Thiruvananthapuram: Recognising the digitally native generation as a pivotal driving force for the state’s future economy, Chief Minister V D Satheesan announced a dedicated ₹50 crore package specifically targeting Generation Z (Gen Z) in his maiden budget presentation.

Highlighting that those born and raised in the digital era view technology as an organic extension of their daily lives, the Chief Minister emphasised the need to channel their creative and technical excellence into building Kerala's emerging sectors.

 

Empowering the digital natives

The ₹50 crore allocation aims to harness Gen Z's rapid adoption of breakthroughs in cutting-edge fields like Artificial Intelligence (AI), Robotics, Data Science, the Internet of Things (IoT) and Virtual Reality (VR). The government plans to bridge this youthful tech-fluency with the state’s start-ups, innovation hubs, research centres and smart industries.
The initiative will heavily emphasise digital ethics, privacy protection, cyber security and core human values, empowering the younger generation to create systemic technological solutions for complex global problems.

 

₹10 crore for Malayalam AI initiative

In a major push to democratise artificial intelligence and promote regional language computing, the budget announced the Malayalam AI initiative with an initial layout of ₹10 crore. Under this project, the government will fund an open-source Malayalam dataset that will be completely free for public use. This dataset is intended to support innovators and tech developers in building native Malayalam AI models that can be scaled and taken to the commercial market.

 

Platform for young creators and safety initiatives

The budget also bridged technology with art by proposing dedicated creative spaces for the younger demographic. The upcoming M T Vasudevan Nair Cultural Park in Kozhikode will feature advanced facilities designed specifically for Gen Z creators to screen short films and documentaries, as well as stages to host contemporary dance and music performances.

In addition, with a focus on societal welfare and gender safety, the budget introduced the ‘Makalkkoppam’ (With the Daughter) project, a targeted initiative designed to combat and prevent atrocities against women across the state.


(With PTI inputs)