CII Kerala Urges AI Adoption to Transform MSMEs

20 Mar 2026 CW Team

The Confederation of Indian Industry Kerala highlighted the transformative potential of artificial intelligence (AI) for the state's micro, small and medium enterprises (MSMEs) at its Annual Members Meeting 2025–26 in Kochi. The event formed part of the Application & Digi-Tech Series 2026 and included a seminar titled AI for MSMEs: Driving Productivity, Profitability, and Growth that examined practical pathways for adoption. Organisers emphasised that AI can provide a competitive edge to local businesses when integrated with strategic planning. The meeting brought together industry leaders and stakeholders to discuss implementation challenges.\n\nDr Saji Gopinath, Vice Chancellor of the Kerala University of Digital Sciences, Innovation and Technology, delivered the keynote address and characterised artificial intelligence as a general purpose technology and a great equaliser. He urged entrepreneurs to move beyond applying AI to legacy processes and to rethink business models so that technology enables new value. Speakers noted that adoption should focus on redesigning workflows and developing digital skills across the workforce. The discussion considered regulatory, infrastructure and finance constraints.\n\nPanel contributions highlighted automation of routine and repetitive tasks as a primary productivity gain, enabling staff to shift toward higher value roles such as innovation, customer engagement and strategic planning. Thomas John Muthoot, Chairman of CII Southern Region, stressed the strategic importance of technology for regional competitiveness and said that MSMEs can use AI to free time for purpose driven work and authentic human interaction. Presenters outlined practical tools, pilot projects and collaboration models that can scale within supply chains and service sectors.\n\nJoseph M. Kallivayalil, Chairman of CII Kerala, advocated immediate adoption of AI tools, identifying them as a critical lever for maintaining competitive advantage in a rapidly evolving market. VKC Razak, Immediate Past Chairman, observed that while artificial intelligence will not replace humans, enterprises that embrace the technology will supplant those that do not, making adoption essential. By transitioning from traditional operations to data driven, high performance entities, Kerala's MSMEs can position themselves to lead the next wave of industrial growth and to compete on a global scale.

Infrastructure Urban

09 Apr 2026

Mineral Auction Rules Amended To Speed Mine Operationalisation

The Ministry of Mines notified the Mineral (Auction) Second Amendment Rules, 2026 on 30 March 2026 to accelerate operationalisation of mines and improve ease of doing business in the mining sector. The amendment follows a prior change to the Mineral (Auction) Rules, 2015 effected on 17 October 2025 that introduced intermediary timelines between issuance of a letter of intent (LoI) and execution of the mining lease. The 2025 change provided that one per cent of performance security would be appropriated for each month of delay by the preferred bidder and introduced incentives for early operatio..

Indian Railways Strengthens Telecom And AI Safety Systems

Indian Railways strengthened its telecom and digital infrastructure during 2025-26 with the aim of improving safety, operational efficiency and the passenger experience. The programme promoted modernisation through advanced technologies, robust communication systems and passenger-centric solutions. These measures were presented as part of a drive to build a digitally integrated rail ecosystem. A key development was the enhancement of the Internet Protocol Multi-Protocol Label Switching (IP MPLS) backbone, commissioned at 1,396 stations to meet bandwidth needs of mission-critical applications. ..

NHAI Holds Workshop on Litigation Management and Coordination

The National Highways Authority of India (NHAI) organised a day-long workshop in New Delhi to strengthen capacity and interdepartmental synergy for faster execution of national highway projects. The event was held under Mission Karmayogi – Sadhana Saptah, an initiative of the Government of India to enhance governance through capacity building and improved processes. The workshop focused on structured and solution oriented deliberations to address implementation constraints. The session was chaired by the NHAI chairman Santosh Kumar Yadav and brought together senior officials from NHAI, the M..