Thiruvananthapuram: Kerala has announced a new Rs 50 crore programme aimed at supporting Generation Z, with Chief Minister VD Satheesan saying the young,
digitally connected generation will play a major role in shaping the state's future economy. Presenting his first budget in the Assembly on Friday, Satheesan said Gen Z is among the groups driving rapid global change. According to him, people born in the digital era are naturally comfortable with technology and quick to embrace new innovations. "Gen Z is the fastest demographic to adopt and utilise breakthroughs in fields such as Artificial Intelligence, Robotics, Data Science, Internet of Things (IoT), and Virtual Reality (VR). The creative abilities and technological excellence of the younger generation can be brought together to develop Kerala's startups, innovation hubs, research centres and smart industries, while emphasising digital ethics, privacy protection, cyber security and core human values," he said while presenting the revised state Budget. He added that young people can help create technology-based solutions to complex problems and become a key force behind future industries and economic growth. "By striving to develop technological solutions to complex problems and create systemic changes, this generation will become an important driving force of the future economy and industries. An amount of Rs 50 crore is allocated for this purpose," he said. The budget also announced a Malayalam AI Initiative, with Rs 10 crore set aside for the project. "Kerala will launch a Malayalam AI Initiative -- funding an open Malayalam dataset, free for all, and supporting the development of Malayalam AI models that innovators can take to market. An amount of Rs 10 crore is allocated for this," Satheesan said. In addition, the government plans to create spaces for Gen Z creators to showcase short films, documentaries, contemporary dance and music performances at the proposed M T Vasudevan Nair Cultural Park in Kozhikode.
