Mangaluru tech park proposal to be approved in a week: Priyank Kharge

Mangaluru: Minister for IT and BT Priyank Kharge said that the proposal for the largest tech park in Mangaluru will come before the cabinet either tomorrow or next week for approval.

The tech park is being planned on 3.25 acres of land, with a built-up area of 3.5 lakh square feet and a working capacity of 3,500, he said while speaking at the fifth edition of Mangaluru Technovanza 2025, an initiative of the Karnataka Digital Economy Mission (KDEM) under the Beyond Bengaluru programme, held at the TMA Pai Convention Centre.

Stating that Karnataka’s Global Capability Centres (GCC) policy is ambitious, Kharge noted that it aims to attract 500 new GCCs in the state by 2029—nearly doubling the current number—with the goal of creating 3.5 lakh jobs. He added that the government will roll out a circular economy policy within the next month.

When Mohandas Pai, former Infosys CFO, stressed the need for an Elevate AI 100 programme—on the lines of the earlier Elevate 100 initiative conceived to nurture startups in Karnataka and position the state as an AI hub—the Minister said the idea would be discussed at the Bengaluru Tech Summit 2025, scheduled from November 18 to 20.

“We can have Elevate AI 100 or 500, whatever the industry decides. I am ready to pledge Rs 5 crore. Mohandas Pai has to ensure that the top 25 venture capital firms across the country come to the summit and pledge another Rs 5 crore, so that it becomes a substantial fund. The funding should be exclusively for Karnataka. In the Future Makers session, we will have a dedicated session on Elevate AI, where we will announce the results,” Kharge said.

B V Naidu, Chairman of the Karnataka Digital Economy Mission, stressed the potential of a GIFT City–like hub in Karnataka and a data centre hub in Mangaluru. In response, the minister said the proposal had earlier been declined by the Union Government, which maintained that the country could have only one GIFT City like hub.

“If all MPs from Karnataka speak to the Finance Minister as well as the Prime Minister and exert pressure, it can be reconsidered. I believe it will work phenomenally well if it is set up here, considering the volume of remittances and the complete ecosystem present in this region. But nothing stops us from asking again,” he added.

On a potential data centre in Mangaluru, Kharge said, “Mangaluru can be a strong contender for a data centre. We have already submitted a proposal to the Department of Energy, asking them to prepare an industry-specific energy plan. For a data centre, we need to ensure energy and water security. We are working towards it and will come up with a blueprint by the next budget session.”