Kerala CM to present vision statement on IT sector

Kerala's impressive strides in the IT sector to galvanize its economy and the need to give an impetus to the infusion of new-age technologies for tackling the post-pandemic challenges will be a brainstorming theme at an upcoming global conference here.

Underscoring the immense possibilities of the sector as a driver for accelerating the growth trajectory of the state, Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan would himself present the Vision Statement on this vital theme at the February 1-3 'Kerala Looks Ahead' global conference and consultation, an official statement said here on Monday.

The ambitious event aims at enhancing and modernisingnine key sectors by seeking advice from international experts amid a changed world order, it said.

The IT session, to be attended by policymakers, leaders of IT/ITES industry, and startups, will identify the winners and losers post the recent recession and the pandemic; look for global digital transformation hubs for conventional sectors and new work patterns; R&D; electronic component manufacturing supply chain; and Fab City.

It will also deliberate on Kerala and IndustrialRevolution 4.0, which is evident from new trends in robotics and Artificial Intelligence (AI) that are crucial for the future of IT, the statement said.

S D Shibulal, Co-founder Infosys, Saji Gopinath,ViceChancellor, Kerala University of Digital Sciences, Innovationand Technology,Debjani Ghosh, President, NASSCOM; and PrahladVadekkapat,National University of Singapore, areamong thespeakers who will be sharing their experiences and insights onthe IT sector that is fast shaping up as the backbone ofdigitalised global economies.

''In order to sustain and accelerate the growthmomentum of Kerala's IT sector, it is important to identifynew growth areas for the IT industry and emphasise itsstrengths that would promote the state as an attractive ITdestination,'' said V K Ramachandran, Vice Chairperson,Planning Board.

Venu V, Member Secretary, Planning Board, said thepandemic has had an unequal impact on different sectors of theIT industry and understanding its impact will help the stateto focus its efforts in attracting new and viable investmentsin the sector.

Kerala has invested in high-quality infrastructure incentralised locations for the IT sector.

However, the new normal work-from-home culture haschanged the perceptions about future investment in suchcentral locations.

The conclave will deliberate on investing in newoptions such as work-near-home, decentralised work spaces, andthe use of Keralas tourism potential for developing the stateas a ''workation'' (work+vacation) destination.

Further, Kerala will be required to stay competitiveas severalsectors of industry and business are undergoingdigital transformation.

Automobile, healthcare, hospitality and tourism aresome of the early adopters of digital transformation.

The conclave will strive to identify the other sectorsthat can attract leading enterprises to set up their digitaltransformation knowledge centres in Kerala, it said.

The conference would also tap into Keralas potentialto create a Fab-City through PPP that would help the state toleapfrog into the hardware sector, especially for creatinglarge-scale electronic chips, sensors and microprocessors.

In the session on e-governance, the focus would be oncitizen access to services through cost-effectivetechnological solutions; informed government decision supportsystems; administration of technology systems, citizenparticipation and empowerment; and policy environment andregulations.

Further, the increasing issues of data privacy andcyber security, which have implications for the administrativestructure of e-governance, would also be discussed, thestatement added.

(This story has not been edited by Devdiscourse staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)