Another feature of Kerala IT is that 53 percent of techies hail from rural pockets. Kerala, which pioneered an IT revolution with Technopark in 1992, has had a chequered growth in the sector. After a lull, it is now bubbling with the vibrancy of Smart City, whose construction in Kochi began in October last year. The proposed rural IT parks are expected to take this forward in a big way, given the advantages the state's rural pockets have when it comes to availability of skilled manpower and better logistics. Today, Kerala's share in IT exports stands around 3,500 crore, a miniscule when compared to its neighbouring states. "IT is one of key areas, given the potential of Kerala, which supplies a great number of skilled professionals to all major IT hubs in the world," said Alkesh Sharma, managing director of state-owned Kerala State Industrial Development Corporation, which is coordinating the mega investment meet.