Telangana embraces new technologies, emerges as catalyst for innovation : KTR

Hyderabad: Telangana, as a state, has identified the importance of technology in the advancement of our state since its inception, and we have focused hard on embracing the most modern technologies and becoming a catalyst for technological innovation, said IT Minister KT Rama Rao on Tuesday.

KTR told a gathering at the unveiling of the Telangana State Robotics Framework at T-Hub on Tuesday, "Every day, we proudly claim that we are India's startup state. We are, in fact, the pioneers in a number of ways in how we employ technology to improve the lives of our inhabitants."

While referring to a classic example established by the Telangana government, KTR said, "The 'Saagu-Baagu' project that we are working on in collaboration with the World Economic Forum is a unique innovative concept that is a classic example of agricultural innovation. Leveraging artificial intelligence (AI) for agricultural innovation is a novel idea, and I'm glad that the Telangana government has chosen to pursue it."

"We are now living in the fourth industrial revolution, which is being driven by emerging technologies and is disrupting many sectors on a daily basis. Harnessing it correctly would provide us with the required push to become a global leader," he said.

"With this in mind, we established a first-of-its-kind emerging technologies centre in 2017. We chose eight emerging technologies with a two-fold objective of designing a policy framework to be a leader and establishing institutions that encourage innovation and the adoption of more and more technology, which will result in skill development, research development, entrepreneurship, and capacity building," the IT Minister said.

While discussing Telangana's technological breakthroughs, KTR said, "We also wanted to be a government that adopts technology projects across domains. When we tell Telangana Chief Minister KCR about a new technology, he usually asks about its positive impact on society and how it would benefit the common man. So we decided as a government to take the 'PPP' method, which stands for policy, partnerships, and projects. We released five actionable policy frameworks on AI, cloud, blockchain, drones, and space technology under this PPP framework, which enabled us to focus on the fundamental foundation pillars and adoption of these technologies in Telangana."

He said, "For partnerships, we have established five dedicated centres of excellence in collaboration with Nasscom, educational institutions such as IIIT Hyderabad, and global forums such as the World Economic Forum. These centres of excellence have really ushered in a lot of very interesting innovations and processes, which include the Telangana AI Mission, the Centre of Excellence for E-Waste Management, the Block Chain District, and the Cybersecurity Centre of Excellence. These are all outcomes of policy frameworks that have been created."

Robotics was a technology that became a game changer, KTR said, recalling one of the situations when he had to approach a robotic company, emphasising the importance and future of robotics.

"When I had an issue with my sewerage system, I approached a robotics company and asked for a robot that could go into a sewer and identify the problem. It is critical to understand how we use robotics technology to ensure that we actually deliver value to our society.

"Robotics is about more than just automating tasks; it's about unlocking new levels of creativity, productivity, and innovation by allowing us to do things we couldn't before. Several advantages include increased safety, security, and efficiency. These advantages translate into the possibility of recruiting in a variety of areas, including health care and others. We can also include improvements in logistics, agriculture, and other industries. India should start manufacturing robots and exporting them to the rest of the world. By establishing this robotic ecosystem in the state, we hope to open up more opportunities for growth in other industrial verticals and emerge as a national leader," he added.

The holistic policy that was developed in Telangana, which was one of the first states in the country, the Minister said.

"We welcome investors, robotics enthusiasts, and start-ups, but we also want to see a discernible improvement in the positive influence on society as a whole. We want to bring in new robotics developments and use them to promote the well-being of the public. With the framework in place, our goal is to create a sustainable robotics ecosystem that supports innovation and positions us as an industry leader," he added.