Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan formally launched the Kerala Medical Technology Consortium (KMTC), a flagship initiative of the Kerala Development and Innovation Strategic Council (K-DISC), here on Thursday.
The consortium is mandated with evolving a medical innovation ecosystem by bringing medical research and development institutions, universities and various agencies together to nurture medical innovations and cost-effective solutions to the clinical needs relevant to the State and country.
The KMTC will provide financial, technical, marketing, legal and regulatory support to start-up ventures.
Speaking on the occasion, Mr. Vijayan stressed the need for assimilating new technologies to enhance the functioning of government departments and agencies. Technological advancements, including blockchain and machine learning, and artificial intelligence could be put to optimum use to boost governance. He added that the Technology Innovation Champion award was bound to encourage government departments and employees to adopt such advancements to improve their productivity.
15 pilot projects
The Chief Minister lauded K-DISC for taking up 15 pilot projects on diverse fields, including agriculture, health care and law enforcement, in association with start-ups. Such initiatives should be extended across sectors to improve the quality of life in the State.
He also inaugurated the Kerala Food Platform that aimed at bringing together stakeholders in the agricultural ecosystem on the digital platform.
Health Minister K.K. Shylaja presided.
