Thiruvananthapuram

The Kerala government has announced a dedicated Rs 50 crore fund for Generation Z initiatives, with Chief Minister V. D. Satheesan highlighting the role of young people in shaping the state's future economy and innovation landscape.

Presenting his first budget in the state Assembly on Friday, Satheesan said Gen-Z, having grown up in a technology-driven environment, is uniquely positioned to lead the adoption and application of emerging technologies.

He noted that the younger generation is at the forefront of embracing fields such as artificial intelligence, robotics, data science, the Internet of Things (IoT) and virtual reality. According to him, Kerala can harness this technological aptitude and creativity to strengthen startups, innovation centres, research institutions and smart industries across the state.

The chief minister said the initiative would also focus on promoting responsible technology use by encouraging awareness of digital ethics, data privacy, cybersecurity and human values.

Describing Gen-Z as a crucial force in driving future industries and economic growth, he announced an allocation of Rs 50 crore to support programmes aimed at nurturing innovation and technological entrepreneurship among young people.

In addition, the budget introduced a Malayalam AI Initiative, allocating Rs 10 crore for the project. The programme aims to create an open-source Malayalam language dataset and support the development of artificial intelligence models in Malayalam that can be commercially utilised by innovators and startups.

The budget also proposed dedicated spaces for showcasing creative work by young content creators. These include facilities for screening short films and documentaries, as well as venues for contemporary music and dance performances at the proposed M. T. Vasudevan Nair Cultural Park in Kozhikode.

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The announcements reflect the government's emphasis on technology, innovation and youth-driven cultural initiatives as part of Kerala's broader development strategy.