U.S. Consul General in Chennai Judith Ravin was in the capital city on a virtual visit on Tuesday, during which she met several prominent individuals and civil society leaders to explore cooperation between the United States and Kerala on issues ranging from climate change mitigation to combating COVID-19.
Ms. Ravin was briefed about the Kerala Model of Development and focus on traditional and new sectors, including tourism, information technology, space technology, innovation, coastal infrastructure, and service sector.
At Technopark
Chief Executive Officer of Technopark John M. Thomas led the Consul General on a virtual tour of the Technopark campus. Ms. Ravin met representatives from seven major U.S. and Indian IT companies to learn about the current business environment in Kerala.
She also met with the alumni and trainers from the Consulate’s English Access Micro-scholarship Program (Access), conducted in collaboration with the Women’s Muslim Association and the Loyola College Society.
The Consul General met women leaders from academia, entertainment, entrepreneurship, and the NGO sector and discussed women’s issues, the growth of women’s movements in Kerala, and government initiatives to promote women’s empowerment, gender equity, and equality.
She also interacted with the members of the royal family of erstwhile Travancore.
Key issues
A pressnote quoting the Consul General said the virtual visit had helped to address key issues of mutual interest and gain insight into Kerala’s cultural heritage, socio-economic development, pluralistic ethos, and a strong tradition of tolerance and inclusion. “I am richer today with more ideas for promoting people-to-people and institutional partnerships between Kerala and the United States,” she said.
