Thiruvananthapuram: Kerala is looking to embrace technology at a bigger level for ensuring sustainable growth and the general well-being of its people. The Kerala Budget for 2022-23 presented by Finance Minister K N Balagopal on Thursday has announced special research and development parks for nutraceuticals and graphene, probably the first of its kind in the country.
Neutraceuticals are a word coined as a combination of nutrients and pharmaceuticals, meaning food supplements that have special medicinal qualities. The development of such products, according to the Finance Minister, will address the nutrient deficiency issues among the tribal communities and would improve the general well-being of people. The special research and development park would develop such products that can be then introduced in the market.
Similarly, graphene is a material, identified as the thinnest and strongest material made of carbon. Graphene is a single layer of carbon atoms, tightly bound in a hexagonal honeycomb lattice. It is so thin that it is almost transparent but 100 times stronger than steel that thin.
The budget has allocated Rs 15 crore for graphene research, which the Finance Minister said would revolutionise electronics and electrical manufacturing and product development.
Tourists visiting Kerala in the coming years would also enjoy the luxury of cruise tourism as the government, in the budget, has envisaged a cruise tourism project connecting Goa, Mangalore, Beypore, Kochi, Kollam and Kovalam beaches. Rs 5 crore has been allocated for this project. The budget also announced that the state would bring in an integrated tourism project that would connect the forest, land, lakes and the sea.
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