The three-day virtual global conclave titled ‘Kerala Looks Ahead’ was inaugurated by CM Pinarayi Vijayan on February 1, 2021.
Ratan Tata, Kumar Mangalam Birla, Azim Premji, Anand Mahindra and Amartya Sen were among the speakers to address various sessions.
Speaking at the conclusion of the three-day global virtual conclave, Nobel laureate Dr Amartya Sen said Kerala should continue its focus on labour, education and health care sectors and that he was very optimistic about Kerala looking to the future.
“Kerala was one of India’s three poorest economies when the state was incepted six-and-a-half decades ago. In a couple of decades, the state not only moved away from that position, but was competing for being one of the top three in terms of per capita expenditure,” he said.
The conclave was organised by the State Planning Board to chart Kerala’s future in a post-Covid scenario.
The speakers addressed various sessions including primary sector (agriculture, fisheries and animal resources development), skill development, tourism, modern industrial possibilities, higher education, information technology, e-governance, federalism and development financing, and local governments. A special session on Industry would also be held on the final day.