THIRUVANANTHAPURAM, 15 March 2008 — Kerala will be declared India’s first e-literate state by the end of the year, Chief Minister V.S. Achuthanandan said after opening the National e-Governance Advocacy Seminar and Kerala IT.Com 2008 here on Thursday.

The state government launched the ambitious project called Akshaya, the local knowledge hub with private partnership five years back to address the issue of digital divide in the state and the backward Malappuram district become the first e-literate district, with at least one member of a family learning the basic computer skills and earning an e-mail Id.

“Akshaya has launched key e-governance services like e-payment facilities, e-forms, product selling and training programs. By the end of 2008, Kerala is expected to become the first e-literate state in India,” he said.

“Thiruvananthapuram and Kochi have emerged as attractive IT and ITES destinations in India. Many renowned companies have come forward with requests for built-up space and land. We are developing parks in all districts in a hub-and-spoke model with the hubs at Thiruvananthapuram, Kochi and Kozhikode and spokes in all the remaining districts.”

Work has begun on the state government’s plan to develop Kochi and Thiruvananthapuram as the foremost IT locations in the region. “The Technocity here and the SmartCity in Kochi are global-standard initiatives with most modern state-of-the-art infrastructure. The telecom density in the state is double the national average with electronic exchanges and fiber-optic cables running up to village level,” Achuthanandan said.

The inaugural event was attended by all the major stakeholders of the Indian IT industry. “All these are possible because of the highly-talented human resources, best data connectivity, low operational costs, reasonably good infrastructure and international air connectivity,” the chief minister said.

Industries Minister Elamaram Kareem noted that the development of IT industries has given a push to the socio-economic growth of the state.

Trivandrum Airport to Be Closed

A number of flights from the Trivandrum International Airport will be affected as the airport authorities have decided to close the runway for eight hours every day for expansion work.

The authorities are in talks with the representatives of the airlines flying to the airport to reschedule their flights. The work is expected to last more than six weeks.

India’s first non-metro international airport launched a massive expansion project last week to build a new international terminal with world-class facilities. The runway is being closed to connect it to the taxi bay attached to the new terminal.

The runway is likely to be closed during the daytime when most of the domestic flights arrive. Only two international flights land during this time.

The airport receives direct flights from Kuwait, Singapore, Maldives, Colombo, Sharjah, Oman, Bahrain, Qatar, Jeddah and the United Arab Emirates. It is also linked with Chennai, Delhi, Mumbai, Kochi, Kozhikode and Bangalore by domestic carriers.

The new terminal coming up under the Rs.2.58 billion airport modernization project, being constructed by Airports Authority of India (AAI) on the city side, is expected to give a big boost to the development of the state capital and its booming IT and tourism industry.

The new 20,000-sq meter building will have all modern facilities such as escalators, elevators and aerobridges. The three-storied building constructed on Chaka side facing the Kovalam bypass will be a tubular structure of elliptical geometry using modern construction materials and covered with heat-reflecting toughened glass. It will be capable of handling passengers of two AB-300s and one Boeing 747 aircraft at a time.

The first phase of the project that includes a terminal building, apron and a car park, is expected to be completed by September 2008.