Karnataka targets one lakh new jobs, AI hubs, and a $3 trillion economy by 2047

Karnataka aims to create 100,000 new jobs, bolster artificial intelligence (AI) education, and set up technology hubs across the state in its 'Young Karnataka–New India' vision, announced Chief Minister D.K. Shivakumar during the 80th Independence Day celebrations on August 15. The Chief Minister Udyoga Sankalpa and Udyoga Nidhi schemes, launched to enhance employment opportunities, are set to address key vacancies by filling 72,000 positions, with notifications expected in the coming six months.

The government plans to offer entrepreneurs in 10 economically disadvantaged districts a monthly incentive of ₹2,500 per new job, targeting 100,000 additional jobs through Udyoga Nidhi.

AI will be integrated into Karnataka's education system from class 6, with the AI Akshara Abhiyana and Coding Gurukula programmes proposed, and the establishment of India's first government-owned AI university in Bengaluru. AI hubs will be set up in five cities—Kalaburagi, Belagavi, Hubballi-Dharwad, Mangaluru, and Mysuru—while an Advanced Manufacturing Cluster is being developed in Doddaballapura, expected to generate around 100,000 jobs.

The Chief Minister targets a $3 trillion economy by 2047, projecting Karnataka's per capita income at ₹4.33 lakh, with the state ranking second in GST and income-tax collections.

The state government is integrating technology into agriculture through the Chief Minister Raitha Chaitanya scheme, providing drones and satellite imagery for crop surveys and offering a 50% subsidy on agricultural machinery rental charges to farmers owning three acres or less. Under the Raitha Mitra scheme, farmers in this category have access to subsidized rental charges for agricultural machinery.

Infrastructure developments, including 1,663 km of State Highways, 3,000 km of major district roads, and 125 bridges constructed in the last year, are ongoing under the Pragathi Patha scheme, with ₹5,200 crore invested in rural road development.

Bengaluru is set to witness infrastructure projects worth ₹1.50 lakh crore, including an expansion of the Namma Metro network to 220 km and a 117-km ring road, the Bengaluru Business Corridor, estimated at ₹26,000 crore. Water security is a priority, with 112 major water-resource projects worth ₹16,000 crore approved, and the first phase of the Yettinahole Integrated Drinking Water Project nearing completion, with water expected to reach Tumakuru district by November.

The Chief Minister also unveiled plans for a Karnataka State Motor Vehicle Insurance Corporation to simplify insurance services for vehicle owners, highlighting welfare schemes such as ₹77,000 crore transferred directly to 1.28 crore women under the Gruha Lakshmi scheme, 1.65 crore households receiving free electricity under Gruha Jyothi, and over 796 crore free journeys made by women under the Shakti scheme.