Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan on Sunday gave a clarion call to professionals and students to turn Kerala into a hub for technology innovations.
Instead of becoming colonised by new technologies, the State should turn into a place of technology innovations and applications, he said at the inauguration of Professional Students’ Summit 2019 here.
He called on the youth not to wait for the government to lead but to break the mould to forge ahead in the quest for new technologies and applications.
The programme, the first of its kind in the State, was organised under the aegis of the Additional Skill Acquisition Programme (Asap) under the Department of Higher Education on the Cochin University of Science and Technology campus.
The Chief Minister highlighted the government’s efforts to turn higher education sector world class.
He said the countries that faced disasters achieved progress through technology innovations and cited the examples of Germany, Japan, and Korea.
Human enterprise
He said technology should pervade the entire spectrum of human enterprise, including agriculture, fisheries, healthcare, industry etc.
Young people should break the mould just as it happened with Silicon Valley in the U.S. and as exemplified by the success of startups in the State, Mr. Vijayan added.
He concluded his inaugural address by warning the students not to fall prey to divisive and extremist forces that tried to lure them into their ways.
Minister for Higher Education K.T. Jaleel presided over the function.
Director of the Tata Institute of Fundamental Research Sandip Trivedi made a presentation on the achievements of Indian science in recent times.