<p>Bengaluru: Chief Secretary Shalini Rajneesh called out the dearth of AI talent in Karnataka while speaking at the AI Impact Pre-Summit Working Group Meeting at the IISc on Tuesday. </p>.<p>“I’m sorry to say, I have been hunting for people to work on my AI project. It’s been very difficult. Even the International Institute of Information Technology Bangalore (IIITB) says they’re not able to supply data scientists, data analysts and AI analysts,” she said, stressing the changes that need to be brought within the state’s curriculum across all levels. </p>.<p>“It’s not just about changes that need to be brought at the higher education level. Even at the higher secondary level, how do we bring in more capacity-building and more orientation of IT-based skills that are going to be required in the days to come? Now, we don’t have months or years left, we have days to come,” she added, outlining a strategic vision to embed AI curriculum at the primary education level across all state schools. </p>.Chief Secretary Shalini Rajneesh inspects broken roads in Bengaluru tech corridor.<p>In her keynote, the chief secretary highlighted Karnataka’s shift from siloed data management to an interoperable Data Lake architecture. “Currently, datasets for farmers, students, land and crops exist in isolation, limiting their value,” she stated. </p>.<p>She also cited a breakthrough-use case in agriculture enabled by this new approach, which helped recognise the 300 gram panchayats which required nutrient interventions. </p>.<p>“By integrating crop health and soil nutrient data, we found that out of 6,000 gram panchayats, only 300 required specific nutrient interventions. This precision allows for the rightful allocation of fertilisers, preventing waste and optimising resources,” she said. </p>.<p>The top bureaucrat also shared her vision for voice-enabled AI interfaces that allow citizens to interact with government websites in multiple languages, bridging the digital divide while adhering to strict privacy and state regulations. </p>.<p class="CrossHead"><span class="bold">4-Helix Model</span></p>.<p>Addressing the gathering, Pankaj Kumar Pandey, Principal Secretary, DPAR (e-Gov), introduced the “Bangalore Dividend”—a 4-helix framework mapping scale, talent, demography and desire to operationalise AI. </p>.<p>He highlighted a critical financial use case involving the Rs 20,000-crore subsidy provided by the Finance Department for 35 lakh irrigation pumpsets. “By leveraging AI to map crop data against water requirements, we can optimise water consumption, reduce soil erosion, and significantly rationalise the subsidy burden,” he explained. </p>.<p>He also detailed the institutionalisation of the Karnataka AI Cell (KAIC), and shared details about AI products working towards administrative reforms. </p>
<p>Bengaluru: Chief Secretary Shalini Rajneesh called out the dearth of AI talent in Karnataka while speaking at the AI Impact Pre-Summit Working Group Meeting at the IISc on Tuesday. </p>.<p>“I’m sorry to say, I have been hunting for people to work on my AI project. It’s been very difficult. Even the International Institute of Information Technology Bangalore (IIITB) says they’re not able to supply data scientists, data analysts and AI analysts,” she said, stressing the changes that need to be brought within the state’s curriculum across all levels. </p>.<p>“It’s not just about changes that need to be brought at the higher education level. Even at the higher secondary level, how do we bring in more capacity-building and more orientation of IT-based skills that are going to be required in the days to come? Now, we don’t have months or years left, we have days to come,” she added, outlining a strategic vision to embed AI curriculum at the primary education level across all state schools. </p>.Chief Secretary Shalini Rajneesh inspects broken roads in Bengaluru tech corridor.<p>In her keynote, the chief secretary highlighted Karnataka’s shift from siloed data management to an interoperable Data Lake architecture. “Currently, datasets for farmers, students, land and crops exist in isolation, limiting their value,” she stated. </p>.<p>She also cited a breakthrough-use case in agriculture enabled by this new approach, which helped recognise the 300 gram panchayats which required nutrient interventions. </p>.<p>“By integrating crop health and soil nutrient data, we found that out of 6,000 gram panchayats, only 300 required specific nutrient interventions. This precision allows for the rightful allocation of fertilisers, preventing waste and optimising resources,” she said. </p>.<p>The top bureaucrat also shared her vision for voice-enabled AI interfaces that allow citizens to interact with government websites in multiple languages, bridging the digital divide while adhering to strict privacy and state regulations. </p>.<p class="CrossHead"><span class="bold">4-Helix Model</span></p>.<p>Addressing the gathering, Pankaj Kumar Pandey, Principal Secretary, DPAR (e-Gov), introduced the “Bangalore Dividend”—a 4-helix framework mapping scale, talent, demography and desire to operationalise AI. </p>.<p>He highlighted a critical financial use case involving the Rs 20,000-crore subsidy provided by the Finance Department for 35 lakh irrigation pumpsets. “By leveraging AI to map crop data against water requirements, we can optimise water consumption, reduce soil erosion, and significantly rationalise the subsidy burden,” he explained. </p>.<p>He also detailed the institutionalisation of the Karnataka AI Cell (KAIC), and shared details about AI products working towards administrative reforms. </p>
