Kerala must lead tech revolution: Mr S D Shibulal

KOCHI: Powered by a range of concrete technological innovations, Kerala needs to leverage its full potential to lead a technological revolution in the coming years, experts from the knowledge industry opined at the Global Digital Summit, #FUTURE, here on Friday. Addressing a session on 'Technology Disruption and Inclusion,' Mr  S. D. Shibulal, chairman, High-Power IT Committee (HPIC), said he would re-imagine Kerala as a cashless society running on completely sustainable energy with zero discharge waste in the coming years.  

"These aspirations are capable enough to create more innovations which will open more opportunities, talents and capabilities. In the years ahead, there should be electric cars running on Kerala's roads," he added. "Kerala is equipped with a congregation of smart villages and we should be able to build on the vast knowledge resources we possess," said Mr Harish Krishnan, MD, Public Affairs & Strategic Engagements - Cisco Systems. Citing the case of Estonia, which has become a completely digitalised country, Mr Dinu John Parel, Global CIO - Dover Corporations, said he looks forward to a day when the world would think about Kerala as the most digitally advanced state in India.  "Estonia could achieve it as they had a common purpose. Besides, they were willing to take risks," he said. "And to make it work, all the constituents, which include enterprises, corporate and citizens, should work together towards this cause," he added.

Mr Thomas Zacharia, director, Oak Ridge National Laboratory, US,  said he currently sees Kerala as a sustainable, ecologically-friendly and inclusive state uniquely enabled by digital technology.  "Kerala has an opportunity to have an integrated urban transportation planning given the fact that the short distance we have to travel, the state is the ideal place for electric vehicles," he said. To combat climate change and rise in the sea levels, Kerala should plan intensively, he added. Since Kerala is experiencing scarcity of land, it is important to shift from 'ownership' to 'usership' at the earliest, observed Mr Vinod Vasudevan, Group CEO, Flytxt.  Mr Subramnian Rangan, professor, Strategy & Management - INSEAD, held that Kerala is frontier in many ways like female literacy rate and hence it should be open to progress.