The Kerala Cabinet on Friday approved the state’s Information Technology (IT) policy till 2026 with an aim to ensure the state gets 10% of IT exports from the country.
One of the main objectives is to triple the availability of IT space in the state through private participation and decentralized growth and create at least 5 million new jobs in IT and allied sectors.
The focus will be on creating an IP-based knowledge industry ecosystem. The state will aim to achieve a 5-10% share of the Indian economy in high-tech sectors such as space, aerospace, defence, electronics, artificial intelligence (AI), quantum computing and genomics. The policy sets a target of increasing the number of start-ups in the state to 20,000.
Apart from the IT sector, the policy also aims to ensure 100% internet access to all households in the state by providing fiber connectivity. A single user interface will be created for easy access to all citizen-centric services in the state through an enterprise architecture for state e-services. Predictive and normative management services will be provided across ministries.
The government will formulate specific technology missions to rapidly transform Kerala into a future-ready digital economy and innovation hub. These missions will focus on developing world-class competitiveness in critical technology areas. For this purpose, Kerala Electronics and Semiconductor Mission (KESM), Kerala AI Mission and Kerala Future Tech Mission (KFTM) will be formed. A mission for digital transformation will be created.
A framework for the responsible use of data and new technologies will be implemented. More e-governance applications will move to cloud services. The state government will create a data infrastructure for the development of companies based on data-driven solutions. Open source technologies will be adopted for software solutions built with government funding. Community initiatives to develop free and open source software and hardware will be supported.
The establishment of centers of excellence will create a skill base in emerging technologies such as Artificial Intelligence (AI), Blockchain, Data Analytics and Bioinformatics. A comprehensive law on cyber security will be adopted. Steps will be taken to promote inclusion in the IT workforce. Digital education will be supported by the development of new ICT textbooks for grades 1 to 10 in accordance with the new era.
Personal data protection
Mechanisms and legal frameworks will be created to ensure data privacy of citizens, consumers, employers and employees. The practice of various ministries of collecting and maintaining civic and other public information separately will be removed and an API facility will be provided to collect and maintain a single information in a single system and provide that information to the required ministries and agencies in a controlled manner.
A land pooling system will be implemented to create additional IT parks. Labor law will be simplified. A critical infrastructure fund will be established for the smooth functioning of IT parks to combat natural disasters and epidemics. Coworking infrastructure, angel networks and translation centers for micro venture capital (VC) will be established for start-ups.
The policy also envisages capital subsidies and other incentives for development and measures to create an enabling environment for the IT industry.
Published – 20 Feb 2026 20:53 IST