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Bengaluru, Nov 18 (IANS) Karnataka Deputy Chief Minister DK Shivakumar, who is also the Bengaluru Development, Town Planning Minister and in-charge of Bengaluru Urban District, on Tuesday hailed talent and technology as the two key cornerstones of Bengaluru.
“California has 13 lakh IT professionals while Bengaluru has 25 lakh,” he said.
“This shows the strength of Bengaluru. There are 1.4 crore people in Bengaluru, of which 20 per cent are IT professionals,” Shivakumar said after inaugurating the Bengaluru Tech Summit 2025 at the Bengaluru International Exhibition Center with Chief Minister Siddaramaiah.
“Karnataka has not developed into an IT giant. The government and the private sector have worked together to do this. Karnataka was the first state in the country to start an IT policy. Karnataka was the first state to start an IT ministry,” he underlined.
He said, “Our government has set aside Rs 1.5 lakh crore for the development of Bengaluru. Work is going on on a 41 km long double-decker flyover, twin tunnel road, elevated corridor, buffer road and a 117 km long Bengaluru Business Corridor. Along with this, we are planning an IT city in Bidadi. We are also working towards building a second airport in South Bengaluru. We will also start a new department for NRIs.”
Shivakumar said, “Bengaluru’s share in IT exports from India is 40 per cent. We have the highest number of engineering, medical, paramedical colleges in the country. No other state has the talent pool that our state has. All the investors have come to Bengaluru believing in us and hence we are working on a war footing to provide the infrastructure.”
“The theme of this edition ‘Futurize’ is not a statement, it is change. It is the foundation of a better tomorrow. I stand here before you not as the Deputy Chief Minister of the state but as a voice for your investment in the state. We are trying to co-create a global future for Karnataka,” he said.
He said, “The IT fair in Karnataka has been happening since 1998. It is the biggest IT event in Asia. For the first time, the venue has shifted from Bengaluru Palace to Bengaluru International Exhibition Centre. I remember that as the Urban Development Minister, I had given permission to Bengaluru Palace as the venue.”
Shivakumar said, “Leaders from all over the world are coming to this event. They think this is the future of IT. They have reposed faith in us and we will live up to that. Many companies are excited to come here to Bengaluru because of its infrastructure. The rapid growth in population has put pressure on the infrastructure. We are working on fixing it. We need support from all sides.”
–IANS
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