New tech order will be built from Karnataka: Priyank Kharge
The Karnataka government has initiated numerous programmes to create a talent pool that meets the demands of emerging technologies, said the Minister for Home, IT, BT & E-Governance, Government of Karnataka, at Techsparks 2026.
Karnataka Minister Priyank Kharge stated at the Techsparks 2026 summit that the new tech order will be built from the state. In a chat with Shradha Sharma, Founder & CEO, YourStory and The Bharat Project, Kharge emphasized the focus on developing skills to meet global market demands. The government has implemented various initiatives to enhance the skill sets of the workforce, aiming to unlearn and relearn relevant technologies.
The plan extends beyond the technology sector, focusing on blue-collar jobs in manufacturing as well. In the past nine months, Karnataka has attracted nearly $4.9 billion in technology sector investments. Bengaluru, the state capital, is recognized as the world's fourth-largest technology cluster. Forty-three percent of all technology investments in India come to Karnataka, underscoring the availability of talent.
The state's centers of excellence (CoE) in various sectors, including agriculture, aerospace, IoT, and AI, have generated over Rs 10,000 crore in market valuation. These CoEs operate independently with minimal government interference. The ELEVATE programme provides equity-free grants to startups, now extended to deeptech startups through ELEVATE Nxt.
The grants cover Rs 1 crore for deeptech solutions addressing citizen problems, along with market access programs in 40 countries. The overarching goal is to drive Karnataka's economic growth through IP creation, CoEs, state government grants, and local accelerator programs.
Written by urgent.news from YourStory's reporting — not their text. Machine-written — may contain errors; check the original before relying on it.
