Shri Vineeth Chandran, President, Prathidhwani,    

Shri Anvar Sadath, Director, Kerala Infrastructure & Technology  for Education [KITE]

Shri Hrishikesh Nair, Chief Executive Officer, Technopark,

Shri Rajeev Krishnan, Secretary, Prathidhwani,

Shri Nishin T.N., Convener, Prathidhwani Scholarships,

Shri Sinu Jamal, Joint Convener, 

Madhyama Suhruthukkale,

Sahodaree Sahodaranmare,

Ellavarkkum Ente Namaskaram.

       It gives me great joy to address you after presenting the Prathidhwani Educational scholarships to brilliant school students of Thiruvananthapuram district.  Children are the citizens of tomorrow and any encouragement offered to them is a great investment in the future of our country.

       Let me therefore, begin by congratulating all the students whose hard work has been recognized through the presentation of this scholarship. I also place my deep sense of appreciation for the dedicated efforts of the members of Prathidhwani in instituting such a scholarship for deserving children.

            As an organization formed to enhance and enrich the social, cultural and technical aspects of the Information Technology Community in Kerala, it has been rendering service in different areas since April 2012. Over the years, it has developed functional units in Thiruvananthapuram, Kochi and Kozhikode, thereby growing to the level of a trusted welfare Organization of the IT employees across Kerala.

       As all of us know, the State of Kerala has great expectations about the effective utilization of the potential of the Information Technology sector.  This sector has invariably contributed to the economic growth of our State, which in turn, has always been proactive in creating an atmosphere conducive to the development of   IT and IT Enabled services.   The path ahead can be strengthened by attracting and retaining sustainable IT companies which explore the possibilities of cutting-edge work in areas like Industrial Automation, Artificial Intelligence, Analytics, Robotics etc.

            The Information Technology sector has been one of the most dynamic areas with new knowledge flowing in and old technologies becoming outdated. This has made the job really challenging for our young technocrats. Constant updating of knowledge, therefore, has become essential and I am happy to know that Prathidhwani’s Technical Forum has been actively helping the employees by acquainting and training them with the latest technologies and offerings of the IT world.

       Since our Technology Parks remain isolated from other areas of work, society is not properly aware about the work in the Information Technology domain. This sector has   given Kerala, the taste of a new work culture and to our youth, the confidence of being well connected to the world. It has also given our youth much clarity on the need to think and act globally. No wonder, many young people have come forward to utilize this technology for transparent and effective service delivery at the governmental and non-governmental levels. But, such initiatives are yet to earn the full confidence and trust of our society. Therefore, our IT professionals must interact more with society and convince people about leveraging information technology in day today lives.

       I understand that the State government had received great support from the IT sector in ensuring the digital empowerment of people at the grassroots level. You may recall that the training for people to use modern gadgets was   imparted through school students and student police cadets. This was possible only because the State could first digitally empower our school children.  Today, the Kerala Infrastructure & Technology for Education [KITE] has ensured smart classrooms in nearly forty thousand classrooms in the State. Such initiatives help to build a technologically aware society and also point to a bright future for the use of Information Technology in every activity in Kerala.

       It is gratifying to note that Prathidhwani is trying to scale up the infrastructure and academic quality of Government Schools in Thiruvananthapuram through an initiative called Prathidhwani My Government School. It is laudable that nearly 30 parents among the technology professionals have enrolled their children in the Government schools. I must say that this is a very good initiative, because the government schools are living memorials of the people’s intervention in the field of education, which was once denied to a large section of the society. Those schools are the cradles of the democracy that we enjoy today and therefore, they deserve to be protected and strengthened further.

        Most of us, including me, have studied only in government schools and colleges. In my childhood, our schools had tiled buildings with not a single fan. We endured all those difficulties and could come up in life. I would like to tell those students who are receiving their scholarships today that they should give priority to studies and cultivate good and positive habits and maintain good friends who have a purpose in life.  Above all, you should nurture the dream of building a better society for the children of the future.  The scholarship that you receive is an encouragement for your education and for developing a social commitment.

       While complimenting Prathidhwani for the good work done for the techno-community, I would also remind them to make them fully aware of their rights related to a safe work environment. I say this in the context of isolated reports regarding violation of rights relating to wages, job security etc., Since your job has to be carried out across different time zones, round the clock operations are required and issues of safety are likely to arise. I am informed that Prathidhwani’s Women Forum, has been effectively raising issues of women’s security at and outside the work-space. I am happy that the   Forum’s efforts to ensure security have yielded good results which include a Prepaid Auto Counter, Women Security staff in Buildings, Pink Police Patrolling   and posting of Women Police officers at Technopark etc., It is good to know that the  Forum also  takes the responsibility of filing  official complaints to Police and Technopark authorities on behalf of Women Employees who face concerns or assaults.

       I hope this Forum is also active in creating awareness among women employees about their rights and responsibilities at the work place. Let us not forget that the IT sector has also contributed to the empowerment of our women by providing them equal opportunities. While this empowerment needs to be strengthened further, we also should strengthen our sense of gender justice, especially with regard to the gender minorities.

       Let me conclude by complimenting Prathidhwani for the various activities they have been carrying out in our Park campuses and for conducting this function in a befitting manner. I also wish all the children who received scholarships a bright future.

Ellavarkkum Ente Aashamsakal

Nanni

Jai Hind

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