Kerala State Beverages Corporation. Kerala State Financial Enterprises Ltd. The Kerala State Cashew Development Corporation Limited Kerala Water Authority.3 Kerala State Housing Board Kerala State Road Transport Corporation. Kerala Minerals and Metals Ltd. Kerala State Housing BoardKerala State Civil Supplies Corporation Limited
In 2002, it was reported that Kerala government have chosen to either restructure or close the loss-making enterprises and has no plan for privatisation. As per CAG report for 2008-2009, Kerala PSUs lack accountability, and needs improvement for imbibing professionalism and efficiency. It showed an incurred loss of 589 crore. Losses in PSUs were attributed to poor financial management, planning, implementation of projects, running of operations and monitoring. In 2012–13, out of the 78 PSUs which had finalised their accounts during that fiscal year, 45 PSUs earned a total profit of 666.86 crore and 31 PSUs incurred loss of 607.34 crore, as per CAG report. Kerala State Beverages Corporation was the most profit making PSU, while the Kerala State Electricity Board incurred an operational loss of 3,758.17 crore.
In a 2016 study, Kochi-based think tank Centre for Public Policy and Research stated that Kerala government should take a cue from the disinvestment process initiated at the Centre and initiate it at the State level, as Kerala has the case of large number of PSUs in the state that were closed, as they were not able to withstand the competition in the market. During the fiscal year 2016-2017, PSUs in Kerala incurred a net loss of ₹80.67 crore. According to Kerala's state industrial department, the PSUs had a combined net profit of 106.91 crore in 2017-2018; there were total 42 PSUs. In 2018–19, 17 PSUs had registered operational profit, according to the state industrial department. For the fiscal year 2020-21, the annual review report by the Bureau of Public Enterprises calculated a total net loss of 6,055.47 crore from public enterprises in the state. Among these, 63 enterprises were loss-making, while 50 managed to make a profit. Top 10 loss-making enterprises together contributed to 95.39 percent of the total losses. KSRTC topped with a loss of 1,976.03 crore which was 30.08% of the total loss, KSEB came second with a loss of 1,822.35 crore, representing 27.74% of the total loss, and Kerala State Beverages Corporation came third with a loss of 1,608.17 crore, accounting 24.48 percent of total loss.
List of state PSUs in Kerala
+ Sl. No Company HQ Location Sector Remarks1 Astral Watches Limited, Kowdiar Thiruvananthapuram Engineering Defunct 2 Autokast Limited CherthalaEngineering 3 Bekal Resorts Development Corporation Ltd., Thiruvananthapuram Tourism 4 Foam Mattings (India) Limited Alappuzha Traditional industry 5 Forest Industries (Travancore) Limited, Kochi Wood based industry 6 Handicrafts Development Corporation of Kerala Ltd Thiruvananthapuram Traditional industry 7 InfoPark, Kochi Kochi Information Technology 8 Kerala Agro Industries Corporation Limited Thiruvananthapuram Agro based 9 Kerala Agro Machinery Corporation Ltd., Kochi Engineering 10 Kerala Artisans' Development Corporation Ltd., Thiruvananthapuram Welfare 11 Kerala Automobiles Limited Thiruvananthapuram Engineering 12 The Kerala Ceramics Limited Kundara Ceramics & Refractories13Kerala Clays and Ceramic Products Limited Kannur Ceramics & Refractories14Kerala Construction Components Limited CherthalaCeramics & RefractoriesClosed down15Kerala Electrical and Allied Engineering Company Ltd. Kochi Electrical equipment16Kerala Feeds Limited ThrissurCattle Feed17Kerala Garments Limited Kannur TextilesClosed down18 Kerala Hitech Industries Limited Thiruvananthapuram Engineering19 Kerala Industrial Infrastructure Development Corporation (KINFRA) Thiruvananthapuram Developmental & Infrastructure20Kerala Khadi & Village Industries Board Thiruvananthapuram Traditional industry21Kerala Land Development Corporation Limited Thiruvananthapuram Developmental & Infrastructure22Kerala Medical Services, Corporation Thiruvananthapuram 23 Kerala Minerals and Metals Ltd. Kollam Chemical industries 24Kerala Police Housing and Construction Corporation Limited Thiruvananthapuram Developmental & Infrastructure25Kerala Premo Pipe Factory Chavara Unit closed down26 Kerala Shipping & Inland Navigation Corporation Ltd. Kochi Public utilities 27Kerala Small Industries Development Corporation Ltd., (SIDCO) Thiruvananthapuram Developmental & Infrastructure28Kerala Soaps & Oils Ltd. (Not to be confused with Kerala Soaps Unit) Kozhikode Chemical industriesLiquidated29Kerala Solvent Extractions Ltd Thrissur Agro based 30The Kerala State Bamboo Corporation Ltd Thiruvananthapuram Agro based31Kerala State Beverages Corporation. Thiruvananthapuram Trading unit 32Kerala State Cashew Development Corporation Ltd. Kollam Agro based33Kerala State Civil Supplies Corporation Ltd. Kochi Trading unit 34Kerala State Coconut Development Corporation Ltd. Attingal Agro basedUnder liquidation35Kerala State Coir Corporation Ltd. Alappuzha Agro based36Kerala State Construction Corporation Ltd. Kochi Engineering37 Kerala State