Emerging business in the state recognized at CII Connect 2017; Minister for IT

Dr.M Manikandan confers prestigious CII Connect Awards
Chennai, November 7, 2017: In an effort to showcase emerging innovations in the field of ICT, CII in association with Government of Tamil Nadu today recognized companies and from the state and conferred the prestigious CII Connect 2017 award as part of its annual flagship ICT conference –16th Edition of CII Connect 2017. The chief guest for the event, Dr.M Manikandan, Minister for IT, Government of Tamil Nadu distributed the awards under eight different categories in the presence of other dignitaries and eminent industry leaders.
Speaking on the occasion and about the ICT scenario in the state, Mr. Krish Gopalakrishnan, Past President, CII, said “CII Connect has become a significant event for the ICT industry in the entire country. Tail Nadu, especially Chennai has been a integral part of the ecosystem for ICT in the country. One of the key cities in the country where there is significant investment in the country, significant job opportunities created and hubs are being created. Momentum should continue and we have to sustain the growth of this industry. We have to make sure that this becomes an engine of the Indian economy in years to come.”
List of awards for CII Connect 2017:
• Emerging Entrepreneurs for the year 2017:
o Dr. Shankar Narasimhan, Gyan Data Pvt Ltd
o Prem K Vishwanath, Cloud Cherry Pvt Ltd
• Exemplary Application of IT – Hemalatha Annamalai, Ampere Vehicles Pvt Ltd
• Emerging Entrepreneur of the year (Service Category) – Shaji Ravi, Access Healthcare Services
• Emerging Entrepreneur of the year (Manufacturing Category) – Kunhamed Bicha, Avalon Technologies
• E-Governance Award – Mohan Pyare, IAS, Commissioner of Land Administration for online patta transfer
• IT Ecosystem Award – R Vasuki, IAS, SIPCOT
• Global Influencer of the year 2017 – Vanitha Narayanan, Chairman – IBM

Highlights of Mr. Krish Gopalakrishnan’s address in the awards function:
Talent ultimately brands this industry; it is what makes the technology come to life. This paves way for two fundamental requirements, one to retrain the existing people in the industry and secondly look at the pipeline that is coming and build their employability capabilities. Hence, the education sector should keep pace with the evolving pace of technology and make sure that the curriculum matches the industry requirements.

Government support must continue by helping the industry stay competitive. Competition between states in the form of programs like Ease of doing business ranking, innovation raking is an opportunity and a challenge for the state. Tamil Nadu definitely has an advantage in terms of investments and growing ecosystem in tier-2 cities.
Government should be proactive and attract right kind of investment with a focus on emerging technologies. Accelerate adoption of new technology in sectors like transportation and healthcare, which were also the focus areas for Connect 2017.