Karnataka to build 6 new 'high-tech' cities, startup park: CM

One city will be near Bengaluru, very close to the airport

Karnataka will build six new "high-tech" cities and a dedicated "startup park", Chief Minister Basavaraj Bommai said during his inaugural speech at the 25th edition of the Bengaluru Tech Summit.

The six “high-tech” cities will be built near Kalaburagi, Mysuru, Mangaluru, Hubballi-Dharwad and Bengaluru regions.

The news comes as the state tries to convince investors to think beyond Bengaluru – better known as “India’s Silicon Valley” – while powering its tech-driven future. The theme was front and centre at the recently concluded Global Investors’ Meet, which saw 90 per cent of investments channelled towards regions beyond Bengaluru.

Also Read | India using tech as weapon in war against poverty: PM Modi

"The city near Bengaluru will be very close to the airport and will be well-planned and will have the best universities and R&D centres," Bommai said, adding that the detailed plan for the new cities will be unveiled in six months.

The "startup park" will be a "multi-modal" one catering to nascent enterprises across sectors and will also be set up near the Bengaluru airport, Bommai said in his 15-minute-long speech.

This comes at a time when at least 25 out of India's 100 unicorns are expected to file for public listing on stock exchanges, as per Accel Partner Prashanth Prakash's predictions.

CM Bommai used his speech to highlight the need for sustainable innovation in the technology sector.

"The globe is shrinking...global life is reducing year by year. Resources are dwindling second by second. It is alarming," he said, adding that the current pace of growth is often seen as "stealing from the future".

"Hence, whatever technology and whatever innovations there are, their goal should be to conserve for the future, connect so that global thinking starts to save this planet, and break down the digital divide happening across the world," he said.

He appealed to innovators to focus on sustainable solutions.

"I give a call that we will have eco-friendly tech, eco-friendly innovations and eco-economies," Bommai said.

Earlier during the inaugural ceremony, Prime Minister Narendra Modi, in his recorded speech, welcomed global innovators to invest in India by saying: "India is no more a place known for red tape, but is now known for the red carpet for investment." He also said that technology, which was once seen as an exclusive domain, has now been democratised by India.

“In India, technology is a force of equality and empowerment...India is using tech as a weapon in the war against poverty, " Modi said.