Thiruvananthapuram

Chief Minister V D Satheesan on Friday announced a Rs 50 crore initiative for Generation-Z, describing the digitally native generation as a key driver of Kerala's future economy and innovation ecosystem.

Presenting his maiden budget in the Assembly, Satheesan said Generation-Z was among the forces rapidly transforming the world.

According to him, those born and raised in the digital age have technology as an integral part of their lives and are quick to adopt emerging technologies.

"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 in the revised state Budget in the Assembly.

"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 added.

The budget also announced a Malayalam AI Initiative with an allocation of Rs 10 crore.

"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.

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The budget further proposed facilities for screening short films and documentaries by Gen-Z creators and for presenting contemporary dance and music performances at the proposed M T Vasudevan Nair Cultural Park in Kozhikode.