Hyderabad: The Digital Telangana initiative is progressing at a rapid pace and in about six months optical fibre connectivity would be provided to every home in the State. About 8 million homes are expected to benefit from high speed fibre broadband services. Digital Telangana goals are much more audacious and ambitious than the Government of India’s Digital India, said Jayesh Ranjan, Principal Secretary, Industries and Commerce.
Inaugurating the tenth edition of the IEEE Region 10 on Friday, he said it was a challenging task. But the government was going to accomplish it anyway. In many villages the optic fibre lines have been laid. “We have taken the horse to water but now we have to see how to make it drink,” Ranjan said referring to the lack of enthusiasm among people about the broadband connectivity. This was because most couldn’t afford it and for some it was not their first priority.
All the tall claims of technological advancement would be meaningless unless they benefited the last man in the remote village. It was a daunting task but the Telangana government was going to accomplish it. In this connection he said the Chief Minister, K. Chandrasekhar Rao, might not be well versed with technologies like artificial intelligence or Internet of Things (IoT) but he was keen that it should benefit the common man. “Whenever we explain to him the accomplishment in the technology sector, his one question is how it will benefit the poor,” Ranjan said.
He appreciated the Asia Pacific Humanitarian technology conference and its objective of creating social impact and serving the underserved. There was immense potential for humanitarian technology in the agriculture sector which sustains rural livelihoods. Use of IoT has huge potential in agriculture which continues to grapple with inefficient practices resulting in production losses. Efforts are now on to provide technology interventions right from sowing operations to pest management, harvesting and storage. “In the dairy sector also IoT could play an important role in monitoring the behaviour and health of animals. But mindset is a major issue and so is the language barrier”, he remarked.
Experts from different fields addressed the conference focussing on the theme – IoT and Industry 4.0, a world of engineering challenges. In the changing world where automation, safety and need for higher productivity had become more significant, the world looked forward to innovations from the engineering community, said Deepak Mathur, Director, IEEE Region 10.
While COVID-19 disrupted almost every aspect of industry and business, it helped the evolution and adaptation of modern technology, said P G Naryana, Director, IIIT, Hyderabad.
During the next two days, the industry experts are expected to present their vision for the future through research papers. The conference being held in hybrid mode has more than 400 participants, over hundred curated research papers besides scientists and researchers from over ten countries, including US, Canada, UK, Japan, Australia and Singapore. They are expected to discuss jaw-dropping technology and research ideas from solar powered smart homes to the use of 5G communication technology in devices like autonomous cars and robots.
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