Technology can generate employment, increase income — KG Kenye

Our Correspondent
Kohima, Oct. 20 (EMN): Nagaland’s Member of Parliament (Rajya Sabha) KG Kenye on Wednesday said that there is an immense potential in technology to bring development, generate employment, increase income and improve the quality of life.

He was addressing World Forum 4.0 (WF4.0) 2021, an international forum of experts, political leaders, CEOs, managers, governments, companies and organisations linked to the fourth industrial revolution.

Kenye said the fact that he could virtually take part in the global platform from Kohima was a manifestation in itself that the world had moved from the third industrial revolution to the fourth.

He pointed out that the transition has presented many opportunities as well as few challenges.

“We do not yet know just how the fourth industrial revolution will unfold but it will fundamentally alter the way we live, work and relate to one another in an unprecedented way,” he added.

He also highlighted the background of the fourth industrial revolution that originated from the G-20 Osaka Leaders’ Declaration of June 29, 2019 that talked about sharing of good practices on effective policy and regulatory approaches and frameworks that are innovative as well as agile, flexible and adapted to the digital era including the use of regulatory sandboxes.

“As a policymaker, I was a member of the National Committee on Information Technology of the Government of India, and our focus was to try to leverage advancements in technology to provide basic goods and services to our peoples.

“Let me tell you that there is immense potential in Technology to secure development, generate employment, raise income levels and improve the quality of life for our citizens,” said Kenye.

He expressed his happiness over the government of India’s recent approval to provide “high speed broadband Internet” connection to 16 states in India including Nagaland, and further he pointed out that over 3,60,000 villages across the country would be covered initially and the budget had been approved for viability gap funding.

“It will enable access to online education, telemedicine, skill development and e-commerce in our villages,” he said.

The MP observed that ‘as the world tries to recuperate from Covid, it is interesting to see how the pandemic has pushed organisations over the technology tipping point and transformed business and processes forever’.

In the meantime, he said: “We have to be careful that the past inequalities of the labour market are not reproduced in information economy.”

While pointing out A McKinsey’s survey conducted last year which found out that responses to Covid had speeded the adoption of digital technologies and these changes would be there for the long haul, he stated that “as policymakers, we have to make sure that our response to it must be integrated and comprehensive, involving all stakeholders of the global polity from the governments, public and private sectors to academia and civil society”.

Further, he asserted that the policymakers have to reaffirm the importance of bridging the digital divide and fostering the adoption of digitalisation. Maintaining that focus on developing and the least developed countries should be the priority, he said it has to benefit micro, small and medium enterprises; individuals, particularly vulnerable groups while encouraging networking and experience sharing.

Meanwhile, Kenye stated that the issue of promoting security in the digital economy and addressing security gaps and vulnerabilities cannot be neglected by the policymakers and the international community.

“No doubt the scale, scope and complexity of the transformation ushered by the fourth industrial revolution will be unlike anything mankind has ever experienced before. But we have to make sure that the change is human-centric, humane and towards the betterment of the societies, nations and most importantly our Environment,” he stated.

‘The fourth industrial revolution is merely a medium to fulfil our aspiration for a better world which is just, peaceful, prosperous and equitable for the future generation. And we who have gathered here from far shores at the world forum are the agents of change for the fourth industrial revolution,’ he added.

He urged the participants, as responsible citizens of the world, to be the agents of the change that “we wish to see”.

He concluded his address by inviting the participants to visit Nagaland and the Northeast India, ‘a region of immense natural beauty and of warm hospitality’.

It may be mentioned that Kenye shared the stage with other global leaders, government ministers, political leaders, business leaders and CEOs based on the transformation processes of the fourth Industrial Revolution at the two-day event (October 20 and the 21th).

As many as 33 speakers from various countries like Argentina, Brazil, Canada, Colombia, Spain, Paraguay, Dominican Republic, Uruguay, Tunisia, Panama/ Netherland, and Sri Lanka among others, will address the event.

Kenye is the lone speaker from India to speak at the World Forum 4.0, wherein the sessions will focus on post-pandemic life, digital platforms and technology that will play crucial role for economic recovery and securing the United Nations (UN) Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) especially among the developing countries.