GR Exclusive: Telangana Discusses Incentivising Industries Prioritising Sustainability

In the buildup to the Global AI Summit scheduled to be hosted on 5th and 6th of September in Hyderabad, the state's IT Minister, D.Sridhar Babu shed light on the government's vision in an exclusive conversation with GoodReturns.

Q: What does the Government seek to gain out of the summit and what will the AI policy of the state entail?

A: The Technological destiny of the state will depend on our capability to adapt & develop emerging technologies. As on date, AI is breaching all barriers and impacting the lives of billions of people across the board. Most industries are adopting AI. We do not want to play catch up. We want to trendsetter. Telangana will not wait for the future of AI to unfold; we want to lead the way and make the nation proud. We would like shape the future of AI. This summit will go a long way in ensuring that we progress in the right direction. The growth trajectory of the AI market in India, as per NASSCOM's predictions makes it all the more important. We want to position Telangana as the best destination for new-age innovators and investors coming in by creating infrastructure & technological architecture.

Q: AI has a plethora of use cases, which industries is the Government exploring, at this point in time?

A: Ai being used in the agriculture, health and education sectors can drive the prosperity of the people of the state. Use of AI could lead to increase in agricultural productivity, accessibility in the supply chain and thereby, the purchasing power of the farmers. When it comes to healthcare, AI could help provide qualitative healthcare to people. Data is very important when we speak of healthcare. Data helps provide timely and effective healthcare. We are planning to issue digital health cards to every citizen of Telangana. When that is implemented, this technology will be very helpful. AI will be incorporated into the curriculum of Government run institutions. The next generation needs to be made aware of emerging technologies to give them a head start. This will help them take decisions and learn about leading technologies.

Q: Considering the flood situation at hand, as a measure for the future, is the government looking at exploring options of integrating AI with systems of large-scale infrastructural projects as well?

A: This was an experience for us. Going forward, we will be working on generating meteorological predictions using AI. We will also try to sensitise the farmers. The predictions will help us inform and prepare the farmers. Precautionary measures can be taken in time to limit losses. That is the reason the tag line for the Summit is 'AI For Everyone'. We will be using technological in every sector possible .

Q: The Indian Gaming industry has done really well in the last decade or so, is the government open to revisiting the ban?

A: The Government hasn't thought of that yet. It is not one of the priorities. We have to keep in mind, the implications of the same on the lives middle, upper middle and lower classes of the society. We will be taking the opinions of all relevant stakeholder and take a conscious decision but not a priority at the moment.

Q: What will the Government do to facilitate the rise of Hyderabad as the AI Capital? Any new initiatives coming up?

A: The Government has allocated over 200 acres of land where we plan on building the 'fourth city', which is nearby to the airport. Ultimate objective of the city is to play a crucial role in enhancing the position of Telangana in the global ecosystem. What we can do is provide vibrant infrastructure, this includes both real-estate and state-of-the-art technological architecture that companies would require. We need to be superior on all fronts to be able to attract innovation labs, startup incubators, research entities & most importantly entrepreneurs. They are welcome to come to Hyderabad, camp here, build and innovate from the city. Right now, we are exporting talent and technological expertise, only to procure the finished product at a very high cost. We seek to turn this around. We would like to leaders in terms of software products.

Q: Will companies prioritising sustainability be incentivised?

A: We are promoting the usage of alternative resources as compared to traditionally used natural resources. Instead of using fossil fuel to generate energy, we are promoting companies to use green energy. We are going to the extent of encouraging companies to reduce the usage of air conditioners. As we are all aware, the Carbon footprint we leave is a major issue. For example, data centres that are going to come up will be requiring a lot of power and water to sustain. There are technologies available to minimise the same. We will encourage companies adopt such technologies. The new industrial policy is being prepared and we are looking at putting it out within the next two to three weeks. Incentivising those prioritising sustainability is being discussed. I can confirm that. We will have the take the financial condition of the department and support given by the union government will have to be taken into consideration.

Q: You recently spoke of driver less cars. If you are looking at introducing the same in Hyderabad, what is the timeline you are looking at and is India ready for it?

A: IIT Hyderabad should take pride in their work. It is very difficult to customise the driver-less technology to Indian conditions. There are numerous complexities involved due to the infrastructure and other concerns. They are trying to do that and I have been told that they will be ready to test-drive their first model on a specific road, within the next 2-3 month. This will make the country proud.

Q: Why should a prospective investor pick Hyderabad and not one of its competitors?

A: Over a period of 3 decades, the ecosystem, the infrastructure and the talent pool that we have created will easily surpass the offerings of our competitors. These are the key ingredients for any industry. Secondly, if you look at our immediate competition in Bengaluru and Chennai, they have inherent problems. Mobility, drinking water and congestion are major issues. The ORR is a testament to the kind of infrastructure we have created. In less than one hour, one could commute from any point in Hyderabad to another. We offer lands at concessional prices, promote and hand hold industries. Telangana has been at the top of the Ease of Doing Business rankings as well. These are the advantages we have got.

Q: As mentioned by AP CM Chandra Babu Naidu, is it time to focus on Speed of Doing Business?

A: Focussing on the Speed of Doing Business is very essential and necessary. Today, in Telangana, applications to setup industries are cleared within two weeks, irrespective of the scale of the project. That is how fast the state's administration is. You cannot see something like this, anywhere in the country.

Q: What do you have to say about the BRS' contribution to the development of Hyderabad?

A: It was in 1992, during the regime of a Congress government that the foundation stone of the Software Technology Park of India was laid. During the last decade, there was a massive rise in global demand and each stakeholder got their share. Karnataka took the largest share. Karnataka boasts of 7.5L crores of software exports, while we are limited to 2.5L crores. The BRS Government was more of marketing, less of action. Sadly, Bengaluru produce 42 unicorns in the past few years, while Hyderabad could only produce 3. This says it all.