In an exclusive conversation with APAC News Network, CXO News Rama Devi Lanka, Director- Emerging Technologies | OSD, Information Technology, Electronics & Communications Department, Government of Telangana highlights how the state is leveraging AI and other emerging technologies to provide citizen-centric services.
What are your primary responsibilities as the Director- Emerging Technologies OSD Information Technology, Electronics & Communications Department?
As the Director of the Emerging Technologies (ET) Wing within the Information Technology, Electronics & Communications (ITE&C) Department of Telangana, my primary responsibilities are:
- Formulating and executing policy frameworks for emerging technologies like Artificial Intelligence, Blockchain, Cloud Computing, Drones, Robotics, and others to create a conducive ecosystem for their growth and adoption in the state.
- I lead the establishment and operations of dedicated Centers of Excellence (CoEs) for AI (Telangana AI Mission – T-AIM), Cybersecurity, Additive Manufacturing, and E-Waste Management to implement the policy frameworks.
- My responsibility also includes driving collaborations with industry players, startups, and academia to develop solutions leveraging emerging technologies for social good and improve citizen services
- I also conceptualize and oversee the execution of flagship initiatives like the AI-powered Agricultural Data Exchange, Saagu Baagu, wildlife monitoring using AI, Intelligent Solutions for Road Safety through Technology and Engineering (iRASTE), and projects in areas like fintech, healthtech, and climate tech
- Representing the state at national and international forums, fostering partnerships, and advocating for the ethical and responsible adoption of emerging technologies have also been a part of my job.
How do you develop policies for emerging technologies? Could you cite some examples?
ET Wing of the ITE&C Department of Telangana has developed six policy frameworks for emerging technologies like Artificial Intelligence, Drones, Blockchain, Cloud Adoption, SpaceTech, and Robotics.
Developing policies for emerging technologies involves a comprehensive approach to ensure which typically includes:
Step 1: Research and Assessment:
Conducting primary and secondary research to understand the specific needs to plan the strategic pillars and map the potential impact of the technology in relevant sectors.
Identifying opportunities and challenges through in-depth assessments, expert consultations, and stakeholder engagement.
For example, the Telangana AI Framework is a prime example of this approach. Here are the elements involved:
Focus Sectors where AI adoption could have the most significant impact are identified as healt
The framework is built around six strategic pillars:
1) Datasets and Data Exchange Platform,
2) Provide High-Performance Computing Labs,
3) Talent and Education,
4) Governance, Ethics, and Privacy,
5) Promoting Research and Innovation,
6) Enabling AI Adoption and Community Collaboration
Step 2: Policy Formulation:
Collaborating with government policymakers, industry bodies, research experts, and think tanks to gather diverse perspectives and policy proposals are drafted
Step 3: Stakeholder and Public Consultation:
Engaging with department stakeholders and industry experts, public consultations are held to update the framework.
What initiatives have been taken to ensure that government officials develop the necessary skills to handle these emerging technologies effectively?
Several initiatives have been undertaken to develop the necessary skills to handle emerging technologies effectively:
Targeted Workshops: The government has organized specialized workshops and stakeholder meetings, like those under the AdEx initiative, ET workshops with government departments, and AI procurement guidelines, which are designed
Real-World Interaction through Startups: Through the Startup Connect program in agriculture, and healthcare
What were some memorable outcomes from the projects that have been implemented under the Emerging Technologies wing?
The Emerging Technologies wing in Telangana has catalyzed transformative changes across multiple sectors, achieving significant and memorable outcomes:
Enhanced Agricultural Productivity: Through the integration of AI in agriculture, there has been a marked improvement in farm productivity and crop yields. Farmers are now equipped with tools for better soil management and crop planning, leading to increased efficiency and reduced environmental impact. Our ‘Saagu Baagu’ project, in partnership with the World Economic Forum, has benefitted over 7,000 farmers by integrating AI solutions across the chili crop value chain, reducing costs and improving yields.
