Three-day global meet 'Kerala Looks Ahead' to begin on Feb 1

Thiruvananthapuram, Jan 30 (PTI): Chief MinisterPinarayi Vijayan will inaugurate on February 1 a three-dayvirtual global conclave that seeks to lay down the roadmap forKeralas long-term development by factoring in perspectivesfrom top economists, industry leaders, administrators andplanners amid a changed world order due to COVID-19.

Industry stalwarts Ratan Tata, Kumar Mangalam Birla,Azim Premji and Anand Mahindra and Nobel laureate Amartya Senare among the speakers to address various sessions of themeet titled 'Kerala Looks Ahead'(KLA).

Nobel laureate-economist Professor Joseph Stiglitz andSoumya Swaminathan, Chief Scientist with World HealthOrganisation (WHO), will address the inaugural session onFebruary 1, an officialstatement said here.

Hosted by the Kerala State Planning Board, theconference and consultation will look at suggestions and thebest practices to achieve a paradigm shift in the statesprogress, by building on historic achievements in welfare andinvigorating growth and development through a long-termeconomic vision and infusion of technology into key sectors.

The brochure and schedule of the event were released byPlanning Board Vice Chairperson V K Ramachandran and MemberSecretary Venu V IAS at a press conference here on Saturday.

''Kerala is poised for a major transformation and asdecided by the Chief Minister we are looking at specific areaswhere technology and science can play a pivotal part. Theconference will help us learn from the best practices from thenational and international levels,'' Ramachandran said.

''At a time when we are making efforts to shape tomorrowsKerala, this conference will help key sectors that need deeperinsights to fasttrack the transformation of the state into aknowledge economy,'' Venu said.

Nine themes of deliberations, to be covered by differentsessions, are primary sector (agriculture, fisheries andanimal resources development), modern industrialpossibilities, higher education (including internationalacademic collaboration), skill development, tourism,information technology, e-governance, local governments, andfederalism and development financing.

''It is important that a conference of this dimension istaking place when Kerala is set to initiate its 14th Five YearPlan (2022-27). The insights and suggestions emerging from themeet could become valuable inputs for the plan,'' Ramachandransaid.

A special session on Industry would be held on thefinal day, ahead of the valedictory session.

The Special Industry session on February 3 would alsobe attended by Kiran Mazumdar-Shaw, Executive Chairperson ofBiocon Limited, Kris Gopalakrishnan, Chairperson of AxilorVentures, M A Yusuff Ali, Chairperson of Lulu Group, RaviPillai, Managing Director of RP Group and Azad Moopen,Chairperson and Managing Director of Aster Medcity.

Experts who would speak in different sessions includeTrilochan Mohapatra, Director General of Indian Council ofAgricultural Research; Modadugu Vijay Gupta, Former AssistantDirector General, World Fish Centre; Patrick Heller, Prof ofSociology, Watson Institute, Brown University; Ju-Ho Lee,Former Minister of Science, Technology and Education, Republicof Korea and S D Shibulal, Co-founder of Infosys.

Thematic sessions on Software, Hardware, Agriculture andAnimal Husbandry were held last week, setting the context forwider discussions and drawing conclusions at the meet, thestatement added.