Andhra Pradesh has identified three critical areas - fintech, cyber security and blockchain technology - for promotion of the IT sector in the State and all efforts would be made to achieve growth with employment, according to J A Chowdary, IT adviser to the State Government.

He was speaking here on Friday at the inaugural of a two-day seminar on 'Digital India in the global IT spectrum', organised jointly by the Computer Society of India and the Visakhapatnam steel plant.

He said the State Government had established International Institute of Digital Technologies (IIDT) at Tirupati offering PG courses in cyber security and business analytics from the current year. A fintech school of excellence would also be set up in IIDT.

"This is the ideal time for establishng IT start-ups in the State. We have to find ways to meet the challenges brought about by the digital revolution," he said.

He said a major fintech festival would be held here on March 9 and March 10 in which experts from several countries would participate. Again, in October a major two-day event on fintech would be organised here.

He said mega job melas would be organised in the State, making use of Microsoft's Sankalp, to recruit youth in IT, manufacturing and other sectors.

The Visakhapatnam steel plant CMD, P Madhusudan, said all sections of society should be prepared for the digital revolution and the challenges brought about by it. The steel plant on its part was doing its best to adopt digital technologies to bring down the costs of steel-making and improve the quality of products.

Former scientific secretary to the Government of India S.V Raghavan said a digital India would be a new India and it should be possible to usher in the digital revolution in the country. Digital infrastructure, which is always available and reliable, should be built up.

A seamless route through the technologies should be found. Taking the ground realities into account, technologies should be introduced and the country should be prepared for the digital age.

sarma.rs@thehindu.co.in