Kerala wants to be a knowledge-based society, CM invites IT companies to set bases in state
Kerala has consistently ranked high in the list of Indian states with good education, healthcare and human resources records. Now the state wants to the be an IT hub for startups as well as big tech companies as it seeks to transform itself into, what its chief minister says, a knowledge-based society. On Thursday the state opened its first #Future conference and invited tech companies to come to the Kerala and set bases in its cities.
CM Pinarayi Vijayan said that to turn Kerala into a knowledge-based society his government will "put in place all infrastructure and policy framework". He said that the state already has strong basics, such as a robust education system which would supply the required skilled IT workers.
"We have a wide range of highly qualified and skilled human resources and the world class physical and digital infrastructure that can attract the emerging knowledge companies in Kerala," said Vijayan in his address at #Future.
"Through #Future, we hope to connect and collaborate so as to enable a digital lifestyle for all in the state...That is why we have this confluence of thought leaders, knowledge champions and leading industrialists, IT professionals and experts here," he said.
The idea, added the CM, is to transform almost every facet of the society, including education, health services, business, delivery of government services, using technology tools like AI and machine learning.
"It is not just physical infrastructure that we are focusing on. We are preparing the much required digital infrastructure as well," said the chief minister. "We are promoting startups like never before with both technical and financial support. We are also investing in skill development platforms, apart from ensuring the last mile connectivity."
M-Keralam and K-Fi
During his address at the #Future, the CM also launched a new government app called M-Keralam. The app will offer all government services - over 100 - through an unified interface. To ensure that people in Kerala do get to use the tech tools that the government is building, it is also rolling out public Wi-Fi across the state.
Last year, Kerala had become India's first state to recognise internet access as a basic right. Since then the government has installed over 1000 public Wi-Fi spots as part of its K-Fi project. At #Future, the CM said that the government was now aiming to set up 1000 Wi-Fi spot every year until it covers all possibly public spaces in the state. Kerala government officials claim that the state has the largest public Wi-Fi deployment in the country right now.
In the last several years, various Indian states have intensified their attempts to draw IT companies to their cities. Kerala, which has already invested quite some time and money to promote start-ups through its Startup Village in Kochi, seems to be the latest entrant vying for attention from the big IT companies, particularly those involved in areas like AI, cyber security and machine learning.
"It is significant that such an event is being held at a time when the world is on the threshold of a massive change impacting entire spectrum of activities. The aim of #Future is to think about the future of Kerala and India and the summit is the first step in that direction," said S D Shibulal, chairman of Kerala's High Power Committee on IT (HPIC).
CM Pinarayi Vijayan said that to turn Kerala into a knowledge-based society his government will "put in place all infrastructure and policy framework". He said that the state already has strong basics, such as a robust education system which would supply the required skilled IT workers.
"We have a wide range of highly qualified and skilled human resources and the world class physical and digital infrastructure that can attract the emerging knowledge companies in Kerala," said Vijayan in his address at #Future.
"Through #Future, we hope to connect and collaborate so as to enable a digital lifestyle for all in the state...That is why we have this confluence of thought leaders, knowledge champions and leading industrialists, IT professionals and experts here," he said.
The idea, added the CM, is to transform almost every facet of the society, including education, health services, business, delivery of government services, using technology tools like AI and machine learning.
"It is not just physical infrastructure that we are focusing on. We are preparing the much required digital infrastructure as well," said the chief minister. "We are promoting startups like never before with both technical and financial support. We are also investing in skill development platforms, apart from ensuring the last mile connectivity."
M-Keralam and K-Fi
During his address at the #Future, the CM also launched a new government app called M-Keralam. The app will offer all government services - over 100 - through an unified interface. To ensure that people in Kerala do get to use the tech tools that the government is building, it is also rolling out public Wi-Fi across the state.
Last year, Kerala had become India's first state to recognise internet access as a basic right. Since then the government has installed over 1000 public Wi-Fi spots as part of its K-Fi project. At #Future, the CM said that the government was now aiming to set up 1000 Wi-Fi spot every year until it covers all possibly public spaces in the state. Kerala government officials claim that the state has the largest public Wi-Fi deployment in the country right now.
In the last several years, various Indian states have intensified their attempts to draw IT companies to their cities. Kerala, which has already invested quite some time and money to promote start-ups through its Startup Village in Kochi, seems to be the latest entrant vying for attention from the big IT companies, particularly those involved in areas like AI, cyber security and machine learning.
"It is significant that such an event is being held at a time when the world is on the threshold of a massive change impacting entire spectrum of activities. The aim of #Future is to think about the future of Kerala and India and the summit is the first step in that direction," said S D Shibulal, chairman of Kerala's High Power Committee on IT (HPIC).