National Recognition: Intelligent Solutions for Road Safety through Technology and Engineering (iRASTE), has received appreciation from the Hon. Prime Minister of India in the 3rd national conferences of CS, and suggested scale-up across the country. This highlights the potential for local innovations to create a nationwide impact. This initiative has greatly improved public safety, demonstrating the power of technology in saving lives and enhancing road safety.
Success in the adoption of emerging technologies in government departments: AI has been used to enhance wildlife conservation efforts, with the initial phase focused on automating insights from camera traps in forests. The success ofthese efforts is leading to the expansion into real-time monitoring systems, aiming to better protect biodiversity.
Awards and recognition: These projects have garnered national and international recognition, with the state government receiving several awards, including the Gold Icon award at Digital India Awards 2022 for Project Smart Nutrient Management for the Soil – conferred by the Hon’ble President of India, Smt. Droupadi Murmu.
What are some of the biggest challenges you have faced during the adoption of technologies like AI, Blockchain, or IoT in public services?
Some of the biggest challenges faced during the adoption of technologies like AI, Blockchain, or IoT in public services include:
- Building trust and confidence with government stakeholders regarding the transparency and accountability of technology-driven solutions has been a major issue
- Overcoming resistance to change and introducing a culture of innovation within government agencies has been a challenge since there are already existing processes and workflows that are followed.
- Securing enough funding and resources for the successful implementation and scaling of pilot projects across various domains has been a challenge.
- To address these challenges, we are organizing workshops, seminars, and awareness programs for government departments and seeking public-private partnerships to fund the projects.
Could you tell us about the nature of your collaborations with tech companies and academic institutions?
The nature of our collaborations with tech companies and academic institutions is fundamentally rooted in strategic partnerships, each tailored to make use of the unique expertise of our partners to drive innovation and achieve impactful outcomes. These partnerships span a variety of types, including skilling partnerships, centers of excellence, pilot projects, and research collaborations. Here are some notable examples that illustrate the diversity and depth of our collaborations:
1. Advisory role (World Economic Forum in Saagu Baagu): WEF has supported the implementation of 5 agri-tech solutions that substantially improved the chili value chain for 7,000 farmers in Telangana. WEF and the government bring together startup representatives to develop and implement innovative solutions in the agriculture sector.
2. Skilling Program (Uber): Our partnership with Uber focuses on implementing comprehensive skilling programs designed to enhance employability. Uber brings its extensive industry expertise and resources to the table, offering specialized training that addresses current job market demands.
3. Implementation Partner (Intel – CoE INAI): The collaboration with Intel has led to the Applied AI Research Centre for Mobility and Healthcare. Intel brings its tech leadership and architectural strength to apply AI in population-scale problems combining research and translation.
4. Pilot Project Research support: We work on multiple research-led pilot projects with big tech firms. And, one such partnership involves launching pilot projects using a leading big tech firm’s AI/ ML capabilities along with remote sensing technology to develop a model that can help generate a holistic understanding of Telangana’s agricultural landscape with a focus on identifying farm-level landscape, farm boundaries and identify crops.
5. Technical Partner (IUDX IISc): In our collaboration with the Indian Urban Data Exchange (IUDX) under the Agriculture Data Exchange (ADeX) program, their expertise helps in building an open data platform with a focus on ethical data use, privacy, and responsible AI
6. Research Collaborations (IIIT Hyderabad): Our collaboration with IIIT Hyderabad has resulted in the establishment of an AI Center of Excellence (AI CoE) that focuses on sustainable practices and the development of AI solutions aligned with environmental and societal goals. IIIT Hyderabad contributes its renowned academic expertise, research capabilities, and innovative mindset to the partnership.
What are some of the measures the department is taking to address concerns related to data privacy and sustainability?
The department is taking several proactive measures to address concerns related to data privacy and sustainability. The department has spearheaded efforts to create a trustworthy agricultural data-sharing ecosystem through the Agriculture Data Management Framework to safeguard farmer data privacy through salient guidelines such as notice, consent, purpose-driven data sharing, responsibility, and accountability.
