Tech Advancements Key to Improving Basic Services: India Skills Kerala Open Forum

KOZHIKODE:
India needs to keep up its momentum in technological advancements to ensure that basic services in the economy meet with the needs of the new age, experts at India Skills Kerala 2020 said today.

The country has, since the past decade, reached a stage where artificial intelligence, virtual reality and IoT (Internet of Things) hold the key to mankind’s progress with increasing reliance on computer science, speakers noted at an open forum at the inaugural evening of the three-day event being organised by the Industrial Training Department and Kerala Academy for Skills Excellence.

Emphasis should be laid on upgrading practical skills at the professional level even after completion of the academic course, they said at the 90-minute session on ‘Information Technology and 21st-Century India’ of Indian Skills Kerala where 253 participants across the state are competing to prove their eminence in 39 disciplines.

Agriculture expert Dr C K Peethambaran, while reiterating how information technology has the potential to play a major role in the country’s farming sector, noted that a young generation has come into the field with better tech-savviness.

“In 2007, for instance, the government had launched the E-Krishi portal conceived as a farmers’ network, but it did not rise to expectations. Today, the scene is brighter and more technology-driven,” he added in the discussions moderated by Prof R Ajithkumar, who teaches at IIITMK-Thiruvananthapuram.

Kozhikode District Collector S Sambasiva Rao said Kerala has digitized its land records, but that technological process is yet to achieve completion in the health sector. He also called for sharing of pertinent data between governmental departments and with the public.

Dr R R Rajeev, Programme Head (e-Governance and Development) at International Centre for Free and Open Source Software, spoke of the “high potential” of NLP (natural language processing) in creating job opportunities. Dr Anoop V S of Kerala Blockchain Academy highlighted a similar scope for employment generation with the adoption of linking a growing list of records using cryptography.

Pradeep P Nair, Practice Head (Wipro), explained how GPS and GSM vehicle tracking system can better the country’s agricultural practices with tractor playing an increasing role. A Balakrishnan, Executive Director of Geojit Financial, stressed the need for professionals to continue learning to keep the career graph going up along with advancement in the field.