Planning Board briefs VCs on KLA conclave

Our Correspondent

Seeking to ensure active participation of the academic community to the February 1-3 global conclave, ‘Kerala Looks Ahead’ (KLA), the State Planning Board has urged Vice-chancellors of universities across the state to ensure that students, scholars and teachers benefited the most from the meet.

Addressing the VCs through videoconference, Vice-Chairperson of the State Planning Board Dr. V.K. Ramachandran said that it is important to enlist the participation of maximum number of members of academic community for the event, whose thrust is on taking the state forward by finding the best practices and models.

The conclave will be conducted on Zoom and live streamed on Facebook and YouTube. While certain number of participants from universities can join by registering in Zoom Room, others can follow the sessions on the other two platforms. The details will be worked out and sent to the leadership of universities for them to decide on the shape of participation from respective campuses, Dr Ramachandran said.

He said it is significant that one of the key topics of discussions is higher education, including international academic collaboration.

Pledging support to the initiative, the VCs made suggestions on how greater involvement of the academic community could be ensured for the meet, which will be covering all the key areas of development of the state.

Dr. Venu V, Member Secretary. Planning Board and Members of the Planning Board, Dr B Ekbal, Dr K Raviraman, Dr Mridul Eapen and Dr T Jayaraman were present. Dr K N Madhusoodanan, VC, Cochin University of Science and Technology, Dr R Chandrababu, VC, Kerala Agricultural University, Dr Sabu Thomas, VC, MG University, Prof. Gopinath Ravindran, VC, Kannur University and others attended the interaction.

The ‘Kerala Looks Ahead’ (KLA) Conference & Consultation, planned by the Kerala State Planning Board, looks at suggestions to achieve a paradigm shift in the state’s progress in the coming years, aiming renewed work on the economic policy’s twin aspects: build on historic achievements in welfare and invigorate growth and development through technology.

Nobel laureate economist Professor Joseph Stiglitz and Dr. Soumya Swaminathan, Chief Scientist with World Health Organisation (WHO) are prominent among those who will address the meet at the Inaugural Session to be held on February 1. Representatives of government, policymakers, experts and captains of industry as well as heads of allied organisations will speak in different sectoral sessions.

The deliberations are set to focus on nine themes, covering primary sector (agriculture, fisheries and animal resources development), modern industrial possibilities, tourism, higher education (including international academic collaboration), skill development, information technology, e-governance, local governments, and federalism and development financing.