Co-operative Federation for Fisheries Development Ltd., Matsyafed Thiruvananthapuram Fisheries 38Kerala State Detergents and Chemicals Ltd. Kuttipuram Chemical industriesClosed down39Kerala State Cooperative Textile Federation Ltd.Thiruvananthapuram Textile40Kerala State Development Corporation for Christian Converts from Scheduled Castes and the Recommended Communities Kottayam Financing, Marketing, Education 41Kerala State Development Corporation for Scheduled Castes and Scheduled Tribes Ltd. Thrissur Welfare42Kerala State Drugs and Pharmaceuticals LimitedAlappuzha Chemical industries43 Kerala State Electricity Board Thiruvananthapuram Public utilities44 Kerala State Electronics Development Corporation Ltd., (KELTRON), Thiruvananthapuram Electronics45Kerala State Film Development Corporation Ltd. Thiruvananthapuram Developmental & Infrastructure 46 Kerala State Financial Enterprises Ltd. Thrissur Developmental & Infrastructure 47Kerala State Handicapped Persons Welfare Corporation Ltd. Thiruvananthapuram Welfare48Kerala State Handloom Development Corporation Ltd. Kannur Traditional industries49Kerala State Horticultural Products Development Corporation Ltd., (Horticrop) Thiruvananthapuram Agro based50Kerala State Housing Board Thiruvananthapuram Public utilities51 Kerala State Industrial Development Corporation Ltd. Thiruvananthapuram Development & Infrastructure 52Kerala State Industrial Enterprises Ltd Thiruvananthapuram Development & Infrastructure 53Kerala State Industrial Products Trading Corporation Ltd. Thiruvananthapuram Trading units54Kerala State Maritime Development Corporation Ltd. Kochi Public utilities55Kerala State Poultry Development Corporation Ltd. Thiruvananthapuram Agro based56Kerala State Palmyrah Products Development and Workers Welfare Corporation Ltd., (KELPAM) Thiruvananthapuram Welfare57 Kerala State Road Transport Corporation Thiruvananthapuram Public utilities58Kerala State Rural Women's Electronics Industrial Co-operative Federation Ltd-RUTRONIX ThiruvananthapuramElectronic /IT Training59Kerala State Salicylates & Chemicals Ltd. Thiruvananthapuram Chemical industriesClosed down60Kerala State Textile Corporation Ltd. Thiruvananthapuram Textiles61Kerala State Warehousing Corporation Kochi Agro based62Kerala State Women's Development Corporation Ltd. Thiruvananthapuram Welfare63Kerala State Wood Industries Ltd. Malappuram Wood based industry64 Kerala Tourism Development Corporation Ltd. ThiruvananthapuramTourism65Kerala Urban and Rural Development Finance Corporation Ltd. Thiruvananthapuram Development & Infrastructure66Kerala Water Authority Thiruvananthapuram Public utilities67LBS Institute of Technology for Women ThiruvananthapuramEngineering Education68Malabar Cements Limited Palakkad Chemical industries69Malabar Co-operative Textiles Ltd. (MALCOTEX) Malappuram Textiles70 Meat Products of India Ltd. Kochi Agro based71Oil Palm India Ltd. Kottayam Agro based 72Overseas Development and Employment Promotion Consultants Ltd. Thiruvananthapuram Labour & Rehabilitation73Rehabilitation Plantations Ltd PunalurLabour & Rehabilitation 74Roads and Bridges Development Corporation of Kerala Ltd. Kochi Public works75Scooters Kerala Ltd. Alappuzha EngineeringClosed down76Sideco Mohan Kerala Ltd. Thrissur Unit closed down77Sidkel Televisions Ltd. Thiruvananthapuram electronics Unit closed down78Sitaram Spinning and Weaving Mills Thrissur Textiles79State Farming Corporation of Kerala Ltd. Punalur Agro80State Rural Development Board Thiruvananthapuram Development & InfrastructureUnit closed down81Steel Complex Ltd. Kozhikode Engineering82Steel and Industrial Forgings Ltd Thrissur Engineering83 Technopark, Trivandrum Thiruvananthapuram Development & Infrastructure, Information Technology84The Metal Industries Ltd. Palakkad Engineering85The Metropolitan Engineering Company Ltd. Thiruvananthapuram Electrical equipmentUnit closed86 The Pharmaceutical Corporation (IM) Kerala Ltd., (Oushadhi) Thrissur Chemical industries 87The Plantation Corporation of Kerala Ltd. Kottayam Agro based88The Priyadarshini Co-operative Spinning Mills Ltd. Kottayam Textiles89Tourist Resorts (Kerala) Ltd. Thiruvananthapuram Tourism90Traco Cable Company Ltd. Kochi Electrical equipment91Transformers and Electricals Kerala Limited Kochi Electrical equipment Joint Venture with NTPC Ltd (44.6%)92Tranvancore Cochin Chemicals Ltd. Kochi Chemical industries93Travancore Cements Ltd. Nattakom Kottayam Chemical industries94Travancore Plywood Industries Ltd. Punalur Wood based industryClosed down95Travancore Sugars & Chemicals Ltd. Thiruvalla Chemical industries96 Travancore Titanium Products Ltd. Thiruvananthapuram Chemical industries97 Trivandrum Rubber Works Ltd. Thiruvananthapuram Agro basedLiquidated98Trivandrum Spinning Mills Ltd. Thiruvananthapuram TextilesClosed down99Tourist ResortsLtd. Thiruvananthapuram Infrastructure & Development100United Electrical Industries Ltd. KollamElectrical equipment.101The Trichur Co-operative Spinning Mills Ltd Thrissur Textiles 102Kerala Financial CorporationThiruvananthapuramFinance
List of state PSUs in Kerala under joint ownership with Central Government