Thiruvananthapuram: The Left in Kerala has been vocally opposed to the cow-protection plans announced by governments in states like Uttar Pradesh, Haryana, Madhya Pradesh and Maharashtra.

They brand the official announcements as political rhetoric and dismiss them as 'Sanghi' propaganda.

But Kerala, ruled by the CPM-led Left Democratic Front (LDF), recently took a U-turn, albeit with the aid of technology, to protect the cattle population in the state.

The Kerala Startup Mission (KSUM) has launched an innovation challenge for startups to come up with a set of cost-effective Internet of Things (IoT) devices that could monitor the vital parameters of cows, including their health and early detection of diseases.

Titled Internet of Cattle (IoC) Innovation Challenge, and announced at the first IoT summit held at the Technopark here, the initiative seeks to create a unique identification system, similar to Aadhaar, that will help identify cattle, alert owners on their health and genetic mapping including pedigree and possible milk yield.

KSUM CEO Anoop Ambika said the IoC innovation challenge is a unique concept and KSUM is proud to introduce such an initiative for the benefit of the animal husbandry sector.

He noted that IoT, which has immense possibilities, can potentially change the way things are operated now.

“The information overload has created a lot of aspirational needs for the youth and they are out there to explore the world. But we want them to bring back the experience and knowledge for the betterment of the country,” he said.

“The state is seriously analysing youths, who aspire to go abroad with the advent of Internet. We want startups to create an ecosystem that makes people aspire to comeback and settle down in the country,” Anoop said.

He urged youngsters to come up with exciting ideas, consolidate them after listening to experts and make use of the system available with the government in the form of infrastructure, grants and funds.

At the summit, KSUM signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with Kerala Medical Technology Consortium (KMTC) to promote innovations and entrepreneurship in the medical technology, medical devices and allied areas. Anoop and special officer of KMTC Padmakumar C exchanged the MoU.

Around 15 selected startups showcased their innovative products at the IoT Startup Expo held on the sidelines of the summit.