Thiruvananthapuram: Chief minister Pinarayi Vijayan would open on February 1 a high-profile three-day virtual global conclave —Kerala Looks Ahead (KLA)— that seeks to lay down the roadmap for Kerala’s long-term development by factoring in perspectives from top economists, industry leaders, administrators and planners amid a changed world order.
Industry stalwarts like Ratan Tata, Kumar Mangalam Birla, Azim Premji and Anand Mahindra and Nobel laureate Amartya Sen are among the speakers addressing various sessions of the meet. Nobel laureate economist Professor Joseph Stiglitz and Dr Soumya Swaminathan, chief scientist with World Health Organisation (WHO), will address the inaugural session on February 1.
Hosted by the Kerala state planning board, the conference & consultation will look at suggestions and the best practices to achieve a paradigm shift in the state’s progress, by building on historic achievements in welfare and invigorating growth and development through a long-term economic vision and infusion of technology into key sectors. The brochure and schedule of the event were released by planning board vice-chairperson V K Ramachandran and member secretary Venu V, IAS, here on Saturday.
“We are looking at specific areas where technology and science can play a pivotal part. The conference will help us learn from best practices from national and international levels,” Ramachandran said.
“About four months’ effort has gone into planning the meet and reaching out to participants from across the spectrum. We have been successful in getting together international organizations like WHO, ILO, UNWTO and the Nobel-winning World Food Programme,” Venu said.
Nine themes of deliberations, to be covered by different sessions, are primary sectors (agriculture, fisheries and animal resources development), modern industrial possibilities, higher education (including international academic collaboration), skill development, tourism, information technology, e-governance, local governments, and federalism and development financing.
“It is important that a conference of this dimension takes place when Kerala is set to initiate its 14th Five Year Plan (2022-27). The insights and suggestions from the meet could become valuable inputs for the plan,” said Ramachandran.
On February 2, deliberations will take place on agriculture, federalism & development financing, IT, e-governance, etc. Special session on industry will be held on the final day, ahead of the valedictory session.