Additionally, the department is collaborating with UNESCO to implement AI for Ethics recommendations to understand the readiness of the state in responsible AI development and deployment. Furthermore, the department’s membership in the LITD 30 of the Bureau of Indian Standards for the Artificial Intelligence Committee allows it to contribute valuable insights and expertise to shape global policies that prioritize ethical and sustainable AI practices.
Also, Telangana’s Agricultural Data Exchange (ADeX), is India’s first digital public infrastructure (DPI) for the agriculture sector. Developed collaboratively by the Government of Telangana, the World Economic Forum, and the Indian Institute of Science (IISc), ADeX democratizes access to data.
This platform ensures data privacy by implementing robust encryption and access controls, allowing only authorized entities to access sensitive information. Farmers’ data is anonymized and aggregated, protecting individual privacy. The platform’s open architecture and adherence to industry standards foster interoperability, enabling integration with other systems and promoting long-term sustainability.
How does your department measure the success and effectiveness of the technology initiatives implemented across Telangana?
ET wing’s vision extends to societal good, strategic partnerships are formed with 60 startups and 17 private partners, resulting in the successful implementation of 52 projects that harness positive transformation across 14 government departments.
Success is measured through various metrics such as the social impact, scale-up of projects, and innovation.
Social Impact
• In AgriTech several projects have helped improve farmer’s productivity
• In the realm of transport, mobility, and social cause, the i-Raaste project provides real-time driver alerts on collision avoidance and driver habits and reduces road accidents by 30%-50%
Scale-up of Projects: This is a sign that our efforts towards the adoption of emerging technologies in government departments are progressing and successful
• Monitoring wildlife using AI, improves the conservation of wildlife and forest biodiversity helping the forest department achieve its goals. In phase 1 the project is focused on automation of getting insights from forest camera traps, now the forest department is keen on expanding it to implement a real-time monitoring system
Innovation: It defines the novelty in solutions on how emerging technologies can solve the most complex problems
• eVoting, a smartphone-based voting app, that could transform the whole paradigm of voting.
The above-mentioned implementations and use cases are helping the state of Telangana grow multifold through leveraging AI.
• Health-Tech’s ‘Medicine from Sky’ initiative drones for swift vaccine deliveries in remote locations through drones.
• In Citizen Centric problem solving, the T-Chit project in Fin-tech secures Chit funds through Blockchain by improved transparency and reduction in fraud.
Are there any upcoming projects or initiatives involving emerging technologies that you are looking forward to? Could you share some details about these initiatives?
Hyderabad is planning to establish India’s first and biggest ‘Artificial Intelligence City’ (AI City) to consolidate its position as a leading state in AI. Telangana’s AI City will encompass the AI ecosystem, comprising of cutting-edge research centers, AI Compute facilities, big tech firms’ AI centers, and startup incubators. It will focus on developing AI talent, fostering global collaborations, and integrating smart city initiatives for sustainable and enhanced urban life.
One of the most prominent and awaited upcoming projects is the Telangana Global AI Summit with the theme “Making AI Work for Everyone,” The Summit seeks to foster meaningful interaction and engagement among an impressive audience of over 2000 attendees, providing a platform to witness thought-provoking discussions, expert talks, product demos, hackathon/startup pitch program, and the launch of state-led initiatives.
The state is lining up influential international leaders, Indian thought leaders, government representatives, students, innovators, academicians, and professionals from around the globe to network and collaborate at the summit.
Recognizing the importance of linguistic preservation, particularly for Telugu, the Government of Telangana, in collaboration with IIT Bombay and Bharat GPT, is developing a Telugu Language Model (LLM) to create inclusive applications catering to diverse linguistic needs. One such use case will be a Legal GPT.
Additionally, the government is building a WhatsApp bot to identify students or children who may be struggling with drug addiction. This bot will integrate behavioral, psychological, and physical indicators to enable early identification of potential issues, empowering teachers and parents to provide support discreetly.
These initiatives underscore Telangana’s commitm
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