THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: The state government’s new IT policy is set to be published within two months. The policy will place emphasis mainly on three areas: advanced technology in education, e-governance, and related product development and investment.
The draft policy is under preparation after various stakeholders in the IT department, including the Kerala Startup Mission and GTech, submitted their suggestions to the government. The first and previous IT policy was announced and published in 2017.
Sources said that education will be a prime focus of the policy which will pave the way for technologies like artificial intelligence and robotics to be used for tutoring students. The state government’s digital university and the proposed digital science park will function as a platform for researching and developing such centres.
Focus will also be given to applying futuristic technologies to governance so that all existing functions could be converted into paperless. As part of this, the services of other stakeholders, including the IT Mission and the C-DIT, will be used.
The focus will also be on attracting global IT giants to the state and ensuring single-window clearance for them. This is expected to boost IT investment in the state. The government’s proposal to build three IT corridors will also be given due consideration with the utmost participation of private co-developers.
There are also suggestions to increase the current IT space to accommodate more companies in the future. Priority will also be given to homegrown IT firms and startups by giving them support from mentors, sources said.
Rathan U Kelkar, IT secretary, told TNIE that the draft of the new IT policy is under preparation and the outcome will be futuristic. “Discussions are ongoing with various stakeholders and all the suggestions will be considered while preparing the final draft. However, our prime focus will be the application and research of advanced technology in education, e-governance, and investment. Efforts are on to woo global IT giants to the state. As part of it, the government will give prominence to three IT corridors that were announced in the state budget,” he said.
The other key objectives are to establish Kerala as a preferred IT and ITES hub, particularly in research and innovation-based technologies, and leverage it to contribute significantly to GDP and employment. Taking a cue from the IT policy in 2017, the government will create an infrastructure to enable women to work in the sector, ensuring them safe transportation and a secure environment at the workplace.
Policy to accommodate future needs of people
The new IT policy will also stress the constant demand and expectation by the citizens in terms of a single sign-in for government interactions, digital government, and the right to service. It will be designed to accommodate the future needs of the people